Why aren't battery capacities bigger?

[ArmchairBear]

I really wanted to get the new HTC One (M8). I currently have a Droid Maxx. It was really hard for me to leave the amazing battery life of my Maxx. I use my phone a lot throughout the day.

I was disappointed that despite the M8 being even bigger than the M7 and the Droid Maxx, the battery capacity is only 2600mAh. Now, I'm not expecting it to match the Droid Maxx's 3500mah battery, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000mah would be nice.

At least the Galaxy S5 is kinda close with a 2800mah battery, but again it's a bigger phone than the Maxx.

To be fair, the GS5 and M8 probably have better components than the Maxx, which may take up space otherwise used for the battery.

I just hope battery tech improves so that one day will be able to get a HTC One and not worry about battery life.

 

[Goodspike]

If that's a primary concern, with devices with a removable battery (such as the S5), you can get aftermarket batteries which are much bigger. They typically require a new back plate because of the extra space required.

But to answer your question, the answer is bigger batteries take up space.

 

[ArmchairBear]

If that's a primary concern, with devices with a removable battery (such as the S5), you can get aftermarket batteries which are much bigger. They typically require a new back plate because of the extra space required.

But to answer your question, the answer is bigger batteries take up space.

Just thinking out loud. I wonder if HTC and Samsung chose to use a less dense battery compared to Motorola to keep costs down. That's assuming there are denser batteries. HTC One and Galaxy S5 definitely have more expensive components than the Maxx.

 

[dan330]

some marketing study.. found out that MOST consumers buy mobile devices.. that are THIN & sexy.

I am not sure if they are right or wrong. but...
I think if you took the M8.. and made it 10% thicker.. and all that was for more battery.
so that it was 4500mah!!! the phone would feel more solid, heavy, and better in the hand.

which do you think will sell more of???

 

[Stuntman]

some marketing study.. found out that MOST consumers buy mobile devices.. that are THIN & sexy.

I totally agree. In the past few years, there has been a race for the thinnest phone.

I am not sure if they are right or wrong. but...
I think if you took the M8.. and made it 10% thicker.. and all that was for more battery.
so that it was 4500mah!!! the phone would feel more solid, heavy, and better in the hand.

which do you think will sell more of???

Most people don't know what 4500 mAh is and if it's good or bad. It's like Captain Kirk travelling back to the 20th century, selling some glasses for $100 and asking the guy if $100 is a lot.

People do know what thinness is and they can compare one phone's thinness to another. As long as that sells and is what phone manufacturers believe will sell, you're not going to get a phone with a thick battery that lasts for days or over a week.

 

[Hadron]

It's worth noting that unless you also include the battery voltage the current capacity doesn't tell you how much energy is stored. mWh would be a more useful measure of battery capacity than mAh, but for whatever reason the latter has become standard. In this case both the Maxx and the M8 use 3.8V batteries, but it's worth remembering when you see mAh quoted out of context, as not all mAh are the same.

What matters though is how long it lasts, and as the latest phones have more efficient components than the older ones you'll generally get more usage out of the same capacity. The best test is real life experience: unfortunately most review sites don't have very good methodologies (the classic being "we set the screen to half brightness", which means very different things on different phones and so isn't comparable). See what someone whose usage sounds similar to yours is getting, if you can.

 

[dan330]

I totally agree. In the past few years, there has been a race for the thinnest phone.



Most people don't know what 4500 mAh is and if it's good or bad. It's like Captain Kirk travelling back to the 20th century, selling some glasses for $100 and asking the guy if $100 is a lot.

People do know what thinness is and they can compare one phone's thinness to another. As long as that sells and is what phone manufacturers believe will sell, you're not going to get a phone with a thick battery that lasts for days or over a week.

not all will understand..

but I bet most will understand when a salesperson/marketing says..
"it has double the battery".

as the Maxx does. and has won over many because of the battery.

in HTC's situation (bottom of market share).. any move to get more clients is worth a shot! (the 4MB Back camera was a bad idea! but they are trying)

 

[Hadron]

but I bet most will understand when a salesperson/marketing says..
"it has double the battery".

as the Maxx does. and has won over many because of the battery.

But they could say the Maxx had double because the RAZR had < 1800 mAh - which was of course typical at the time. All flagship phones have bigger batteries now, so "double" is harder to achieve and we're left with numbers which don't mean much to many people.

 

[nickdalzell]

i could never have a phone with a non-removable battery. not a fan of planned obsolescence or my phone in a few years being a brick and unable to hold charge. unlike most if i'm happy i will only upgrade when i see fit, not when the battery eventually wears out. bulk doesn't bother me. i prefer a weighty phone myself, anything too thin or light often ends up in the wash cycle--R.I.P. Samsung SGH-x427

 

[dan330]

But they could say the Maxx had double because the RAZR had < 1800 mAh - which was of course typical at the time. All flagship phones have bigger batteries now, so "double" is harder to achieve and we're left with numbers which don't mean much to many people.

so.. it would be confusing to hear...at a phone store..

"this phone has double the battery of these other top phones"

ok.. I guess that person.. should rethink the whole smartphone thing.

 

[Hadron]

My point was that they wouldn't be top phones, or the phone would be thicker than people think will sell. Because while 3500mAh fitted that message a couple of years ago you'd need a 5000mAh battery for that to be true now.

 

[ArmchairBear]

I think I get it now. I agree with those who mentioned the thinness of phones.

I was recently at a Best Buy and compared the physical dimensions of the HTC One (M8) and the M7 to my Droid Maxx. Although the LWH dimensions on paper for the M7 and my Droid Maxx are almost the same, the M7 is much easier to hold and use one-handed because of it's curved back. It "feels" smaller. The curved back is also probably the reason why they were not able to have as big a battery as the Droid Maxx. Basically, although the physical measurements are the same, the volume is different because the measurements do not account for the curved back. Even the new One (M8) feels smaller than my Droid Maxx. I didn't realize until now, how much more ergonomic a phone with a curved back is.

That being said, I still would have chosen my Droid Maxx. However, the next HTC One will definitely make it a harder decision, because I'm sure they will further improve battery life and other features.

 

[Slug]

It should also be considered that a 2600mAh battery today will last longer than one of even a year ago due to the increased efficiency of current processors and displays.