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Video Review: Mugen Power 3600 mah EXTENDED BATTERY

Hey guys,
Just wanted to show off my review of the Mugen Power 3600 mah battery (and battery cover) for the Xperia Play 4G. This is a helpful accessory for those of you that need the extra juice! Full review below:

Has there not been an official review allready?.. like 3 months back?
What's improved or is the difference to 'back then' ?

cant have enough reviews.
id really like an extra strong battery but it would mean i couldnt use my case (trident, which i havent received yet, but i wouldnt expect it to fit with the bigger back cover), probably couldnt even use the docking station? (which i dont have, either, until now!)
Also, I know there exists a 2600mAH battery which costs 23 euro in germany (extra back cover, too) so if thats not bad id think the extra costs for 3600mah mugen power arent worth it.
one question, though: If you open the device now and put it on the ground, does it stay on the lower side or does it topple over like normally?

I have this battery as well and the extra bulk doesn't bother me at all. Maybe the batteries are a little different as I can get a lot of life out of mine. There is one downfall for me, don't know if it's the same for others. When taking a dark, indoors picture, I get a large, left sided blur from the flash. It seems that the case does not seat all the way down around the flash, leading to some light bleeding over into the picture. Like I said, I don't know if anyone else's is like this but mine is. I'm going to attempt a fix myself even though I do have another back plate coming from Mugen.
Edit; So I got my replacement battery door in the mail today and everything works perfectly now. So in the end, I am more than happy with this battery and company. They were fast to help me out and sent me a new door, no charge. The extra battery life more than outweighs the size increase. I surf, text and emulate a lot and get about 3 days out of each charge.

Tarsul said:
cant have enough reviews.
id really like an extra strong battery but it would mean i couldnt use my case (trident, which i havent received yet, but i wouldnt expect it to fit with the bigger back cover), probably couldnt even use the docking station? (which i dont have, either, until now!)
Also, I know there exists a 2600mAH battery which costs 23 euro in germany (extra back cover, too) so if thats not bad id think the extra costs for 3600mah mugen power arent worth it.
one question, though: If you open the device now and put it on the ground, does it stay on the lower side or does it topple over like normally?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there - I have the Trident case, it won't fit with the back cover on (but you probably knew that already). Sony Ericsson also sent me out the docking station, that doesn't work with it either, since it is a precise fit for the Xperia Play.
As for the device topple, it tends to want to topple over but the battery is heavy enough to hold it in place.
Hope I helped out!

great video mate !

Good video but too big ace already the mobile for my taste

doesit work on the verizon play

Whats the UK price? Googled it and can't find it. US = $99! Which to me is rediculous!

Hey guys, I wanted to warn you about this battery now that I've had it for a while. A little while ago, my Mugen started causing me problems. Phone running funny, lots of apps wouldn't work, lots of phone stuttering, fast drain, very hot crashes, etc.. Also started draining faster than the stock battery with no use. My phone is stock, no roms, no root. Tried a reset, no help. So I tried swapping my stock battery in and the phone runs perfect. After a couple days, swap the Mugen back in, tons of problems. Been back on the stock battery for over a week now and not one single problem.
So I've contacted Mugen 4 times since this has happened and they completely ingore me. I even contacted them on their facebook page and get the run around. I dug through their return/exchange policy and it states that despite their 6 month warranty, after 30 days, you're SOL. You first have to get an RMA which I've been unsuccessful in doing. Then pay to ship it back, pay a penalty for restocking (?), wait for 2 weeks while they "test" it to ensure it's faulty and then pay to have a new one re-shipped. If it's not faulty, you're really SOL and I'm sure they never have faulty ones.....
This was a total waste of time and money for me. Please be careful if you go this route.

wraithevolution said:
Hey guys, I wanted to warn you about this battery now that I've had it for a while. A little while ago, my Mugen started causing me problems. Phone running funny, lots of apps wouldn't work, lots of phone stuttering, fast drain, very hot crashes, etc.. Also started draining faster than the stock battery with no use. My phone is stock, no roms, no root. Tried a reset, no help. So I tried swapping my stock battery in and the phone runs perfect. After a couple days, swap the Mugen back in, tons of problems. Been back on the stock battery for over a week now and not one single problem.
So I've contacted Mugen 4 times since this has happened and they completely ingore me. I even contacted them on their facebook page and get the run around. I dug through their return/exchange policy and it states that despite their 6 month warranty, after 30 days, you're SOL. You first have to get an RMA which I've been unsuccessful in doing. Then pay to ship it back, pay a penalty for restocking (?), wait for 2 weeks while they "test" it to ensure it's faulty and then pay to have a new one re-shipped. If it's not faulty, you're really SOL and I'm sure they never have faulty ones.....
This was a total waste of time and money for me. Please be careful if you go this route.
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Sorry to hear that bro. It amazes me that it seems no one can make a decent non OEM battery (extended or stock capacity). And it seems even the "expensive" ones aren't much better.
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk

Does the company make cases made for the extra bulk of the door?

For $100 I would expect the case to be two layers so that the speaker output would be channeled correctly and would not allow water freely into the rest of the chamber. The microphone hole looks like it does not line up with the microphone at all! If anything, it should have been at the exact same level as the original hole with a more open tunnel to the top just like the camer/flash holes. They obviously expected you to notice the single-layer shortcomings if they didn't push the switch that would require you to turn off Safe SD so the only reason it doesn't route the speaker audio and secondary mic correctly is because they can get away with it. With the audio echoing around inside with the secondary mic, I expect horrible speakerphone performance and very little stereo seperation. With the microphone subducted, I expect terrible noise canceling. You don't have to be an engineer to see these problems!
$100?! No way.
I think a $25 Otterbox Commuter and a second original battery cover could be modified to discretely hold this with none of the other drawbacks. The Otterbox has some design issues of it's own, but I'm taking those to another thread (you'll want to saw off at least two of the clipping tabs).

Third Party DIY Nexus 10 Internal Battery Replace & Review

Apologies in advance, I could not post proper links for this review due to my low post count.
Background
I ordered a Nexus 10 on November 20th, 2012. Initially, I was pleased by the battery life (~6.5 hours). Probably a bit like the "Boiling Frog" metaphor, the battery life degraded and I didn't notice it. I began to notice the battery degradation recently when my tablet began doing the 0% battery shutdown at ~30%.
First thing I did was get on the phone with Google, to see if I could get them to warranty the battery. Being a couple of months out of warranty, I wasn't expecting it to work, but it couldn't hurt. Denied. So, I called Samsung. After two hours and 8 different technical support phone numbers, they couldn't recognize my tablet serial number. I'm guessing it was unrecognized (which is no excuse, by the way) because I bought it on the Google Play Store. Besides all that, they didn't recognize the product name, kept calling it strange stuff like Nexus 10.1 or Nexus Note. They told me they would research and return my call at a later time.
My Nexus 10 is a daily driver with a minimum of 3 hours of use a day and often over 6. After impatiently waiting a few days, I began to panic. I began to believe that I had paid ~$500 for a device that, after a few more cells died, was going to be an expensive brick. I did some research and could find NO reviews on the NewPower99 battery kit, and since I felt that my options were relatively few, I decided to take the plunge.
Kit Contents and Cost
Ordered from Amazon for $75.41 (shipping and taxes included)
1 Cameron Sino 9000 mAh 33.3Wh Lithium-Polymer Battery Pack
One tiny screw screwdriver
Two tiny plastic prying tools
One plastic video disk (Not sure what it does, they special players can spin it fast and a video will play(!!??))
The Replacement and Pitfalls
Rather than using the included plastic video disk, I searched YouTube until I found the video: NewPower99 by NewLife2OldStuff. It's a great primer for this battery replacement, but there are a few parts where the disassembler's chubby fingers get in the way of disconnecting connectors. I suggest watching a few other Nexus 10 teardown videos prior to the actual teardown.
Prior to this, I had not attempted any mobile device disassembly/assembly. I did break a little insulation on the video card connector on the main board but this is due to me only watching the NewPower99 video and missing a detail (pull the display cable rather than flip the connector). Also due to how delicate the internals are, I did not push the display connector in far enough, which led to the display power being spotty. So, I had to redisassemble the tablet a few days later and reconnect it. Had I done more research and been a bit more patient, I'm sure the replacement would have been flawless.
The aftermath
My tablet has not yet exploded. As a matter of fact, one week in, I'm amazed. I've fell back in love with my tablet. Since the battery replacement, I usually don't need to charge until the end of the day. I run a conservative brightness on the display and, of course, that helps. Also, while I've done no metrics, I believe I've seen an unintended improvement: the charge time has improved. It was not unusual for me to plugin during sleep and still not have a full charge in the morning, which I haven't seen happen since battery replacement.
At a later time, I intend to respond to this post with an unscientific update on the battery's life. If the battery life stays relatively the same, I wouldn't really mind yearly replacement at this battery's warranty limitation and probably expected minimum life. Small price to pay for great battery life and a very underrated tablet.
Also, Samsung did, finally, return my support call a few days ago but I never called back. Don't call me, I'll call you .

Light Statistics (screenshots below)
~11:46 battery time
~6:45 display on time (top battery user)
~1:45 RetroArch (runner up top battery user)
These aren't really shabby for this tablet. Non-scientifically: the display was at ~25% brightness (in-house usage) >95% of the time, and never went below that. ~3-5% of the time the display was 100% (outdoors).
Program usage was an ordinary day of tablet use.

Not going to lie this is quite an informative post since the battery went bad over the course of a year later... I don't use my tablet as much as I first used to, but with all this android tech talk and new phones coming out at this time I use it more than I normally have (and also for the room 2 love that game!). I will definitely subscribe to this post so I have it handy if/when my battery starts doing the same thing as well in due time.

Thanks for this thread. My tablet has been going to 0% when it reaches 15%. So I've been looking to get a replacement battery. Cheers mate.

Avuton Olrich said:
Besides all that, they didn't recognize the product name, kept calling it strange stuff like Nexus 10.1 or Nexus Note.
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Next time, give them the model #. Samsung GT-P8110

thanks for posting this. is it better to buy the cameron battery from amazon or thru this link: http://www.cameronsinobattery.com/tienda/prodList.asp?idcategory=32&curPage=3&sortField=description
and how about newpower99.com is it a reliable/legit seller?

xOnerOs said:
thanks for posting this. is it better to buy the cameron battery from amazon or thru this link: http://www.cameronsinobattery.com/tienda/prodList.asp?idcategory=32&curPage=3&sortField=description
and how about newpower99.com is it a reliable/legit seller?
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Click to collapse
Wow, that's an impressive price and I definitely would have taken it from there. I can't really speak about any company's reliability in general but the newpower99 thing worked well in my case. The only thing I'd have to say about getting it directly from cameroninobattery.com is finding those tiny tools; it shouldn't be that difficult at all (definitely worth the $50 to find them!). Still loving the battery life. :good:

Post made in error
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Free mobile app

E-shop with the battery available?
Just for the record, e-shops (below) don't seem to have the battery in stock these days, but there are many sold at e-bay if one searches SP3496A8H (the part number).
* http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Nexus-GT-P8110-Replacement-Installation/dp/B00F3T9SYC (out of stock)
* http://www.newpower99.com/Google_Nexus10_Battery_Replacement_Kit_p/google-nexus-10.htm (says available, but I ordered and got money back with they explanation they don't have those in stock)
* http://www.cameronsinobattery.com/1435-samsung-gt-p8110-gtp8110-ha32arb-google-nexus-1/ (out of stock)

I am extremely disappointed by my options to keep my nexus 10 going strong. I love the tablet... w/ its current screen resolution i really have NO reason to upgrade to a new device... however right now NO ONE carries this part. If google is NOT going to support having replaceable batteries, and there are no 3rd party options, we are all simply buying disposable electronics... its ridiculous.
Right now it is out of stock everywhere and there are 2 shady listings on ebay. Extremely disapointed with this.

mr_fro2000 said:
I am extremely disappointed by my options to keep my nexus 10 going strong. I love the tablet... w/ its current screen resolution i really have NO reason to upgrade to a new device... however right now NO ONE carries this part. If google is NOT going to support having replaceable batteries, and there are no 3rd party options, we are all simply buying disposable electronics... its ridiculous.
Right now it is out of stock everywhere and there are 2 shady listings on eBay. Extremely disappointed with this.
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Click to collapse
I am going through this right now! I am not sure if I should buy from the sketchy eBay listings or what. I tried NewPower99 but claim to have none in stock due to a production issue. It is almost as if Samsung went after the 3rd party that made the battery so they could not sell it. My tablet is out of warranty and I have no idea what to do as its worth nothing to trade in and I don't have the $$$ for a new tablet. If anyone has any suggestions or bought a replacement battery and hasn't used or opened it and would be willing to part with it I may be interested in buying.

CombustLemonz said:
I am going through this right now! I am not sure if I should buy from the sketchy eBay listings or what. I tried NewPower99 but claim to have none in stock due to a production issue. It is almost as if Samsung went after the 3rd party that made the battery so they could not sell it. My tablet is out of warranty and I have no idea what to do as its worth nothing to trade in and I don't have the $$$ for a new tablet. If anyone has any suggestions or bought a replacement battery and hasn't used or opened it and would be willing to part with it I may be interested in buying.
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Click to collapse
I am having the same problem. Nobody has the battery. So I finally found something on Alibabba and ordered it straight from china for something like $35 (through a friend's account, so I don't have the details at the moment). I expect it will take at least a month to get here. I hope it works and lasts, cheap batteries rarely work out very well in the long term.... but what choice do I have? This is a $500 tablet that is not that old! It now powers down at 70% battery, usually less than an hour playing a game

I went ahead and ordered the nexus 10 battery off of Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/261555419335?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I'll let you know my results with it.
EDIT: Will I also need to purchase special tools to install it?

michaelearth said:
EDIT: Will I also need to purchase special tools to install it?
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Click to collapse
Just a (size 0?) phillips (you can pull off the cover to see the screw size). If it fits one, it'll fit all you need to get it pulled off. :good:

Somewhat offtopic, I might end up getting the new Nexus tablet, regardless. The center of my screen has started getting a brown burn-in color, most visible when the screen is white. Which is quite a shame, this tablet is still plenty peppy for me (it's my fastest development device), and have no other problems with the device at all (the battery still shines). The monitor life was probably accelerated by the high sleep time (10 or 30 minutes, don't remember which one) since it's a development machine I keep it on between compiles so it's there when I need it. :crying:

michaelearth said:
I went ahead and ordered the nexus 10 battery off of Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/261555419335?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I'll let you know my results with it.
EDIT: Will I also need to purchase special tools to install it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you received and installed the battery? I feel there are less and less options to find one these days.... Let us know thanks!

mr_fro2000 said:
Have you received and installed the battery? I feel there are less and less options to find one these days.... Let us know thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't received it yet. Estimated delivery is October 30th.
When I do get it and after install it, I'll write a full report here for you guys.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Free mobile app

michaelearth said:
Haven't received it yet. Estimated delivery is October 30th.
When I do get it and after install it, I'll write a full report here for you guys.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be awesome, thanks!

looking for nexus 10 battery replacement in india
hi,
i am also facing the same issue. request you to intimate if you can find one in india?

Anyone bought from here/?? I have just ordered it.. cross my fingers..
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BATTERY-ORIGINAL-SP3496A8H-SAMSUNG-GOOGLE/dp/B00IXODOL2

Where did you buy your replacement batteries?

Hey all! I think it's finally time to get a new battery, because I'm getting only 2500 mAh out of 3220 mAh, on a full charge. It HAS been 25 months after all. Where have you gotten your replacement batteries and how good are they?
I know @rignfool got his at repairsuniverse but I've never ordered from them before, so I'd like some more opinions please. Thanks!

Anyone?

YevOmega said:
Anyone?
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Click to collapse
I got mine from here:
http://m.ebay.com/itm/Original-OEM-...25mAh-Tools-/191897225746?txnId=1377320476009
It's a OEM one, exactly like the one I pulled out from the phone.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

BigDig said:
I got mine from here:
http://m.ebay.com/itm/Original-OEM-...25mAh-Tools-/191897225746?txnId=1377320476009
It's a OEM one, exactly like the one I pulled out from the phone.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Capacity smaller than my current (3050 vs 3220). Guess it's the one from the international model. Does it ship bent into the curved shape, or did you need to bend it yourself? Thanks!

YevOmega said:
Capacity smaller than my current (3050 vs 3220). Guess it's the one from the international model. Does it ship bent into the curved shape, or did you need to bend it yourself? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The international and the US have the same batteries. It was bent already it's a real OEM one
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

BigDig said:
The international and the US have the same batteries. It was bent already it's a real OEM one
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read somewhere that the international has a slightly smaller one. Thanks!

Not true
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

From eBay I bought the battery from gokrazywireless and the Torx T3 driver from wholesalegadgetparts. I had to bend the replacement battery myself.

odontastic said:
From eBay I bought the battery from gokrazywireless and the Torx T3 driver from wholesalegadgetparts. I had to bend the replacement battery myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Working better than your aged old battery?

I got mine from Amazon, they missed the shipping window so I got a full refund, $15 credit and the battery lol. Would like to say though, buy one already curved, the battery will pretty much influence the entire body of the phone, having it even slightly off will cause the frame to bend and warp which is noticable. I spent idk how long trying all sorts of methods, even using my old battery as a guide to bend the new one, have been doing repairs for years, have ran my own repair shop for a time, extensive collection of ifixit/various tools and such, and I was still unable to bend it 100% factory curve, which results in an odd, for lack of a better term, "twist" to the phone when held up & looking straight down the phone, screen facing ceiling. The top left corner is ever slightly twisted to the rear. I have retried over the last 2-3 months here and there, taking it out, straightening the mid-frame on a completely flat (checked with level) surface, making sure the built-in guide plastics are aligned, then getting the battery to where I swear it's perfect, but when everything is back together, it's always just a little off lol.
I mean it's not really noticable unless you know what your looking for, if you really inspect it, but my OCD attention to detail can't stand it lol. This is a launch day, pre-ordered Nexus 6 that has always been in a dual layer case, never dropped, and not one scratch on it, screen or body, it's my baby and I like to take care of my phone's. Yet this battery is driving me mad that I'm seriously considering in the future buying an entire new mid-frame, screen, and OEM pre-curved battery just to have it right lol.

LaGgY_42o said:
I got mine from Amazon, they missed the shipping window so I got a full refund, $15 credit and the battery lol. Would like to say though, buy one already curved, the battery will pretty much influence the entire body of the phone, having it even slightly off will cause the frame to bend and warp which is noticable. I spent idk how long trying all sorts of methods, even using my old battery as a guide to bend the new one, have been doing repairs for years, have ran my own repair shop for a time, extensive collection of ifixit/various tools and such, and I was still unable to bend it 100% factory curve, which results in an odd, for lack of a better term, "twist" to the phone when held up & looking straight down the phone, screen facing ceiling. The top left corner is ever slightly twisted to the rear. I have retried over the last 2-3 months here and there, taking it out, straightening the mid-frame on a completely flat (checked with level) surface, making sure the built-in guide plastics are aligned, then getting the battery to where I swear it's perfect, but when everything is back together, it's always just a little off lol.
I mean it's not really noticable unless you know what your looking for, if you really inspect it, but my OCD attention to detail can't stand it lol. This is a launch day, pre-ordered Nexus 6 that has always been in a dual layer case, never dropped, and not one scratch on it, screen or body, it's my baby and I like to take care of my phone's. Yet this battery is driving me mad that I'm seriously considering in the future buying an entire new mid-frame, screen, and OEM pre-curved battery just to have it right lol.
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Click to collapse
Might as well get a new phone at that point. Which battery from Amazon and how does it compare, besides the curve?

YevOmega said:
Might as well get a new phone at that point. Which battery from Amazon and how does it compare, besides the curve?
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Click to collapse
This one here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017JJNM0E/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=
::EDIT:: Should point out the seller I got it from is no longer selling it I just noticed. Also had Prime shipping so it was free and the final total was $17.99, which I mentioned, I was fully refunded + extra credited for, so really Amazon paid me $15 to take the battery lmao. Gotta love Amazon lol. ::EDIT::
As far as comparison goes it seems the same if not better, I have ran the factory battery since release so I may have just forgotten the experience of the stock battery, by the time I replaced it I was having shutdowns @ 45-50% remaining lol. This one does go down fully to 1% no problems and has been holding up to the frequent charge cycles I put it through as I run it @ 3.0GHz cpu / 800MHz gpu and tethering running 24/7 putting 300-500 GB's a month over Sprints 20 MHz Band 41 and never use anything but Qualcomm certified Quickcharge 3.0 chargers (yes I know N6 is only 2.0/future proofing ftw). However the stock charger burnt out a loooong time ago, I have been running with an Aukey PA-T9 wall charger & Anker Powerline+ 6Ft cable and Ampere reads on avg 2200-2400ma so no problems there.
I am employed at a local sales store doing repairs and still have access to old along with a new supplier, haven't actually compared 1:1 yet but I might be able to get the parts for cheaper than a new phone. I wouldn't want a used one, wouldn't be able to stand going from a pristine N6 to one that god knows what happened to it or how many scratches it has on it or what the solder connections look like lol, I'd rather keep my board that I know everything is good or if I could grab a new 64gb board when they are reasonably priced lol.

LaGgY_42o said:
This one here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017JJNM0E/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=
::EDIT:: Should point out the seller I got it from is no longer selling it I just noticed. Also had Prime shipping so it was free and the final total was $17.99, which I mentioned, I was fully refunded + extra credited for, so really Amazon paid me $15 to take the battery lmao. Gotta love Amazon lol. ::EDIT::
As far as comparison goes it seems the same if not better, I have ran the factory battery since release so I may have just forgotten the experience of the stock battery, by the time I replaced it I was having shutdowns @ 45-50% remaining lol. This one does go down fully to 1% no problems and has been holding up to the frequent charge cycles I put it through as I run it @ 3.0GHz cpu / 800MHz gpu and tethering running 24/7 putting 300-500 GB's a month over Sprints 20 MHz Band 41 and never use anything but Qualcomm certified Quickcharge 3.0 chargers (yes I know N6 is only 2.0/future proofing ftw). However the stock charger burnt out a loooong time ago, I have been running with an Aukey PA-T9 wall charger & Anker Powerline+ 6Ft cable and Ampere reads on avg 2200-2400ma so no problems there.
I am employed at a local sales store doing repairs and still have access to old along with a new supplier, haven't actually compared 1:1 yet but I might be able to get the parts for cheaper than a new phone. I wouldn't want a used one, wouldn't be able to stand going from a pristine N6 to one that god knows what happened to it or how many scratches it has on it or what the solder connections look like lol, I'd rather keep my board that I know everything is good or if I could grab a new 64gb board when they are reasonably priced lol.
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Click to collapse
I also think that replacing the battery is totally worth the hassle... I did it on mine as I was getting shutdowns at below 30% and the hissing speaker sound. I bought the OEM battery off of eBay, which was very very legit 1:1 as the one I pulled out of the phone, every single letter was matching. Even though I managed to f&ck up the power and volume cable during replacement and I had to buy a new one and spent another $6, for total of $20 I'm in a very good spot... I've had my N6 since release date and still love it. If you think about it, what better phone can you get that is vanilla Android and has beautiful design? The pixel for 1K? No thanks...
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

BigDig said:
I also think that replacing the battery is totally worth the hassle... I did it on mine as I was getting shutdowns at below 30% and the hissing speaker sound. I bought the OEM battery off of eBay, which was very very legit 1:1 as the one I pulled out of the phone, every single letter was matching. Even though I managed to f&ck up the power and volume cable during replacement and I had to buy a new one and spent another $6, for total of $20 I'm in a very good spot... I've had my N6 since release date and still love it. If you think about it, what better phone can you get that is vanilla Android and has beautiful design? The pixel for 1K? No thanks...
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my Shamu, but I'm probably gonna upgrade in late Winter/early Spring of 2018. There are few things I don't like about this phone. Thanks! I'm getting shutdowns at 4%, once got it at 10%. AccuBattery says I have 2550 mAh per charge, out of the 3220 mAh original capacity, so I'll probably wait another month, while getting more opinions.

need replacement battery

does anyone have any source for a replacement battery for the Z2 tablet? I still love it but my battery has started "swelling" (there is a noticeable bulge on the back of the case, though the screen seems unaffected; I guess the glass up front is stiffer than the plastic on back), which as I understand it could be a safety issue. I've contacted Sony but they are no help ("no longer supported"). Google results inconclusive/not definitive.
I can't be the only one needing this (and ... battery replacement is something that'll be of interest to eventually happen to all of you?) Anybody? It shouldn't be too hard to DIY the actual replacement (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzoHUlxLNBU for example), the problem is just getting the replacement part.

why not ebay? this looks to be the right one...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Batterie-6...317083?hash=item41e403a01b:g:NccAAOSw7m9bGLh8

placing an order...
... fingers crossed!
EDIT: actually wait, they're from a company that's actually in Hong Kong, which is closer to me. I'll call them up during working hours and see if I can get from them direct...

OK an update just in case this is useful to anyone:
I was in Hong Kong and based on recommendations (+ a warning to be careful for "untrustworthy" shops etc.), I went to Sin Tat Plaza (very close to the Mongkok MTR station, which was how I got there). I did not do an exhaustive search, but I eventually had my battery swapped (required a 1 week wait time + a 100HKD deposit which was counted into the final cost) by the shop at the 3rd floor immediately in front of you when you get off the escalator (marked "S52") .
I don't think they were the cheapest (HKD450 total) but they weren't the most expensive quote I got (ground floor shops quoted me something like HD550), and many other shops told me they couldn't do it. I was fairly concerned overall since there are stories of people who've e.g. left their laptops with various shops and then found that parts had been swapped out without telling them etc. In my case, the battery swap was done in front of me ("while you wait"; took maybe 15 minutes to half an hour).
These guys managed to source for me what looks to be an original Sony battery (when mine was removed, it was basically identical, with identical "Sony" labelling, though theirs had additional printing on it of some sort of tracking number?).
I can't say I can really vouch for them although I felt safe enough to commit to having them source and replace the battery in that he outright told me what he could/could not do (well, the guy who sits on the left (when you come off the escalator), the guy on the right seems more of a "salesman" who'll promise everything), which unfortunately includes getting another battery - he said it was hard to find and would not commit to being able to find another. He also scrunched his face up about finding a new screen for it, when I asked on behalf of a friend who broke his Z2 tablet screen when he took it rollerskating (yes, no kidding, rollerskating with a Z2 tablet on him).
There were initially difficulties charging the tablet with the new battery (perhaps because it was sitting around for so many years?), of the sort where it would go from 100% down to e.g. 70% fairly suddenly/quickly, but after I just left it plugged in overnight even though it said it was already at 100%, things seem to be working fine now (am getting basically the kind of battery life I had, from past experience). Will update further if any new issues crop up, but as of now I am counting this as a "problem solved".
UPDATE: sigh, battery doesn't work right after just a few weeks. random shutdowns at random %-age levels (run out of power at 70% battery, for example). Anyways I'm gonna give that eBay link a try, *fingers crossed*.

weilt said:
OK an update just in case this is useful to anyone:
I was in Hong Kong and based on recommendations (+ a warning to be careful for "untrustworthy" shops etc.), I went to Sin Tat Plaza (very close to the Mongkok MTR station, which was how I got there). I did not do an exhaustive search, but I eventually had my battery swapped (required a 1 week wait time + a 100HKD deposit which was counted into the final cost) by the shop at the 3rd floor immediately in front of you when you get off the escalator (marked "S52") .
I don't think they were the cheapest (HKD450 total) but they weren't the most expensive quote I got (ground floor shops quoted me something like HD550), and many other shops told me they couldn't do it. I was fairly concerned overall since there are stories of people who've e.g. left their laptops with various shops and then found that parts had been swapped out without telling them etc. In my case, the battery swap was done in front of me ("while you wait"; took maybe 15 minutes to half an hour).
These guys managed to source for me what looks to be an original Sony battery (when mine was removed, it was basically identical, with identical "Sony" labelling, though theirs had additional printing on it of some sort of tracking number?).
I can't say I can really vouch for them although I felt safe enough to commit to having them source and replace the battery in that he outright told me what he could/could not do (well, the guy who sits on the left (when you come off the escalator), the guy on the right seems more of a "salesman" who'll promise everything), which unfortunately includes getting another battery - he said it was hard to find and would not commit to being able to find another. He also scrunched his face up about finding a new screen for it, when I asked on behalf of a friend who broke his Z2 tablet screen when he took it rollerskating (yes, no kidding, rollerskating with a Z2 tablet on him).
There were initially difficulties charging the tablet with the new battery (perhaps because it was sitting around for so many years?), of the sort where it would go from 100% down to e.g. 70% fairly suddenly/quickly, but after I just left it plugged in overnight even though it said it was already at 100%, things seem to be working fine now (am getting basically the kind of battery life I had, from past experience). Will update further if any new issues crop up, but as of now I am counting this as a "problem solved".
UPDATE: sigh, battery doesn't work right after just a few weeks. random shutdowns at random %-age levels (run out of power at 70% battery, for example). Anyways I'm gonna give that eBay link a try, *fingers crossed*.
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Any luck with eBay? They do not seem to be genuine there either.

Rusty_Gunn said:
why not ebay? this looks to be the right one...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Batterie-6...317083?hash=item41e403a01b:g:NccAAOSw7m9bGLh8
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Sean09 said:
Any luck with eBay? They do not seem to be genuine there either.
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OK an update - I went and got a unit from that ebay seller in France about a week ago. Got what I ordered as requested and packaging is fine so I would rate the seller as dependable.
Product is not "Genuine" in the sense that it did not come from Sony, but from the picture it's a third party manufacturer ("Cameron Sino") and what I got is exactly that, so it's a "Genuine 3rd party".
All I can say is... it works so far.
I haven't had it long enough for a longevity report but so far I'll rate it as "it works", and I'm glad to have my Z2 tablet back (I actually like it better than the Z4 tablet because although the Snapdragon 810 is technically "faster", it runs into thermal throttling issues a lot and so it goes from "snappy" to "stuttering" in a really irritating way that does not affect the Z2, which may be slightly slower but feels consistently "smoother").
The battery when first powered up was at 67% charge level - I don't know how undervoltage protection would work so I didn't try to drain it before I recharged, I just immediately plunked the tablet in my charger to get it to 100% and it's worked fine so far (lowest I've taken it to was 8% after about 2 days of use, before I put it back into the charger).
Also, I found this useful even though it doesn't show removing the screen, which is the trickiest part:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzoHUlxLNBU
All the flex cables are connected via ZIF sockets (the lock/unlock gate might not be obvious but it's there). For the battery leads/contacts, you need to use some force when pushing it into the socket, it can "look" inserted, but not all of the cells of the battery will be hooked up.

Advice Needed for repair after a truck run over my Pixel 5

I had an accident a couple of days ago, where I fell from my bike and my phone dropped on the street, from the phone holder. I didn't realize that immediately and by the time I saw it, unfortunately, it was already run over a truck. I had the original fabric cover on it and visually only the display is broken, but it was switched offline after the accident so I presume there is some more serious internal damage. I have tried to switch it off/on from the power button, to connect it to a PC but there was no indication that it is alive.
I tried to contact Google to see what are my repair options, and unfortunately, on their side, I can only select the type of damage, pay it in advance and send the phone to them. The problem is that I am not sure if it is worth paying close to 150 Euro just to realize at a later stage that this phone is beyond repair and that I have not only broken my phone but poured 150 Euro down the drain. I have tried to explain this to Google's support personnel, but they did very little to understand my situation and in the end, they said they cannot help me any further.
Unfortunately in Germany, there is no other official repair center. This left me quite disappointed with Google and their inflexibility. The other problem is that this is not a common phone, so finding spare parts is difficult and normally those spare parts are quite expensive. The display only in Ali Express costs 160 Euro. I tried to contact a local repair shop and they only told me 300 Euro for the display change and if the new display doesn't work I would need to pay only 30 Euro. I have even contacted iSmash, who is the authorized repair center for this phone in the UK, but they told me that they don't deal with customers outside the UK.
So what do you think, what is my best option. I really don't want to throw away this phone, I really liked it and it would be quite a pity but I don't want to spend money on a lost cause either. For me, the best would be to diagnose somehow what's not working in the phone and then to decide if it makes sense to proceed with the repair or not.

@gstoyanov It's probably not the display since you can't even power it on. Thankfully it doesn't seem like you were seriously injured in the fall. Time to pitch it and buy something you can live with. The 4a, brand spanking new, is only like 300 Euro or the 4a 5G if you want that is maybe 100 Euro more. It's unfortunate but sh*t happens to these devices when they fall but you can live to bike another day. Just my 2 cents, I'm sure others have opinions too. And then again it will depend on your finances of which I have no idea about so take it with a grain of salt.

bobby janow said:
@gstoyanov It's probably not the display since you can't even power it on. Thankfully it doesn't seem like you were seriously injured in the fall. Time to pitch it and buy something you can live with. The 4a, brand spanking new, is only like 300 Euro or the 4a 5G if you want that is maybe 100 Euro more. It's unfortunate but sh*t happens to these devices when they fall but you can live to bike another day. Just my 2 cents, I'm sure others have opinions too. And then again it will depend on your finances of which I have no idea about so take it with a grain of salt.
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Yes, this is also what I suspect, I have now a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge running Pixel Experience ROM, which is exactly like my Pixel, but the battery is dying really quickly, and have some problems with the charging. Apart from that, all is working more or less fine. I think I will wait till Pixel 5A. I really wanted to save the Pixel 5 though.
Oh, and it is all good with me, just got two superficial bruises, but nothing serious, there were some road repairs in the bike lane and I needed to go almost to the middle of the streets, where there were tram rails. I got pretty scared at the beginning because I didn't know where exactly on the street I fell and went to the side of the street really quickly, afraid that I might get hit by a car. Only after about a minute, I have realized that my phone is missing and the bloody cover was blending really well with the road, so it took me really a while to spot it. Only a truck and a car passed by during this time, but considering the damage, I would say that the truck run over my phone.

gstoyanov said:
Yes, this is also what I suspect, I have now a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge running Pixel Experience ROM, which is exactly like my Pixel, but the battery is dying really quickly, and have some problems with the charging. Apart from that, all is working more or less fine. I think I will wait till Pixel 5A. I really wanted to save the Pixel 5 though.
Oh, and it is all good with me, just got two superficial bruises, but nothing serious, there were some road repairs in the bike lane and I needed to go almost to the middle of the streets, where there were tram rails. I got pretty scared at the beginning because I didn't know where exactly on the street I fell and went to the side of the street really quickly, afraid that I might get hit by a car. Only after about a minute, I have realized that my phone is missing and the bloody cover was blending really well with the road, so it took me really a while to spot it. Only a truck and a car passed by during this time, but considering the damage, I would say that the truck run over my phone.
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That's really good to hear. I bike a lot and know what falls are like, they're not fun and they are scary. So that's the good news. Now for some (possibly) bad. The 5a is larger, plastic, and from what I understand not available outside the US and Japan. It is 5G but probably not in the EU. Should be coming out within a few weeks so you can wait and see. What's the status of 5G by you? I see all these threads about bypassing the 5G restrictions with root but I don't really follow it since I get it here by default.
Since you do have a phone that's working perhaps you can try to take the 5 apart and see if you can tell what's broken inside. What if it's only a connector or something simple then you can replace the screen. Just to tinker around, they have videos I'm sure of how to get the phone open. Once the 6 comes out the prices on Swappa for the 5 will drop at least 100 Euro so if you can wait... Once those batteries go on the Samsungs it's lights out. I know I had one way back and finally the darn thing damn near exploded and popped the screen up off the body and that was it. Bottom line, you're ok. The phone can be replaced.

Sure, my idea is to wait and see what the new phones would be and eventually buy a new phone. Right now is not the best time to invest in a new phone, I think the best is around autumn when all the new models are released. I was thinking of opening the phone, I have some experience, already trying to open and exchange the motherboard of a Nexus 5, with another apparently faulty motherboard. I have the tools as well, the problem is that due to the fact that this is not a very popular model, finding spare parts for it would be really difficult. As I said, only the display on Ali Express costs 160 Euro. Opening the phone and finding that the problem is trivial would void my warranty and I would end up trying to put a new display with dubious quality on my phone for a high price.
I am just a bit losing hope in Google. A friend of mine got a Pixel 4a 5G because I have recommended generally the 4a line as a good deal for the money and she is complaining that the touchscreen in the lower part is completely unresponsive. Apparently, this is a known issue, which was supposed to be fixed by Google with an SW update and there was a big thread in their product forums. Now the thread is deleted from there and Google is refusing to take a look at her phone under warranty because she had dropped it once and according to them this is enough of an excuse.
I really like the SW experience of the Pixel phones, but this behavior is hard to tolerate. So this autumn, I will think really hard whether to buy a Google phone or buy a phone from another vendor.

@gstoyanov I've only had pretty good experiences with Google replacements but that was before the pandemic when you could reach a CSR on the phone and even a supervisor. I don't think that's the case now. And then I'm in the US and we are a nation of laws or so I've been told. lol j/k. Do you have 5G there and is it quick? It's kind of sketchy here, hit or miss on speeds vs. LTE. Because if you don't then the 4a without 5G is a steal imo, at least for a temp phone until November.
But what I was thinking is that if you have experience in pulling it apart then why not try it without purchasing an expensive replacement screen and see if you can get it to boot. Well unless the screen is so cracked that it's pointless. But if you can bring it back to life then you can decide if you want to spend the money or run it as is until you get what you want. Just a thought. Actually, I'm curious what is really wrong with the phone haha.
In terms of the 4a 5G screen I'll bet it's been fixed in later builds. Same thing happened here with a gap on the Pixel 5. Early, EU adopters had this wicked gap around the frame but by the time it shipped in the US that gap was gone.
Edit. NVM looks like the 4a 5g is discontinued.

yes, we have here 5G, but I am not so much sold on the whole 5G bandwagon. It would definitely take a hit on the battery life and the 5G network is still not dense enough for this to really matter. As a matter of fact, GSM coverage in Germany is pretty bad, I am coming from an East European country where Internet access is leaps and bounds better than in Germany, not to mention that it also comes for a fraction of the price here.
The screen is totally broken, I don't think that it would fire up. So if I open it, I would need to try it on a screen, meaning that I would need to purchase a replacement and eventually hope that I can return it for free. The problem is that if I order the display from China, there is a good chance to be stopped at the customs, and I would need to go there and pay some additional money and this is a bit overkill maybe.

@gstoyanov Yeah, not worth it when you put it that way. Oh well, eye out for the 5a 5G, keep it pristine and sell it on Swappa when the 6 comes out in November. ;-) That's my plan with the 5. But full disclosure or trade in with Google. Oh as a side note I dropped my P5 on the cement face down 7 days after purchase. Smashed to smithereens. Brought it into UBreak and it was their first one and it cost me $220 just for the screen replacement which is all that shattered. Not even a nick on the body. They did a flawless job and it is as good as new. I made an insurance claim and got the full $220 back surprisingly. Suffice it to say I handle it with an iron grip or two hands now. One handed only when over carpet. haha.

Did you go over the Google Repair center from the Google Store? There you can select the type of damage to your phone and usually get a better price than directly contacting their authorized repair centers. It is really convenient, the only problem being that you need to pay upfront, and this in my case is not the greatest option.
This is the first time I am cracking the screen, but nowadays all the phones are so slippery. I kind of missing my Oneplus One for which I never bought any cover. Making the back grippy of that phone was such a good idea.

Take it apart and have a look.
A connector may have come loose... maybe the battery.

gstoyanov said:
Did you go over the Google Repair center from the Google Store? There you can select the type of damage to your phone and usually get a better price than directly contacting their authorized repair centers. It is really convenient, the only problem being that you need to pay upfront, and this in my case is not the greatest option.
This is the first time I am cracking the screen, but nowadays all the phones are so slippery. I kind of missing my Oneplus One for which I never bought any cover. Making the back grippy of that phone was such a good idea.
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The Google repair center is mail in only and 7 - 10 days turnaround. The authorized repair walk-in is UbreakIfix which is where I brought it and it was repaired within about 3 hours or so. I can't imagine it would be under $200 even if I sent it in to Google. I'd have to go thru the whole process just to get a price. Any idea what they are charging for cracked screen only?

The quotes me
bobby janow said:
The Google repair center is mail in only and 7 - 10 days turnaround. The authorized repair walk-in is UbreakIfix which is where I brought it and it was repaired within about 3 hours or so. I can't imagine it would be under $200 even if I sent it in to Google. I'd have to go thru the whole process just to get a price. Any idea what they are charging for cracked screen only?
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they gave me a price in GBP, which was close to 150 Euro and that in USD is around 180. So I presume it is slightly better than what you paid, but not significantly. You can actually check it for yourself, just go to https://store.google.com/repair put the EMEI on your phone, select a cracked screen and you will see it. I presume it might be cheaper because here the taxes are pretty high.

gstoyanov said:
The quotes me
they gave me a price in GBP, which was close to 150 Euro and that in USD is around 180. So I presume it is slightly better than what you paid, but not significantly. You can actually check it for yourself, just go to https://store.google.com/repair put the EMEI on your phone, select a cracked screen and you will see it. I presume it might be cheaper because here the taxes are pretty high.
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If they were worth anything >they< would give you a repair estimate for little or nothing.
Denon Electronics does. That's customer service.
Google just sucks. A local repair shop can do you better.
Having enjoyed many biking excursions myself like you I know you're wishing the hardware healed as easily as the body
Carry on.

gstoyanov said:
The quotes me
they gave me a price in GBP, which was close to 150 Euro and that in USD is around 180. So I presume it is slightly better than what you paid, but not significantly. You can actually check it for yourself, just go to https://store.google.com/repair put the EMEI on your phone, select a cracked screen and you will see it. I presume it might be cheaper because here the taxes are pretty high.
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$188 for cracked screen + tax in USD. So not much different than I paid. Comes to a little over $200 and I paid $30 more for same day service. Since I don't have a replacement device that wouldn't have worked for me anyway and the fact I got reimbursed, even though unbeknownst to me at the time, made it a good deal. You gonna wait for the 5a?

bobby janow said:
$188 for cracked screen + tax in USD. So not much different than I paid. Comes to a little over $200 and I paid $30 more for same day service. Since I don't have a replacement device that wouldn't have worked for me anyway and the fact I got reimbursed, even though unbeknownst to me at the time, made it a good deal. You gonna wait for the 5a?
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The problem being any impact that breaks the display can easily cause deeper damage.
The chipsets themselves can be destroyed by high G impacts alone with no direct contact. A fall from 4 feet onto concrete can generate enough G force to do this. This why using a case is important as it decreases the G force spike to tolerable levels.
The multilayered mobo traces (with internal traces) and solder joints are vulnerable to PCB flexing. Solder joints themselves are a relatively weak, with no lead solder they are downright brittle. Most phones hopefully still use leaded solder, if not even exposure to cold can crack them... no lead solder is not your friend
Never use it on repairs!!!
When a phone is literally run over mobo damage is very probable but doesn't always happen. The other pcbs are also at risk.