Accessories Gorilla Gadgets 3500 battery: review

[Ruark]

Saturday a new 3500mah battery for my HTC Incredible 2.2 arrived in the mail from Gorilla Gadgets. According to my battery indicator, it had a 67% charge. I charged it (in the phone) overnight and bump-charged it a couple of times Sunday morning, then turned it on.

I'm on a 3G network, (we live rural). WiFi, Skype and Bluetooth are off. I have a live wallpaper. GPS etc. turned off. Mobile networking and auto sync turned on. Instead of using screen timeout, I set the timeout at 30 minutes and just click the screen off when I finish looking at it.

I was a little disappointed; I could tell absolutely NO difference at all from the stock battery. Within 45 minutes it was down to 90%.

I didn't use it much during the day - just checked the weather and email several times - and Sunday evening it was down to 50%. I turned on the GPS and "GPS Test" and did some more web surfing and quickly ran it down to zero, and it shut itself off.

Monday morning. Bump-charged it 3 times, then turned it on. Read a couple of emails, played an MP3, read a few articles on the "News" app, checked a couple of online forums I frequent. Again, after 45 minutes, it's down to 90%. At this time, I've read a couple more articles on the web and read an email. After 65 minutes, it's at 88%.

The biggest battery killer seems to be "Android System," which consistently shows 39% at settings/About Phone/Battery/Battery Use. Second is "Cell Standby" at 27%. Third is "Phone Idle" at 18%. I'm not sure how that differs from "Cell Standby."

I will post updates later.

 

[aleeeena]

I also purchased the same battery. I was a little unsure about the battery so I called the company and they directed me to their blog which was really helpful. Here's the link:

The Gorilla Gadgets Blog

Hope this is helpful =)

 

[Ruark]

I also purchased the same battery. I was a little unsure about the battery so I called the company and they directed me to their blog which was really helpful. Here's the link:

The Gorilla Gadgets Blog

Hope this is helpful =)

GREAT link, Aleena! I'd read the "Extended Life Battery Tips" below, but not that one. I'm currently letting it recharge from zero for the 2nd time. Will do it 2 more times, and take a look at the Battery Left widget.

 

[Ruark]

Gorilla Gadgets 3500 review continued:

I LOVE the way the battery makes the dinc feel. The extended back is sort of rubbery, very nice. It makes the device about 1/4" thicker and a bit heavier, and feels much better in the hands. The original was so thin and flimsy I always felt like I was going to drop or break it. Of course, this is an individual perception, depending on your hands, fingers, strength, etc.

Aleena, I decided not to get the Battery Left widget. You know, you don't calibrate the battery, you calibrate the widget, rather silly process that reportedly takes up the 3 MONTHS. I'm not going to spend three months fiddling with it as a part time hobby, the way some people seem to do. The standard Battery Widget works fine and appears to be sompletely accurate.

Last night I left the device on with a GPS app running on the display. It ran down and shut off. I restarted and it was at 2% for a minute, then shut back off. I plugged in the charger. It was green light in a little over 3 hours. Unplugged, plugged back in, got green light again in about 30 minutes.

I can tell it's running better. I read some emails and skimmed through some news using the wifi connection and after an hour it was at 98%. Then I turned on a bunch of stuff - a GPS app that keeps the display on, wifi, 3G, music playing (sound off), auto sync, checked weather radars, watched a 5 minute YouTube video. Now, after 3 hours, it's at 85%. Not bad. I'm going to run it down completely and recharge one more time. That will make 4 cycles.

Then, I will implement some battery-saving practices more closely resembling my normal use and see how it goes. I'll turn off GPS, Mobile Network (wifi is faster than blazes within 100 ft. of the house) and auto sync, make about 30 minutes of phone calls, check weather and email about once an hour, and go back to my regular practice of just clicking the display off when I finish using it. Will see where it is after about 10 hours, and post an update tomorrow evening.

 

[Ruark]

Here's an update.

I continue to GREATLY prefer the way the 3500 makes the device feel and handle. It has this solid, secure feel in your hand, hard to describe.

Yesterday I drained it down to zero and brought it to a full charge overnight. This is the 4th zero-to-full cycle. This morning at 6 a.m. I unplugged, replugged, and got the green light in about 30 minutes.

This time I used the phone as I would normally use it. This includes checking News and reading about a dozen articles through the day. About 20 minutes of phone calls. Checking the weather about 10 times. Playing 3 or 4 MP3s with MP3 Music Downloader. Checked email about every 30 minutes, read and replied to 5 or 6. Used the GPS and map for about 10 minutes. Spent about 45 minutes reading articles on The Atlantic Monthly. Checked for messages on a couple of online forum websites.

Wi-fi is on, Mobile Networks (3G) is off. I have a Linksys wireless router for our laptop computer, and within 100 feet of our house, the dinc is MUCH faster with wi-fi than 3G. There are some nice, one-tap toggles for both on the desktop.

Auto synch ("background data") is off. Animation is off. GPS is toggled off except when I used it. Got rid of the Live Wallpaper (you get tired of it) and picked a nice landscape. Haptic feedback is on. Display timeout is set at 30 minutes, but I just click the button to turn it on and off when I use it.

At noon it was at 82%. Now it is 5 p.m. and at 72%.

Tomorrow I will put in the original battery and use it in a similar manner, and compare the results.

 

[Assaulteer]

Anyone know how the gorilla battery compares to the seidio 3500 MAh battery? I bought ~ $10 Chinese 3500 MAH battery from ebay and it barely gets any more than the stock battery. I was considering going with the Siedio (Its down to about $52 on amazon) but this gorilla battery seems to have all positive reviews. Any advice is welcome here but id feel like an idiot if I got burned again by going for the cheaper option.

Oh and this is a case cover that will work with gorilla battery and back cover:

Amazon.com: Laza Sprint HTC Evo 4G Extended Battery Silicone Case Black: Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[gruss]

Never tried the gorilla battery but I've been using the 3500 from Seidio since the Eris days. Actually I swap between that and the HTC 2100, so the 3500 from the wall charger takes a TON of abuse to run down. I don't have all the specs in my head but as an example as of right now my phone is at 59%. 13h 49 min since unplugged and that includes a 2.5 HOUR phone call and another 1/2 hour or so of playing music via BT and some random surfing/emails/FB etc.

Actually I like the HTC 2100 the best though, it wont take the abuse of the 3500, but it is just the right amount of bulk and should get you through a pretty severe day.

 

[amarryat]

I just got mine on Saturday so I haven't had too much time to test it. However I did take it off the charger 24 hours ago (yesterday morning), and it currently sits at 59%. That's normally where it would have been late yesterday afternoon.

 

[ORD84]

Anyone know how the gorilla battery compares to the seidio 3500 MAh battery? I bought ~ $10 Chinese 3500 MAH battery from ebay and it barely gets any more than the stock battery. I was considering going with the Siedio (Its down to about $52 on amazon) but this gorilla battery seems to have all positive reviews. Any advice is welcome here but id feel like an idiot if I got burned again by going for the cheaper option.

Oh and this is a case cover that will work with gorilla battery and back cover:

Amazon.com: Laza Sprint HTC Evo 4G Extended Battery Silicone Case Black: Cell Phones & Accessories

How tight does the case fit the phone, I know the two phones have a slight size difference regularly not sure how it fits with the extended battery? I just ordered my battery now it's off to find a case..

 

[CJPalermo21]

So - what is the general consensus of this battery?

I'm looking at purchasing the battery this weekend -- they have a pretty good sale now (about $26): 3500mAh HTC Droid Incredible Extended Battery with Back Plate

Have people noticed a good uptick in performance?

 

[amarryat]

So - what is the general consensus of this battery?

I'm looking at purchasing the battery this weekend -- they have a pretty good sale now (about $26): 3500mAh HTC Droid Incredible Extended Battery with Back Plate

Have people noticed a good uptick in performance?

It definitely lasts a LOT longer with this battery, at least double. BTW I have moved on to the Inc2. The minuses are that there aren't any cases that are meant to fit with the thick battery, and the extended battery cover seems pretty cheap.