I was hoping there would be an official extended battery, but looks like that has yet to happen. That said, I bought a Hyperion 4000 extended battery for $21 delivered. Here are the pluses and minuses:
+ So far, the 4000 mAh rating appears to correlate with the results. I am getting in the region of 90% better battery life for my own usage. I will not bother being too specific, since usage is too subjective. At any rate FWIW, I get 7 to 8 hours medium to heavy use with the stock 2100 and getting about 13 to 14 hours use with Hyperion 4000.
+ The battery appears well built and professional in presentation (not a cheapo).
+ The cover design is more tapered with a decent finish and not a rounded hump or as slick as some others are. Seems anything bigger would start getting too big & heavy, IMO.
+ The camera, flash and speaker are recessed. I like this, since provides better protection.
+ The extra space in the cover provides two indirect advantages: The speaker sounds fuller (kind of like a real weak passive subwoofer) and the device seems cooler when using GPS or other uses that can cause heat spikes. Added: The speaker effect is slight, so please do not read anything more into it than that.
+ Though heavier, the device feels more comfortable to hold.
+ Apparently has NFC, but I will probably never use the function.
+ The price. You can buy three of these for the price of some other options.
- Hard to find cases, but Hyperion actually has one. Not ordered it yet, since wanted to first see how the battery panned out. I did buy a belt loop case recently that fits it well (I like belt loop cases since can not slip off by accident).
- Though not as slick as some covers are, the extra weight creates more potential to drop it. I am going to probably order the Hyperion case now, but that of course will make the device a tad bigger... Looks like something Batman would carry (the black does). I guess a little bigger is better than a little broken
Links & info for the battery:
Amazon.com: Hyperion Samsung Galaxy SIII 4000mAh Extended Battery + Pebble Blue Back Cover (Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S III GT-i9300, AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung i747, Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung i535, T-mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung
Links & info for the case:
Amazon.com: Hyperion Samsung Galaxy S III Extended Battery HoneyComb TPU Case Black (Hyperion Retail Packaging) **Compatible with ALL Hyperion, Qcell, Onite, Anker, and most Generic Galaxy S3 Extended Battery Models**: Cell Phones & Accessories
Links & info for the case I recently bought that fits well:
Amazon.com: Premium Horizontal Leather Cover for Samsung Galaxy S3 Slll i9300 (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories
+ So far, the 4000 mAh rating appears to correlate with the results. I am getting in the region of 90% better battery life for my own usage. I will not bother being too specific, since usage is too subjective. At any rate FWIW, I get 7 to 8 hours medium to heavy use with the stock 2100 and getting about 13 to 14 hours use with Hyperion 4000.
+ The battery appears well built and professional in presentation (not a cheapo).
+ The cover design is more tapered with a decent finish and not a rounded hump or as slick as some others are. Seems anything bigger would start getting too big & heavy, IMO.
+ The camera, flash and speaker are recessed. I like this, since provides better protection.
+ The extra space in the cover provides two indirect advantages: The speaker sounds fuller (kind of like a real weak passive subwoofer) and the device seems cooler when using GPS or other uses that can cause heat spikes. Added: The speaker effect is slight, so please do not read anything more into it than that.
+ Though heavier, the device feels more comfortable to hold.
+ Apparently has NFC, but I will probably never use the function.
+ The price. You can buy three of these for the price of some other options.
- Hard to find cases, but Hyperion actually has one. Not ordered it yet, since wanted to first see how the battery panned out. I did buy a belt loop case recently that fits it well (I like belt loop cases since can not slip off by accident).
- Though not as slick as some covers are, the extra weight creates more potential to drop it. I am going to probably order the Hyperion case now, but that of course will make the device a tad bigger... Looks like something Batman would carry (the black does). I guess a little bigger is better than a little broken
Links & info for the battery:
Amazon.com: Hyperion Samsung Galaxy SIII 4000mAh Extended Battery + Pebble Blue Back Cover (Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S III GT-i9300, AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung i747, Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung i535, T-mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung
Links & info for the case:
Amazon.com: Hyperion Samsung Galaxy S III Extended Battery HoneyComb TPU Case Black (Hyperion Retail Packaging) **Compatible with ALL Hyperion, Qcell, Onite, Anker, and most Generic Galaxy S3 Extended Battery Models**: Cell Phones & Accessories
Links & info for the case I recently bought that fits well:
Amazon.com: Premium Horizontal Leather Cover for Samsung Galaxy S3 Slll i9300 (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories