Cell Phone Batteries

The primary component that determines how long you can use your phone is the battery. The technology used to manufacture of cell phone batteries has improved the length of usage and decreased the size. The cell phone batteries that are available to average consumers come in three different types, NiCad, NiMH, and Li-Ion.

Nickel Cadmium Batteries
Nickel Cadmium batteries (NiCad) are the oldest and most prevalent type of battery on the market. Since they have been around the longest the technology used to manufacture them is fully mature and they are the least expensive option. They do however have the shortest battery life. The biggest drawback is the "memory effect". These batteries are most efficient if they are completely exhausted before recharging.

For example if you only use 60% of the battery before recharging, the battery will develop "a memory" and start to take of 60% of a charge. Over time the effect will become more pronounced as the battery will take 60% of the 60% charge. Fortunately this memory effect can be overcome. You just need to completely drain and recharge the battery 3-4 times. To prevent the memory effect from ever taking effect be sure to completely drain your battery every one to two weeks.

Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries
Nickel Metal Hydride batteries (NiMH) are the next step up from a NiCad battery. They offer the same amount of power as a NiCad and weigh about the same. However they don't suffer from the memory effect. These batteries are slightly more expensive than NiCad batteries. This type of battery will work for most cell phones. However for ultra compact or feature laden power hungry phones the battery life is insufficient.

Lithium Ion Batteries
Lithium Ion batteries (Li-Ion) are one of the most advanced batteries available on the market. Li-Ion batteries weigh about half as much as a Ni-Cad battery and the same amount of power, making them perfect for compact phones. If you have a phone with a large color display or other power hungry features you can get a larger more powerful battery without making the phone unreasonably heavy to carry. Additionally Li-Ion doesn't suffer from the memory effect and are the most environmentally friendly battery on the market. All of these factors combined also make it the most expensive battery available.

The Future of Cell Phone Batteries
Your average consumer will have one of the following, NiCad, Ni-MH, or Li-Ion (see cell phone batteries). However as advances in technology continue to occur, and as they become more economical newer types of batteries will become available.

Sealed Lead Acid Batteries
Sealed lead acids batteries are similar to the battery that is used in your car. They can deliver a lot of power however are very large when compared to other batteries. They usually have to be carried in a separate case, making it impractical for all but the most specialized uses.

Lithium Polymer Batteries
Lithium Polymer batteries or LiPoly are made of a thin film that allows it to be shaped into almost any shape required by the design. In addition for the same amount of weight as a NiCad battery you can get 4 times the amount of battery life, however these are still very expensive to manufacture. Nokia is experimenting with distribution on high end phones, and versions are being commercially offered for Apple's IPod music player.

Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are one type of power supply that is under heavy research in the United States, Japan, and other advanced countries. They have applications for other types of equipment such as laptop computer and even automobiles. They are about 10% of the size of comparably powered NiCad battery, are extremely light, and very environmentally friendly. For example a cell phone could last 3-4 weeks on a fuel cell. The field of fuel cell research and development is rapidly changing to keep abreast of current changes visit www.fuelcells.org .