Seidio Super Battery Review
Mobile phone batteries are frequently described as providing a certain number of “talk and standby” hours. However, Treo smartphones can do so much more than talk and standby. They can serve as MP3 players, video cameras, television sets, email devices, and many more things. They also can draw a lot more power than normal talk and standby devices. As a result, Seidio has introduced a Super 3200mAh Extra Large Capacity Battery.
Battery Size
The stock battery from Palm has a 1700mAh capacity. About a year ago Seidio brought to market a higher-capacity 2400mAh battery for the Treo, providing approximaely 33% more power than the stock battery. But Seidio’s new 3200mAh battery provides an amazing 88% increase over the stock battery! It almosts double the time you can use your Treo between charges.
Besides the higher capacity, the other key difference between the Seidio 2400mAh battery and 3200mAh battery is that, while the 2400mAh battery will fit under your Treo’s existing battery cover, the 3200mAh battery is slightly thicker and requires an expanded battery cover. The battery cover comes free with the purchase of the super 3200mAh battery. Just make sure to choose the battery for your specific Treo so that you receive the correct color for your model.
Does size matter?
Some may prefer Seidio’s 2400mAh because it’s the same size as the stock 1700mAh battery. However, clearly many power users will find the slight additional size of the 3200mAh battery a very reasonable tradeoff for such a substantial increase in battery life.
To get an idea of how the 3200 battery compares size-wise to the battery that comes with a Treo 650/700, and the new thinner 1200mAh battery in the Treo 680, here are some pictures of them side-by-side:
The 3200mAh battery is thicker than the stock 1700mAh battery but not by much. I measured the stock battery at roughly 1.0cm in thickness and the 3200mAh battery at 1.3cm. However, compared to the 1200mAh battery in the Treo 680 (which I measured at 0.6cm in thickness), there is more of a difference.
Battery Cover Appearance
Here are some comparison shots using a Sprint Treo 700p with the stock 1700mAh battery and the larger 3200mAh battery.
With the battery cover removed, you can see in the first picture that the 1700mAh battery sits flush with the edge of the battery compartment while in the second picture the 3200mAh battery sticks up about 3mm above the edge.
Treo 700p with 1700mAh Battery
Treo 700p with 3200mAh Battery
As can be seen in the shots below, with the expanded battery cover in place it adds about 3mm to the thickness of the Treo compared to the standard battery cover.
Treo 700p with 1700mAh Battery and Stock Battery Cover
Treo 700p with 3200mAh Battery with Expanded Battery Cover
The extra thickness of the battery cover continues almost to the bottom of the Treo.
Treo 700p with 1700mAh Battery
Treo 700p with 3200mAh Battery
Is That Really a Treo 680 in Your Pocket?
The label on the battery I received for evaluation indicated that it would work with the Treo 680 and 750, and I have confirmed that this is true. I don’t have an extended battery case for the Treo 680 model, but decided to insert the 1700mAh and 3200mAh batteries into the device anyway to get a sense of what it might be like with various battery sizes.
Treo 680 with Stock 1200mAh Battery
Treo 680 with 1700mAh Battery from Treo 650/700p
Treo 680 with 3200mAh Battery from Seidio
While it might not be obvious from the second and third picture, the edge of the battery near the stylus (left side of the Treo when looking at the back side) is sitting about 0.5 to 1.0mm higher than the left side.
Beside the issue with how well the 3200mAh battery fits in the Treo 680, the real concern for me is just how much larger it is than the stock 1200mAh battery and how far it sticks out from the back of the Treo 680. I didn’t have a larger battery cover for the Treo 680 so I don’t know for sure what it will look like when the cover is in place, but it will definitely be much more noticeable than wit the Treo 650/700p.
Since I received the 3200mAh battery prior to release it is very likely I have a pre-production model. I’m thinking that probably the production version of the battery will fit better in the Treo 680/750. Probably the slight difference in fit of the battery won’t matter when using the extended battery cover designed for the Treo 680/750.
The Benefits of Power
As the number of things I do with my Treo increases, so does my need for additional power. If I only use my Treo’s phone functions without a Bluetooth headset, my Treo’s 1700mAh battery will last 2 or 3 days. However, if I leave Bluetooth enabled and have ChatterEmail running in the background to provide Blackberry-like push email with my five IMAP email accounts, I can drain my Treo’s 1700mAh battery in 8 to 12 hours. This might be an extreme case, but I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only Treo user that doesn’t want to sacrifice functionality for battery life if they don’t have to.
Up to this point I’ve dealt with my power-hungry habits by putting my Treo in a charging cradle when sitting at my desk while at work and home. But there are still some times on the weekend when I am away from a cradle that I have to either turn off ChatterEmail or switch over to my extra battery (if I have it with me).
When I heard about the 3200mAh battery, I realized that this could be the solution to my battery problems. At nearly double the capacity of my current battery it allows me to go all day on a single battery without having to change my power-hungry habits. I’ve only had the 3200mAh battery for about 3 days, but the convenience of having the extra battery capacity is already obvious to me.
Price of Power
Although I believe many will find the tradeoffs worthwhile, there are some disadvantages to this product. The extra thickness means that it won’t fit in all Treo cases and cradles. I was able to confirm that it works with the Seidio INNODock cradle. But it wouldn’t work with my less expensive Seidio USB cradle.
Since I use quite a few accessories with my Treo, the fact that I couldn’t use these accessories was an inconvenience for me. However, Seidio is coming out with some new cases and other accessories that are designed to work with the new 3200mAh battery. Perhaps the new battery will be most attractive to neophyte Treo users who haven’t already purchased numerous accessories or veteran Treo users who don’t use a case.
Summary
If you often find your Treo running low on power, you will definitely want to take a look at the 3200mAh battery because it will give you maximum power from a single battery. It saves you from having to frequently charge your Treo or keep an extra battery around just in case you are somewhere you can’t recharge.
Pros
- With 3200mAh the new Seidio battery has nearly double the capacity (188%) of the standard 1700mAh Treo battery and 33% more capacity than the next largest capacity Seidio battery with 2400mAh
- Ideal for email users that want to run all-day using the highest performance settings
- Great for people that spend all day on the phone and don’t have the time or opportunity to recharge their battery.
Cons
- The extra thickness added by the battery cover prevents you from using most existing Treo cases and cradles and restricts your choices when buying new cases and cradles.
- The extra thickness may detract from the visual appearance of the Treo for some people.
Tested using Treo 700p
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I just wanted to clarify that I used my 1700mAh Treo battery as the reference point for the “Standard Treo 650/700 battery” when comparing batteries in this review. However, I also realize that some Treo’s may ship with an 1800mAh battery.
I actually have both a 1700mAh and 1800mAh battery I use with my Treo 700p. I think the 1700mAh battery either came with my Treo 650 or is the extra Palm Treo battery I bought with my Treo 650. In any case, that’s why I mentioned a 1700mAh battery while you may have an 1800mAh battery. I don’t think the difference is very significant when comparing to a 2400 or 3200mAh battery, but I just wanted to clear that up in case anyone was wondering.
are any extended life batteries on the market for the 680?
The only thing really stopping you from using the 1800mAh and 3200mAh batteries is that you’ll need a battery cover that will fit with the larger battery. I believe Seidio may come out with one eventually, but probably only after releasing a larger battery cover for the Treo 650.
As far as releasing a higher capacity 680 battery with the same dimensions as the standard 680 battery, I haven’t seen any announcements on that.
Can you describe the weight difference between the 1700mAh battery and the new 3200mAh battery? Thanks!
Using my inexpensive kitchen scale, my standard 700p battery weights about 41g and the 3200mAh battery weights about 56g, so it’s roughly 36% heavier. However, in daily usage I can’t say the difference is noticeable when you include the overall weight of the Treo.
Call me a weakling, but this battery is noticeably heavier than a stock battery. It takes some getting used to.
Overall I think I’ll use it as my primary battery, but it’s no easy decision.
I use this battery as my primary battery and I LOVE it! It lasts almost twice as long so I no longer have an issue using battery intensive tasks all day (instant messenger, music, Internet…whatever I want!!! ;-) )
I was wary of the new battery cover but I’ve found that it actually gives me a better grip on the phone! Those backs are so slick and now there is a little soft ridge that gives just enough to better hold the device.
The weight is negligible. It fits in my Covertec side mount case just fine; I do have to make sure the phone is bottomed out in the case so that the magnetic clasp will fit but by no means do I have to jam it down in the case.
I am going to purchase one of these for my father as well as he saw mine and now wants one heh.
I just got the 3200 battery. Tried out the battery cover… NOT good. It does not fit right… it does not ‘click’ close and one side has rough edge I can feel when I hold the phone in my hand.
I called the service number. I was told to fill out the form online so that I can get a return instruction in 2 DAYS. I asked what I need to. I was told to take pictures as to how it does not fit, etc. I had to hang up the phone. What kind of business are they running? I’ll NEVER buy anything from them. I’ll tell ALL of you not to buy stuff from these folks. Just painful to deal with.