Why does my battery die prematurely?

[Deputy276]

Just re-activated my Blackberry Storm 2 with Verizon. Prior to this it had been working perfectly. Charged lasted a LONG time. I installed a new battery and charged it up. Now charge only lasts 6 hours before dieing. This is with NO useage...just sitting on my nightstand. Signal is strong.(5 bars). My wife had a Storm 2 and this was the issue that caused  her to switch to Apple. Is this a known problem with the Storm 2 or what? I have another new batter I can try, but wondered if this problem was common to the Storm 2. Or if maybe my phone is toast.

[MiiHere]

Are you talking about the phone released in 2009? I'm not surprised if the original battery died fast. These "new" batteries you say you are trying, are they new to you, but previously used? Are they OEM batteries or aftermarket?

[pherson]

I had the storm 1 and 2, and honestly and obviously, you can't expect a 6 to 7 year old device to have the same battery charging when new. Those "new" batteries are spent. Time to get another device.

Best wishes

[Deputy276]

MiiHere:Yes, 2009 sounds like about the right release time. This was not the original battery. Maybe I was unclear in my initial post..."I installed a new battery and charged it up." That means I bought a BRAND NEW battery and installed it and charged it up. The battery is BRAND NEW, never been used. They are OEM factory Blackberry batteries.

pherson: As I said in my initial post and above, this is a BRAND NEW factory battery. And just because the device is not "new", is no reason for it to no longer be useable. It was never dropped or abused in any way. It sat in a drawer untouched until this last Monday. How in the world would a brand new battery be "spent". That makes no sense at all.

I will install another new battery (I bought two) and see what happens.  

[pherson]

They are not going to make a "brand new battery" in 2015 for a 2009 device. Mistaken much?

[pherson]

Actually I can confirm with my blackberry rep how "new" these batteries are.

[MiiHere]

I guess I should have asked: when were the batteries manufactured? Unless they are the same batters used in current Blackberries then they aren't freshly made batteries, in which case it would be just like trying to use the original 6 year old battery.

[pherson]

See here is the thing, I could explain why a device even with a new battery wouldn't charge after it hasn't been used, but why? The phone is old. Move in to a different device.

[MiiHere]

Which may not be a feasible for them. In which case I would just charge up all the batteries and swap them out when needed. While it will be a pain the arse, if you're adamant about keeping it it's a good option.

[MiiHere · Accepted solution]

They may not have one. You are correct though, they are not like the typical around the house batteries, but things like storage will play a part in their life span. Perhaps whoever you bought them from left them in direct sunlight or extreme cold. Perhaps they weren't actually new; where did you purchase them?

You'll find a lot of different information about lithium ion batteries:

"Aging is a concern with most lithium-ion batteries and many manufacturers remain silent about this issue. Some capacity deterioration is noticeable after one year, whether the battery is in use or not. The battery frequently fails after two or three years. It should be noted that other chemistries also have age-related degenerative effects. This is especially true for nickel-metal-hydride if exposed to high ambient temperatures. At the same time, lithium-ion packs are known to have served for five years in some applications."

Anyway, it's been years since I've worked with a Storm 2, so I can only tell you how to cut down on battery power based on current phones. Which is see if you have a power saving option, turn off any applications that might be running in the background, do a system update, turn off all Wi-Fi / location / bluetooth functions while not in use.

Here is the specs on battery life:

BlackBerry Storm2 9550 smartphone: Standby time: GSM: 12.7 days (305 hours), UMTS: 11.7 days (280 hours), CDMA: 11.2 days (270 hours) Talk Time: GSM: 5 hours, UMTS: 6 hours, CDMA: 5.5 hours. Battery: 1400 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic Lithium cell.

[Deputy276]

THANK YOU Miihere!!! That is EXACTLY what I needed to know. I bought the two "new" batteries on E-Bay. I know...not exactly a reliable source for something like that. The good news is they are returnable for a full refund. However, I tried the other one last night. Took it out of the charger at 12:45 last night fully charged and at 6:30 this morning it was almost dead. I am pretty sure it is the phone that is the problem. One more question and you have done magnificently so far....is there any way of telling what is running in the background?

Thanks again,

Dep

[MiiHere]

I'm sure there is a way to see what's running, but I haven't tinkered around on a Blackberry Storm 2 in a very very long time.

As it was mentioned earlier, it yes could be the phone. The way we connect to cell service has changed quite a bit since the Storm 2 came out, which means it's more than likely working very hard to find and stay connected to service. I also noticed old threads about the Storm 2 where people had fast battery drain to start with.