How to shop for a cellphone battery

Your cellphone is your primary connection to family and friends. It rarely leaves your side and gives you acces to the voice, txt, and data access that you need to stay up to date with you daily life. So keeping your cellphone batteries fresh and fully charged can mean the difference between meeting up with the group at the right time, or getting left behind. Here's a simple checklist to help guide you through the process of finding the right battery for your cellphone:

1. Know your Cellphone Brand and Model:

You may already know that you have an HTC Droid, Blackberry or Motorola RAZR cellphone, but knowing the exact model number will make your search for a battery easier. The model number is typically found on the cellphone itself or printed in a label behind the battery, or on the back or bottom of the device. Look around to see if you can find a name that sits next to the LG, Samsung, Kyocera, Nokia, or whatever brand your device might be.

2. Know your Cellphone Battery Model number:

If the make and model of your cellphone can't be found on the device itself, the battery will often have the information printed on it.

Most online battery stores like Batteries.com can help you locate a battery by model number, or will provide a replacement cellphone battery or a Factory OEM battery, giving you more options to choose from.

Searching for a Nokia 8800 on Batteries.com may help you find compatible batteries that are more affordable.

Many cell phone batteries from major manufacturers use standardized part numbers as well. Here are sample part numbers from the major brands:

Cellphone Battery Model Number Format

3. Find the Cellphone Battery That's Right for You:

Once you have your cellphone model number or battery number, you're ready to start your search. Typically you can find a category page for cellphone batteries on your battery site that will walk you down the path by listing out brand names such as Sprint, Palm Pre, Sony Ericcson, and many more.

Once you have found the brand of cellphone that matches your's, you can use the model number that you found in step 1 to narrow you're search down more.

4. Verify Before you Buy:

It's always a good idea to look closely at the images of the battery you are about to purchase. If the battery connector doesn't look like the same connector on your current battery, this may not be the right one.

If for some reason you don't have the old battery anymore or if you have already recycled the battery, you can always check the connectors on the back of the cellphone itself to see if they match the battery you are about to buy.

Once again, look at the back of your cellphone, in this case a Samsung SCH-A850, and look at the compartment where the battery would fit. If your new battery is shaped differently, has a different connection slot, or simply doesn't look like it will fit, it's time to contact the call center to see if they can verify the battery is correct or not.

Cellphone Battery Links