Mugen’s 3200mAh Battery for Epic 4G Review; Win Free Batteries for EVO 4G, T-Mobile G2, DROID Incredible [GIVEAWAY]
I’ve been using Mugen’s extended battery for the Samsung Epic 4G for the better part of four days now. I didnt want to write a review until I was done calibrating it and until I’ve started using it on normal charge cycles. The unit I received is a 3200 mAh extended battery, and yes: it adds bulk. It’s a small price to pay, though, because I’d rather have the ability to use my phone than to have it not look like a brick.
The back cover is similar in material to the Epic 4G’s OEM cover, except you don’t get any of the logos. The camera sensor and its accompanying LED flash are so far recessed that you don’t have to worry about the elements of earth doing too much damage to them, which is a plus. I’d feared that the LED light’s performance would be diminished due to all of the extra material surrounding it, but light still emerged just as well as it did with the OEM cover.
The cover’s easy to snap on and detach and it fits onto the device nicely, for the most part, but one side of it seems to have been mis-measured. Other areas of the device are sealed air-tight, but the bottom left leaves about half a centimeter exposed. Not the biggest gripe in the world by any means. The most important thing is that the phone’s hardware buttons are still as easy to access as they’ve always been. No issues there.
On to the battery’s performance itself: it’s quite amazing. I haven’t done any scientific tests – such as those run by individuals to see if actual capacity matches its rated capacity – but I can tell you it lasts a hell of a lot longer than my stock battery does. On a moderate usage day with the OEM-provided battery, I could drain half of the battery in just about 3 hours. I’m usually not away from a charger for longer than that, but the 6-8 hours one can squeeze out of this just won’t be enough on long days.
Enter the Mugen, where – before I even went through my first day of calibration – I was able to strike up an impressive 30 hours. (And that was on the charge out of the box.) I didn’t get as much from the following cycles as I’d been using the phone a lot more, but I was still able to pull out just over 20 hours on a busy day. The most important thing is that I never felt I absolutely needed to get to an outlet. As I write this on my first day after my usual calibration techniques, I’m nearing 5 hours and have yet to dip below 90%.
You might get different results from different phones, but having used both Mugen and their competitor Seidio, I’d have to say that neither clearly outshines the other. Seidio’s always been touted as the kings of after-market batteries and accessories, but if someone presents you with a battery by Mugen do not hesitate to give it a shot.
Get one yourself!
We have three batteries by the fine folks at Mugen to give away: those of you with a Droid Incredible can get their extended 3200 mAh unit, those with an HTC Evo 4G can get one of identical capacity, and those with a T-Mobile G2 can get an 1800 mAh battery. (Which isn’t much larger than the OEM version, but it doesn’t hurt to carry a spare.) If you’re not one of the lucky few or if you don’t have these phones, you can always browse Mugen’s selection at their website and buy one for yourself.
All you have to do is comment with which phone you have and tell us why you’d need an extended battery to help you get through a long day. Entries will be taken until Friday, December 17th at 11:59pm Eastern time. Three winners – one for each phone – will be contacted at the email address used in the comments form, so use a real one! Only those who live in the United States are eligible. (Sorry, international friends.) Let’s hear it below!