[Review] Innocell 3000mAh Super Extended Life Battery for BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 by Seidio


If there’s one thing we’ve learned from smartphone users over the years, it’s that they’re 2 types of smartphone users. 1 – The type that let’s their carriers talk them into the best smartphone and even let their carrier pick out their accessories. And 2 – The type of use that know’s exactly what they want, what’s worked best with their previous device, and how they’re more likely to embrace a product from that same company moving forward.

Seidio has proved over and over again to be one of the biggest powerhouses making products that not only fit your BlackBerry, these products feel great & appeal to more users than many other products out there today. Speaking of Seidio, today and for the last 2 weeks I’ve been spending time with their latest for BlackBerry 7 Bold 9900/9930 series, the new Innocell 3000mAh Super Extended Life Battery. Check out the features and read on for my thoughts.

Features:

  • Made from the highest quality Japanese Lithium Polymer Cells
  • Specifically for BlackBerry Bold 9930 or Bold 9900
  • Includes replacement door featuring Seidio’s soft touch coating
  • Keeps your device charged and ready to go, even with heavy data usage
  • Capacity:  3000mAh


Believe it or not this is the very first Extended Life Battery I’ve ever used. I never really had a chance nor did I feel I really needed one with previous BlackBerry’s. And now that I’ve gotten used to the very sleek JM1 with a capacity of just 1230mAh, packed with BlackBerry Bold 9930/9900, Torch 9850/9860 devices & ect. At the same time I’ve also grown tired of having to do 3-4 battery swaps per day. On my medium to heavy usage, the stock 1230mAh gets a bit over 5 hours before I’m going full red. I have to carry around a spare battery [second JM1 1230mAh] just to get through the day. It’s annoying but that’s just how it is.

Enter the the Innocell 3000mAh. She’s a thick girl. But remember looks aren’t always everything. I honestly thought maybe I’d get 12 hours of life tops and it wouldn’t be enough to warrant my daily use to switch to the Super Extended Life Battery. But I was wrong. Dead wrong. So far I haven’t found an hour count that this battery will die at. For the first week everyday by the time I got to 18-19 hours I still had juice left. Still had juice left!!

Now the instructions tell you to first charge your Innocell 3000mAh for 6-8 hours but preferably overnight. Then each following day to charge for 6+ hours once your getting below 20%. And do this continuously to maintain the best possible battery life. Put it this way; do this and you’re not going to be sharing a usb plug with your Android wielding co-worker anytime soon.


There’s only 2 complaints that I’ve heard and felt myself. 1 – There’s no NFC in the battery door that comes with the Super Extended Battery. I’m not sure if this is something that Seidio may bring to the table shortly or if it just didn’t seem to be a high enough importance. I’d say originally at least 1 in 4 users first questions were: “Does it work with NFC technology?” Unfortunately the answer at this time is no. & 2 – There’s no case compatible with Bold 9900/9930 series devices, if you’re using the Super Extended Battery. Now this is true at the time of this post, but that doesn’t mean Seidio isn’t planning on releasing something to change that. The Bold will fit into their Spring-Clip Holster, which is a nice looking Holster. I don’t own that Holster so I can’t comment past it’s aesthetics. I’ve also noticed that while using the Innocell 3000mAh Super Extended Battery, it does fit nicely onto RIM’s BlackBerry Bold Charging Pod. Almost sits better with the Extended Battery on because it adds some weight to the center-back. Normally my Bold will tip over sometimes when using the stock battery with the Charging Pod.

But like I said it really has come down to hours of use. Having a bulkier back on the Bold 9930 that I use daily has seemed to be worth the change since it does add those hours and hours of battery life. This doesn’t mean I use it exclusively. I still have an obligation to review other products. As well I love many cases on my Bold 9930. Many from Seidio, BlackBerry etc. Though I am sold on this product and see why it has been a staple for many years.

Final thoughts – After 2 weeks of use I’ve come to use the Innocell 3000mAh Super Extended Battery about 80% of the time I take my BlackBerry out of the house, on the road, etc. It’s a tad bulky but fits nicely into my pocket. I have a nice screen protector on and I still keep a stock battery and case nearby just in case I want to swap it. The 18, 19, 20+ hours of use is above and beyond my expectations. Most users would never imagine a smartphone could last this long. A little oddity I noticed is the battery level that reads on your device is not usually correct. You may think it’s down to 50% life left, but then a quick battery pull of full reboot will boost the reading back up to 90%. I like this idea. Considering I’m used to losing a tad of battery life using the stock batteries with a reboot. It does take a few days to get used to the bulk and the ‘no protective element’ for users like myself that depend on having a case on can be trying. Honestly though it’s all the hours of use make this an instant buy for me.


The Super Extended Battery for BlackBerry Bold 9930/9900 retails for $69.95 on Seidio’s website. For just one battery that would normally take 4 stock (1230mAh) batteries to give me, it’s a no brainer that the one battery (Innocell 3000mAh) is going to get the most of my attention.

PROS
- 19, 20, 21+ hours of hard usage. Pull the batter to reveal more juice than you thought.
- Besides the bulky backside it looks very flush and feels good in my hands.
- Compatible with Seidio’s Spring-Clip Holster and RIM’s Charging Pod.

CONS
- No actual case to protect your Bold at this time. You have to be extra careful too since it does add weight.
- No NFC technology while using the Extended Battery. Small complaint. But a deal breaker for some users.
- It is bulky and does take away from the sexy sleek view that we’re used to with the 9900/9930 series.

Go get your own Innocell 300mAh Super Extended Life Battery here!