One of the main trends of the mobile market in the last year has to do with batteries. They are increasing their ability to store energy And the best thing is that they do it without this means inflating the devices. So today we see in China Mobile with 6000 mAh batteries or more without any problem, something unthinkable a few years ago.
However, if you are not a frequent follower of the market, then you are likely to not have noticed it. The reason? In Spain and most of the world that increase of the battery capacity is not so evidentAlthough they are the same smartphone models. Is there any reason why? Yes, there is and today you will discover it Because in Spain cell phones bring less battery than in China.
That your cell phone has less battery of its Chinese version is due to safety and transport regulations
Silicon-carbon batteries are one of the sensations of the mobile market At the moment. Its very high density allows it increase the energy capacity stored in the same space as before And even less. This is the case of Realme GT7 Pro and Redmi Turbo 4 Pro, whose batteries seem those of a tablet; Or the new honor Magic V5, which is the thinnest fold in the world, but its battery has increased up to 18% compared to Magic V3.
However, Those high density batteries remain in China And some other market. When you are looking for cell phones that have batteries of this style in Spain, the same thing always happens: They have a lower capacity than China, sometimes much lower.
It’s nice to think that it is the fault of the producers, but it is not necessarily so. Actually, Has to do with safety and transport regulationsin particular two: The regulations at 3480 and a 38.3. What are everyone? Let’s explain it.
Standard 3480 affects the global transport of high safety batteries
THE Regulation at 3480 It is a regulation imposed by the United Nations for Give safe lithium battery transport Most of the planet. In addition, this is what acts as a guide for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the transport of dangerous products.
In case you don’t know, Batteries are considered dangerous products Due to the risk of inflammation and deflagration that these can suffer. And if: With greater density, greater risk.
It is true that technologies have advanced a lot to reduce the danger to the minimum possible, but the 3480 is clear: “The nominal capacity of each cell should not exceed 20 WH.” If a battery -powered device exceeds 20 WH per cell, it cannot be transported.
Mobile with high density batteries exceed this capacityEspecially if they only have a cell. Therefore, they cannot be distributed outside China because they do not comply with safety regulations during transport. Is there any solution? Yes, but not everyone is practicable:
- Increases the number of cells so that nobody exceeds the capacity of 20, however, It is a solution that does not make too much sense and that will increase the final price devices. In the end, the goal of high density batteries is doing more less.
- Reduce the capacity of the batteries On the devices, so that they comply with the regulations and can be distributed globally. This is the imperfect solution, as it affects users, but is what is applied.
- Update safety and transport regulations To increase the storage capacity over 20 WH per cell. AND The ideal solution, especially because technologies have improved As if he did it without greater dangers. However, it is a process that would require a good time to apply, because we must propose, discuss, approve and perform these new regulations.
The transport prices of devices with batteries also influence and the standard at 38.3 is the one that has the last word in this
Next to the standard at 3480, to a 38.3 it is the other that It affects the global distribution of devices with high density batteries.
Standard 38.3 is a certification that is delivered after passing a series of Tests that guarantee the correct functioning of the device Before several high intensity tests. It is similar to the IP or Mil-Std-810 certifications of mobile resistance, but in particular for the transport of batteries.
Like the latter, There are different levels of certificationBut we are interested in two. The first is that all batteries with a nominal capacity of up to 20 WH per cell apply for the standard standard 38.3.
However, If they exceed this capacity, it is necessary to guarantee a more careful quality of transportwith More expensive guarantees that irrepire transport of those devices. The reason? Because these batteries are considered dangerous assets of class 9.
AS: or pay more for transport and that the end user absorbs this increase, or the capacity of the batteries is reduced in order to maintain prices (which is what he is doing). Once again, we are facing the diatribe we present above, with imperfect solutions while the regulations are not updated.
