How to Identify a Fake Battery

Let's be honest, we all love saving a few quid. Who doesn’t? Getting that product you wanted, or something remarkably similar but for half the price, is just a part of human nature. Yet sometimes, our frugal ways can come back to haunt us. Especially when that money-saving marvel results in our most prized electronic possessions becoming damaged beyond repair. Here’s how to identify a fake battery.

The modern phenomenon of fake batteries have flooded markets around the world, everywhere from Europe to Asia and Australia to the Americas. Yes, they may be cheap but they also come with inherent risk.

The lack of quality control undertaken on these batteries can quickly result in a leak, ruining your electronic device and destroying irreplaceable memories and data in the process. Performance is another factor, as many don’t last long and lose the ability to hold their charge after just a couple of weeks. You end up spending more money buying extra fakes than you would have just buying a good set in the first place!

Aside from lack of performance, quality and potential damage to your electronics, there’s also an even more important risk - safety. Fake batteries have been known to explode, causing pain and injury to the user. In this case, a gentleman even received first-degree and chemical burns! 

So we know that fake batteries are dangerous. We also know they’re poor performers and a risk to our precious electronics - but what are the steps you need to take on how to identify a fake battery?

It’s not as easy as you’d think. The sellers have become masters at marketing their products to unsuspecting customers. They often buy cheap cells, rewrapping them as trusted brands before selling them as genuine items. The listings on popular retail websites are often highly convincing, with no particular signs that they’re fake. The only way to tell is by their weight. Not ideal given you would have to buy them first to test this out, right?

If you do go ahead and buy batteries online, the team at Fogstar highly recommend cross-referencing any batteries you buy with the manufacturer's specification. This shouldn’t be hard to find and will provide all the necessary information including the weight, capacity and CDR.

There is, of course, an absolutely certain way to avoid any of this trouble, whether it be harm to yourself, your wallet or your electronics. Purchase your batteries from a reputable supplier. You’ll have guaranteed peace of mind from high-quality, high-performance and ultimately safe batteries.

So, to recap on how to identify a fake battery;

1. Check the weight of the product
2. Cross-reference any batteries you buy with the manufacturer's specification
3. Purchase your batteries from an authorised battery supplier.

As the UK’s leading retailer of batteries in the UK, we take all the necessary measures to ensure our batteries are genuine and compliant with regulations. This provides our customers with reassurance that they’re buying quality for their money and keeping themselves and their electronics safe.