A post was split to a new topic: Battery drains and reboots
just to add that i am also now using the vhbw battery. it was advertised as a replacement battery for FP1 and came with two small pieces of silicone to hold it in place as it’s smaller than the original one. after initially having no success with it, it turned out that there was a nearly-invisible strip of plastic across the contacts to protect them which obviously has to be removed before it will charge. it is now (so far) working well. many thanks to @HermannMeuth for kindly helping me with this!
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Hi everyone.
I noticed – after my second original battery bloated as well – that the Changhong HonPhone V9 W20S which is said to be similar to the original (see @werner_noebauer’s wiki on FP1 batteries) seems to be available again.
I just received a rebuilt ChangHong HonPhone battery that I orded a month ago via AliExpress (1). I orderd a second one from a different seller (2) that hasn’t arrived yet. There seem to be more sellers offering rebuilt versions of the W20S-battery – you might want to check them out and compare.
Dimensions: 6,1x5,3x0,45cm (same as the original – no spacer needed!)
Capacity: 2000mAh
Voltage: 3,74V
The fairphone turns on and works perfectly so far. I already charged and used the battery while monitroing the temperature to check if the battery temperature monitoring works (however I’m using CPUInfo and BatteryBot Pro, not DevCheck). So far (24 hours) the temperature varied only between 23°C and 24°C. Is that plausible? I’ll update you on any changes.
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This means that there is no thermistor built into the battery (or the phone can’t read it).
For the conclusion go down to the bottom of this post.
Some of you might have read my earlier review of the aftermarket HB5N1 battery, sold by ElectroPapa for Huawei phones. We value their quality and we have bought quite a lot of them for the Austrian Fairphoners. Recently I found out that ElectroPapa now also sells a battery that replaces the original FP1 battery F1B101 or F1B201. For testing purposes I got one of them together with our usual order. Here is the review.
The battery comes in a small cardboard box.
Cardboard box next to F1B101 battery by vhbw
Inside there is a black battery that at first sight looks pretty much like the Huawei battery. Disappointingly it is exactly the same as the Huawei battery. The only difference are two silicon spacers that are included with the battery. More to them later.
HB5N1 battery next to F1B101 battery by vhbw
Apart from the different stickers the only visual difference can be seen at the top of the battery (F1B101 on top): (1) The plastic pins on the sides are a bit thinner and (2) the middle connector seems to be a bit wider than the one of the HB5N1 battery.
Top sides of the F1B101 (above) and HB5N1 batteries by vhbw
I also inserted the battery and the spacers into the battery compartment of my FP1. The result wasn’t satisfying. The side spacer fits well, but the bottom spacer is too short and doesn’t hold the battery in place tightly. When you move the battery down there is still a pretty big space left at the top of the battery and the phone doesn’t even boot in this situation. Only when you press the battery up towards the pins the phone boots up.
F1B101 battery by vhbw in my Fairphone 1
A quick test on my booted FP1 (pressing the battery towards the pins) showed no changing temperature reading, which leads me to the conclusion that in this case too there is no (FP1-compatible) thermistor built in.
Conclusion
I cannot detect any significant difference between the HB5N1 and the F1B101 batteries by vhbw. The only hefty difference is the price: 9,59€ vs 17,89€. This means ElectroPapa basically sells a battery for 9,59€ and a non-fitting spacer for 8,30€. In my eyes this is a scam and I will ask the money back.
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Who would have expected different.
It’s the same way, jubatec has gone already. It really would be a miracle, if the FP1 is still so great a market, that someone is starting to produce batteries for it.
Printing and applying a new label on the other hand, that’s a different piece of cake. 
Regarding the difference, I guess it’s either within production tolerance or made at another plant, but not some intentional design meant to make a difference.
Another real waste, regarding this product, is the useless spacers you get with every battery anew. Jubatec at least offers them seperately, so you have to buy them just once.
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I have asked Electropapa to remove the offer from their homepage, which they haven’t done. Thus I sent a 1-star-rating. Will see if they are honest and make it public: Li-Ion-Akku - 1800mAh (3.7V) für Handy, Smartphone, Telefon wie Fairphone F1B101, F1B201
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There’s currently no review visible on the page (it says “Schreiben Sie die erste Kundenmeinung”).
They sell it for 17.29 € now and there is no mentioning of any spacer at all.
Tbh: Why?
Pricing is up to the vendor. No one has to buy that battery; if it is too expensive, people will shop elsewhere. (E.g. Jubatec with a likewise useless spacer (at least in my case) sells at 19.90 €)
Already in my posting of August 2017, there was one battery (I guess it was electropapa as well) on Amazon for the HB5N1 selling at 21.89 €
At least everyone coming from this forum will know, that there are other batteries availale for less money like vhbw or akku-king.
TIP: Searching not for Fairphone but for HB5N1H you will be presented with lower prices for most likely the same battery just labeled differently. I guess, Fairphone owners are considered less focused on the price.
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Because the information on the page is misleading. As you said, there is no mention of the spacer. Instead it says “Für eine gesicherte Kompatibilität prüfen Sie bitte unter “Ersetzt folgenden Original Akkutyp” und/oder “Passend für folgende Gerätemodelle”, ob Ihr Telefon aufgelistet ist.” (
For a guaranteed compatibility please check “Replaces the following original battery type” and/or “Fitting for the following device models” to see if your phone is listed.) The battery neither replaces the original battery nor does it fit. In both cases compatibility cannot be guaranteed. As I found out in my test even the spacer is too short.
In my eyes the product description is a plain lie and it doesn’t speak for Electropapa that they have not appropriately* replied to my request. If this product description stays online I have to consider calling in the consumer protection union.
* I don’t consider the refund that they have paid appropriate to the issue at hand.
PS.: Jubatec at least states that they sell the “short version” of the battery.
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Ah, I get that.
That’s right of course.
I thought, you were referring to the pricing.
Still not sure, if there really is a significant difference between vbhw (aka electropapa) and jubatec.
Well, to my knowledge there is no “short version” of the battery. That’s simply some reference to this forum.
As you see from the comments on the jubatec battery on amazon, some customers are complaining, that the battery does not fit, despite the statement.
https://www.amazon.de/JuBaTec-1700-original-Akku-Fairphone/dp/B0779SVWM7/
And if electropapa delivers a spacer to the battery, it is at least meant to fit out of the box. I personally do not consider that less honest than selling a not fitting “short version”.
Maybe that jubatec disclaimer to us seems more honest, as we are fully aware of the background; having read all the postings in this lengthy thread.
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It’s probably a question of expectations. I expected Electropapa to be better because so far I had made good experiences. The Huawei battery always satisfied our needs. To me it seems that they became greedy and wanted to squeeze more money out of FP1 owners. 
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My battery has had it. Charge runs out fast and it is bulging. Want to buy one please.
Links to vendors can be found in this topic, be sure to read the warning in the first post though.
Sometimes there are offers in the market category of this forum, too.
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Vhbw battery still working fine 19 months later.
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I bought a battery from the electropapa website in July 2018
I have tried a few repairs/taken other parts from other fairphones (i suppose that is the point with a modular phone) over the years that i’ve have had a fairphone 1. The problem i’ve got now i think is more with the usb port or the three gold coloured charging pins on the mother board? The phone is coming up with a message saying the battery is too hot. The phone is now powering off whenever a USB charging cable is plugged in. Is this a safety function with Fairphone? To stop the battery/unit malfunctioning/blowing up?
Dear Fairphone Community Members,
I bought my Fairphone 1 in 2014 and now the battery life is about to end. Does anyone have a functioning battery for my phone?
Thanks in advance!
Esther
Hi.
I’ve got a FP1 for 5 years, and the battery is getting slightly bloated, so I don’t feel safe using it anymore. I know I’m quite lucky to have it working well for so long, with only a few repairs, but it still looks like a waste to change for a new phone when it’s only a battery issue.
So I bought the HB5N1H battery as advised in this forum, and it’s working. Thank you so much to all those of you who try and share new ways to make those old phones work =)
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I wouldn’t call a third-party replica battery “official”. This battery is not manufactured or authorised by Fairphone, thus not official.
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