The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

Nokia coughs to ballooning batteries

An open and not shut N73 case

Agentless Backup is Not a Myth

Nokia has admitted that some customers are seeing BP-6M batteries, as used in the N73 handset, ballooning to several times their original size, and in some cases to such an extent that the phone case won't close.

El Reg first heard about the problem from a reader just after Christmas, and Nokia has been investigating since. Today the company assures us that the issue is nothing to be concerned about, and customers who find their batteries bulging should nip down to their nearest service centre for a free replacement.

Be sure you've got a real Nokia, though - the company won't take responsibility for fakes and has a website where you can check, and find out the location of your nearest service centre if you do have a pukka powerpack.

Lithium-ion batteries often gently swell up after a few years, and even unused batteries tend to enlarge after around three years, so those unused handsets you stuck in a drawer could be popping open as you read this. Not that there's any risk from this - it just makes the batteries hard to fit into the charger, or mobile phone, and shouldn't happen for a few years at least.

Nokia isn't saying how common the problem is, only that it affects a "limited number of batteries" and that the swelling presents "no risk to health of safety" - assuming of course that your health and safely doesn't depend on having a working telephone before you have a chance to switch batteries. ®

Customer Success Testimonial: Recovery is Everything

Latest Comments
Anonymous Coward

No replacement here, either

Like Nick Bentley, my experience is that Nokia aren't admitting to anything, let alone giving replacements. Suspect this is because there hasn't been a formal advisory like there is for the BL-5C, so the customer service people don't know anything about it. I was advised to just take my phone to a Care Point to be looked at (for a few days?). It's pretty obvious what's happened - the battery hasn't swelled more than a few mm, but it's enough to look like the Incredible Hulk as he starts to burst out of his clothes....

pctechxp - the BP-6M is a lithium polymer battery, at least that's what it says on the back.....

0
0

@AC re: K850i

I think this handset is supplied with a Lithium Polymer rather than Ion.

Note sure whether these are affected in the same way but are a different chemistry.

0
0

The reason GMail takes an age to load on your N73...

...is because 3 install loads of apps (some which autostart with the phone) which eat a considerable proportion of the memory. 3 are one of the worst phone companies for doing this. Flash that phone with a generic firmware and do a factory reset, and the Gmail app will load in 2-3 seconds.

0
0

More from The Register

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Proof the pen is mightier?
Sammy’s iPad Mini killer has a stylus to stab other rivals too
Microsoft lures buy-curious vixens, corduroys with a cheap fondle
Surface slab sales latest: Will no one rid Ballmer of these turbulent tabs?
First look: iOS 7 for iPad
No, Apple hasn't released it yet, but that doesn't stop intrepid devs
 breaking news
Curtain drops on Apple Store ahead of WWDC: What lies behind?
Steve Jobs watching from on high. No pressure, lads
 breaking news
Cold, dead hands of Steve Jobs slip from iPhones: The Cult of Ive is upon us
Billionaire biz baron's death clears way for uber-shiny iOS 7
Airbus imagines suitcases that find themselves
Point your mobe at your smalls to track their every move
Surprise! Intel smartphone trounces ARM in power trials
Tests show equal performance while sipping significantly less juice
Samsung plans LTE Advanced version of Galaxy S4
1Gbps download capability could stiffen drooping S4 sales forecasts
Apple said to be 'exploring' 5.7-inch iPhone
Who's the copycat this time, Mr. Cook?