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Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Offering the best balance of price and performance of any batteries we've tested, these rechargeables will provide you with years of service. Read More
If you're looking to save money on rechargeable batteries, these are the ones to get. Read More
These are a favorite among reviewers for their fast charging cycles and longevity, but you can only charge them with a Tenavolts AA charger. Read More
As they can only be charged around half as many times as other batteries we've tested, it's hard to recommend these Duracells. Read More
While they boast the highest charge capacity of any batteries we've tested, their cost, per-battery, is steep. Read More
Tired of throwing away money on batteries? Single-use alkaline batteries are cheaper up front, but you might consider investing in a good set of AA rechargeable batteries instead. They’ll provide years of service in toys, flashlights, and TV remote controls and save you a lot of money in the long run.
Based on hours of hands-on testing, the Energizer Recharge Universal AAs (available at Amazon) are our top pick. They provide the best balance of capacity and price, holding about 2,200 mAh of charge and supporting up to 1,000 charge cycles. Energizer lists the capacity of these batteries at 2,000 mAh, but we found them to hold even more in our real-world tests.
For a less expensive alternative, we recommend Amazon Basics Rechargeable Batteries. Each cell holds about 1,800 mAh of charge, so your devices won’t run for as long as they would with pricier, higher-capacity batteries. There are less expensive rechargeable AA batteries out there, but they come in packs of 12 at a minimum—which drives the price up. And most people don’t need that many batteries anyway.
Here are the best rechargeable batteries you can shop online right now.
Energizer Universal Rechargeable batteries offer the best balance of power and price that we could find.
AmazonsBasics' AA rechargeable batteries are a great low-cost option.
Actual charge capacity close to advertised capacity
Only rated for 400 charge cycles
Stores charge for a long time
Far more expensive than similar products
2,300 mAh capacity
holds 75% charge up to a year in storage
Can't hold in-storage charge as long as Eneloop Pros
Can be charged daily for 3+ years
Very cost-effective
None that we could find
Reasonably priced
Offered 600 mAh less power than stated 2,500 mAh capacity
The most important questions with rechargeable batteries are how much charge they can hold and how quickly they can deliver it. So we tested many of the products in this guide by measuring just that, using two high-end chargers (a La Crosse BC700-CBP and a SkyRC MC3000) to measure the amount of charge each battery could hold, testing four of each and averaging the result. We tested AA batteries, as these are the most commonly used size for modern electronics like TV remotes, smart doorbells, and outdoor security cameras.
To see how long the batteries in our test group would last, we used them to run two devices: a small battery-powered fan and a powerful flashlight. Drawing 0.6 and 1.4 Amps, respectively, these devices allowed us to measure how long each battery can run during low-drain and high-drain use. For these tests, we ran our fan at maximum speed, recording how long it kept rotating. Our flashlight was operated at maximum brightness—roughly 350 lumens—as we recorded how long it stayed lit.
When the blades stopped turning, the time was noted and the test was stopped. In instances where we had to step away from observing the test, we set up a GoPro camera to record the operation of the fans, just in case one stopped running while we were out of the room.
Rechargeable batteries are pretty simple devices, but there’s a lot of jargon surrounding them. Here’s our guide to the terms you need to know to make an informed choice.
NiMH (nickel-metal hydride battery): One side of a NiMH rechargeable battery is made of Nickel Oxide Hydroxide, and the other is made of an alloy of several rare earth metals. When the battery is charged, the Nickel Oxide Hydroxide gives up a Hydrogen ion, which is absorbed by the alloy. When the battery is used, this is reversed, creating a flow of electric charge outward.
Lithium-Ion: There are more than a dozen different types of lithium-ion batteries out there, chemically speaking, but the concept is the same. They recharge at least twice as fast as NiMH batteries, and they output a higher voltage than NiMH batteries, so their performance can seem more consistent over a given period of time.
Charger: the device that controls the flow of charge into a battery. You should never use a NiMH battery (like the ones in this guide) with a non-NiMH charger, as this can damage them.
LSD: Low Self-Discharge. All batteries lose a certain amount of charge over time, even when they are not connected to anything. This is called self-discharge.
Typically, a NiMH battery will lose up to half its charge if stored for a year. Some brands minimize this with extra insulation inside the battery.
mAh: milliamp-hours. A measure of the amount of charge that can be stored in a battery. 1 mAh is a flow of one milliamp over an hour, so a 2500 mAh battery can deliver 2500 milliamps (or 2.5 Amps) for one hour, or 250 milliamps for 10 hours.
Cycles or Recharge Life: Each full charge and discharge is one battery cycle. All batteries lose capacity when used, meaning that they can store a little less juice when fully charged each cycle. Manufacturers offer a cycle life—the estimated number of cycles a battery can go through before it loses a certain amount of its capacity. This is defined in a standard called IEC 61951-2.
Other Sizes and Adapters: We focused on rechargeable AAs for this guide, as they are by far the most commonly used battery size. They can also be used to power devices that require C and D cells, too. All you have to do is pop them into an appropriately-sized adapter and you’re in business. This adapter set from Eneloop is a great option for anyone interested in doing this.
Depending on how often you use them, and how much you recharge them, rechargeable AA batteries typically last at least two to five years. After a couple of years, you’ll likely start to notice them holding less and less charge with regular use. But they can last as long as seven years or so if you treat them with the utmost care and don’t rely on them constantly. Of course, it depends somewhat on which brand of battery you buy.
Richard Baguley is a veteran writer who has written about technology ranging from Alphabet to Zip file utilities. He has contributed to pretty much every major tech publication, including Amiga Format Magazine, PC World, Wired, CNET, Toms Guide, Forbes, and many others. He lives in the Boston metro area with his wife, dog, and an indeterminate number of cats.
Séamus Bellamy is a senior editor on Reviewed's Electronics Team. Before coming to Reviewed, his work was featured in The New York Times, The Globe & Mail, BBC World, Macworld and Maximum PC.
Alex Kane is a senior editor at USA Today’s Reviewed and the author of the Boss Fight Books volume on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. He has written for Fangoria, PC Gamer, Polygon, Rolling Stone, StarWars.com, and Variety. He lives in west-central Illinois.
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