One of the biggest issues that people seem to have with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is battery performance. Yes, the Xperia X10 ships with a reasonably meaty 1500mAh battery, but the demands of that 4-inch screen and 1GHz Snapdragon processor means that most people have to charge their handsets every night.
We’ve previously outlined some tips that go some way to improving battery life, but failing that, the only option is going for a higher capacity battery. Mugen Power was kind enough to send over two of their third-party batteries for review, one with an 1800mAh capacity and another with a monstrous 3600mAh capacity. In part one of our review we mainly look at the design of each battery. Part two will be followed in a few weeks time that will give the battery test results and overall conclusions.
Mugen Power 3600mAh Xperia X10 Battery
First up is the higher capacity 3600mAh Mugen Power battery that retails for $96.95. The battery arrived with a black cover, for those with white Xperia X10’s a white cover is also available. There was also some paperwork that should be read before using the battery. It suggests that you need to charge the battery for 12 hours for the first time.
The battery comes in quite simple packaging. The battery sits in the black cover and this has a small piece of sponge behind it to prevent it getting scratched in transit. The usual warnings and warranty information is placed on the back of the packaging. The battery comes with a 6-month warranty.
As the codename (HLI-X10XL) suggests, the 3.7V 3600mAh battery is quite big and won’t fit into the existing housing. This is the reason why Mugen Power provides a back cover to account for the larger battery.
It’s difficult to get a sense of how much thicker this battery is when just looking at it alone. We have some comparison pictures later in the review that give you a better idea of the size.
Mugen Power provides back casings in both black and white colours. The black cover that we received is of a matte finish very similar to the existing housing.
The cover has been manufactured to fit the Xperia X10 perfectly. The cover fits into the Xperia X10 securely, an important point considering the larger size of the back cover.
Here we compare the original back cover with that from Mugen Power. You lose the Xperia branding on the back cover, but the holes for the camera and ‘flash’ fit well.
The plastic used by Mugen Power is a near perfect match for the original cover. The matte feel is also the same.
With the 3600mAh battery attached you can get an idea how much it sticks out over the original Xperia X10 battery. This is the main reason for the larger back cover housing.
Once the back cover is attached, it fits very snugly to the rest of the phone. This makes the phone obviously larger, we measured the total thickness of the phone at 19mm using this battery.
As mentioned previously, the covers have been manufactured to a high quality. It fits to the phone very well and will leave you confident that it won’t come off on its own.
This even extends to the front of the phone which sits flush with the casing.
The main holes for the camera lens and flash are the perfect sizes as can be seen in the picture below. There is no detriment to the quality of pictures taken given the indents surrounding the lens.
24 responses to “Mugen Power Xperia X10 Battery Review – Part 1”
wow there is no way id get that, makes it look sooo ugly. why would you ruin a sexy phone like that lol
It might improve the battery life but it makes the phone look like a brick.
[…] هست!! نکته مهم طراحی جالب در پشتی برای باتری 3600mAh هست: Mugen Power Xperia X10 Battery Review – Part 1 | Xperia X10 Blog البته من این خبر رو تو سایت گذاشته بودم، اما ریویو […]
I must get that, it really doenst matter what your phone looks like if you’r out of battery…
man its look so ugly .
Definitely looking foward to the 1800mAh full review. If it can actually provide 20% more battery life then that would be great.
[…] Continue seeing more pics here: xperiax10.net […]
My battery is fine I did exchange it once. I work for a phone company and it is a common proble however now it is perfect. Can go two days without charged using task killers etc
Mugen usually rates at <85% of sticker mAh.
That means that the 1800 would be < 1530mAh.
So what's the point with that battery?
[…] to replace the internal battery but an extended battery. See this link to understand how it works Mugen Power Xperia X10 Battery Review ? Part 1 | Xperia X10 Blog Unfortunately, i think that they only have it for X10, not the mini… […]
hey everybody, i had the same problem when bought X10 1month back and it came with the firmware when SE loanched x10. But guys there is a software upgrade available, i recommend all x10 users to upgrade their handsets and also use a “Task Killer” application (Advanced Task Killer is what im using which is free on android market) to kill the applications running on the background. after this battery stays for 2 days(lot of calls + WiFi accessed+ games played)
try it out guys it works 4 me.
Xperis x10 is the best looking phone 🙂 yeah shez sexy and awesome!
It’s a worst phone ever I got,
For me it was a sweet dream to buy a smart phone from SE,
but it turned as nightmare,
X8 phone body is made by cheap plastic, its looks like a china mobile (nowadays china mobiles are coming with good quality).
Camera sucks, sound quality is worst, and battery backup is very poor that I can’t explain, you need to keep the charger with you wherever you go…. 🙁
I request SE people not to release the phone and ban it in india…. plzzzzzz
I got the phone for Rs.13700/- and I am ready to sell for half rate (only after 4 days of purchasing) …..
🙁
🙁
🙁
And when will we see the second part of the review with the battery life performances?
[…] veel meer capaciteit hebben dan de standaard, maar dan wordt je telefoon ook dikker. zie deze site: Mugen Power Xperia X10 Battery Review Met citaat […]
[…] part one, we went through the ergonomics of each battery including the weight and showed you what you get in […]
[…] Mugen Power are stocking two batteries, one has a 1300mAh capacity (slightly above the stock 1200mAh battery) and costs $44.95. The second is double the capacity at 2600mAh and will set you back $96.95. Given the size, it comes with its own housing that will mean a bulking out of the chassis, but should be ideal for those that find themselves on the road often. If you want to know a bit more about Mugen Power, check out our review of the X10 batteries here. […]
rofl 😀
Would love to have this battery! less charging!
hello,
battery it a real problem on X10, so please choose me for this mugen pack
[…] Disappointed that you didn’t win one of the MW600 Bluetooth headsets we had up for grabs recently? Well we’ve got another compo you can try your luck at. We are giving away one 3600mAh Mugen Power battery for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 that retails for $96.95. If you’re interested to know a bit more about the battery, you can check out our review here. […]
Wow, it made the phone so thick. The X10 is already paper thin now it looks like a screen with a battery attached. I wear it in my front pocket with the screen at my leg and bulge aiming out. Still not as thick as my old HTC Tilt. As far as performance, I was blown away. 2-3 days easy. I used to be hesitant to use it because of the frightfully poor battery life. Previously I would use Google Maps w/ Navi and it would kill the battery in 30mins. Whilst taking a #2 and surfing a little it would drain the battery 1/3 (fucking disappointment and a fuck joke). Now I can surf all day, text, chat, use the phone like I have a data plan that is costing me $100 a month and take full advantage! Get this battery. My friends with iphones are so pissed! I took it skiing with me away from home and it lasted 2 full days of use! Yelping, texting, calling, emails, MMS pix. I tried to kill the battery with 4 full hours of non stop streaming and usage and it barely used 1/3 of the battery. Takes a while to charge but it never empties. Like a web fuck machine!!!!
Cheap plastic, looks like the yucky interior of an American made car.
only style and looks is not important. every phone must have long battery back up. mugen power is one of the best solution. ofcourse we have to pay some high price but it worth.
I just bought one of these for my htc g2. It makes my phone 1 inch thick at the thickest. However it also makes it far easier to hold while using the keyboard. Also the battery difference itself , well I am on hour 13 of my streaming pandora and heavy use test and currently the phone reads as having another 30% remaining. I imagine normal use will be phenomenally better considering how it is handling my test.