Blackhawk,
Thanks for your advice on extra battery capacity. I have four older phones that I am working on, trying to get one that is reliable. (Two of them are the Samsung S4, which has a removable battery. Others are the LG G5 and LG Stylo4.) I have seen enough online procedures for replacing batteries that require dismantling the phones so that I think I can do that successfully, but taking a chance on a bad replacement is not an option.
Are you saying that IFixIt is the most trusted source for non-OEM batteries? Is it the only one? Is it worth spending twice as much on IFixIt as on Amazon? (And IFixIt won't give you the shipping costs until you get to the end of the purchase procedure.)
I do not mean to be critical, but I do not understand the other things posted by Flair. I assume that "Well not really its a risk reward game with most non oem brands" is a typo? And why should I go to a local repair shop and pay their mark-up for a battery that I could probably buy myself from the same source?
Perhaps I am confused? I wonder if the sources and brands of good aftermarket batteries is a closely held trade secret among the businesses that install them?
Thanks for you help!
You can compare the ifixit battery image to other suppliers; it seems they're all Chinese, use the same brand. I prefer ones made in Vietnam, the OEM supplier for Samsung but try finding those.
Use a reliable vendor only. Having to do it twice isn't saving you anything.
The benefit of a small repair shop is they may allow to watch... and learn the tricks the painless way. Many have reasonable prices.
You will need the right tools and skillset to use them effectively. The last thing you want to do is bring a phone to a repair shop in pieces after a failed attempt. A shop also bears the responsibility for any damage done during replacement... or if the battery is defective. Pay with a card to help cover yourself.
If it has a LCD display Do Not get any solvents or solvent vapors near the LCD. They are open vented on the side and suspectable to solvent poisoning which will destroy them. Otherwise small amounts anhydrous isopropyl alcohol can be used on adhesive tapes to make disassembly easier.
I'm nearing replacement time, again, for my N10+ battery so I can empathize. Parts procurement can be a real pain. After watching the repair the first time by a shop I realized it's not that difficult at least for me to do. Going into it blind would've been much more difficult had I not had that real time learning session. Knowledge is power.