What is mAh for Batteries? Does it Impact Battery Life?
If you have analyzed the details of your battery, you have probably come across the phrase milliampere per hour, which is abbreviated as mAh. But what does mAh battery mean and why does it matter? Although this information seems irrelevant to most people, it will help you choose the right battery for your device based on your power needs. Therefore, mAh is one-thousandth of an ampere-hour, usually displayed as 1 mAh = 0.001 Ah. These units demonstrate the energy charge a battery can hold and the time the device can hold the charge before it depletes.
For instance, if your smartphone has a mAh rating of 3,000, it means when fully charged, the smartphone battery has a capacity of 3,000 mAh. Therefore, if the phone utilizes 300 mAh per hour, you will use your smartphone for 10 hours.
In this blog, you will understand better the mAh battery meaning and how it affects the life of a battery to help you choose the right one for your electronic devices.
What is mAh?
What is mAh for batteries? In simple terms, milliampere-hours (mAh) is a unit for measuring the amount of electrical charge a battery can hold. It signifies the amount of electric current a battery is capable of supplying to an electronic device before it completely discharges.
A battery with a high mAh rating means it can hold more energy longer. It can power your devices for a long time without recharging. Therefore, one of the key factors to consider when buying a battery is the mAh. One mAh equals one-thousandth ampere-hour (Ah). For instance, a battery with 3,000 mAh is capable of supplying 3 amps of current for an hour.
How Does mAh Affect Battery Life?
As discussed above, mAh is the measurement unit for battery capacity. So how does the mAh affect battery life? A battery with a higher mAh rating will last longer compared to a battery with a low mAh rating. For instance, a battery with a mAh rating of 3,000 will last longer than a battery with a mAh rating of 2,000 mAh.
However, note that the life of a battery is not linear. For instance, if a battery has twice the mAh rating, it does not mean it will last two times more. There are other factors such as usage patterns or age of the battery that affect the battery life.
Additional factors that can affect the battery life include the size of the screen as well as the resolution, the graphics and processor, software optimization, and the type of chip used.
Also, the mAh of a battery affects its charging time. A battery with a higher mAh rating will take longer to fully charge. On the other hand, a battery with a low mAh rating will charge relatively faster, due to its smaller capacity. However, the mAh is not the only factor that affects the charging rate. Factors such as the quality of the charging cable, device usage during charging, and charging method affect the charging time.
A good quality adapter and cable help in faster charging of the device. Additionally, charging a low mAh battery using a fast charger, will cause it to overheat thus shortening its lifespan.
How is mAh Calculated?
To calculate the mAh, use the following formula: mAh= 1,000 x Wh /V
This means that to calculate the mAh of a battery, multiply the watt-hours (Wh) by 1,000. Then, divide the result by its voltage.
Example: If your battery has a 2 Wh rating below 5V, then the mAh is 400.
mAh= 1,000 x 2 Wh / 5 V
mAh= 2,000/ 5 V
mAh= 400
mAh Vs. Ah: What’s the Difference?
The mAh and Ah are two major units commonly used to indicate the battery capacity. Both units measure the energy but differ in their degree of measurement. Milliampere-hour (mAh) is more commonly used than Ah in batteries, especially the batteries in most portable electronic devices such as phones and tablets. mAh measurement metric measures the battery capacity, in terms of the amount of charge it can keep. mAh means one-thousandth of an ampere-hour, i.e., 1 mAh = 0.001 Ah.
The ampere-hour (Ah) is a standard unit for measuring the electric charge that flows within one hour. An ampere is an electric current unit that signifies the rate of flow of electrical charge. Therefore, an ampere is equivalent to a flow of charging current of an ampere per hour.
In simple terms, mAh and Ah are similar conceptually, although they differ in their magnitude. However, Ah is usually used in larger applications such as solar panels and cars. On the other hand, mAh is usually used for measuring the charge capacities of batteries in smaller devices.
To convert mAh to Ah use the formula below:
Ah= mAh ÷ 1,000
To convert mAh to Ah, divide the electric charge by the conversion ratio or by 1,000. Since one ampere equals 1,000 mAh, you can apply the formula above.
For example: If a battery has a mAh rating of 4,000, then the Ah will be 4,000 mAh ÷ 1,000 = 4 Ah. To convert Ah to mAh, apply the following formula:
mAh= Ah x 1,000
Example: Convert 4 Ah to mAh
mAh = 4 Ah x 1,000 = 4,000 mAh
The Relationship Between mAh and Charge Capacity
The relationship between mAh and the charge capacity is simply a description of how much energy a battery can keep. Both terms describe the same concept but slightly vary. mAh describes the capacity of a battery to portable electronic devices such as laptops or tablets. It describes the amount of energy their batteries can hold.
The charge capacity describes the capacity of a battery in larger battery systems such as electric vehicles and solar systems. It usually describes the amount of energy the battery is capable of receiving during a charge cycle. The charge capacity is measured in kWh or Wh.
In summary, the mAh measures the battery capacity while the charge capacity measures the energy. Note, that energy and capacity are different concepts. The watt-hour units measure the electric energy, while ampere-hour measures the electric charge and describes the capacity of a battery.
The following illustrates the relationship between mAh and the charge capacity.
Watt-hour= mAh x Voltage / 1,000
Example: If your battery has a mAh rating of 5,000, then it is capable of providing a total charge of 5,000 mAh at a specific voltage. So, if the voltage charge is 3.5 V, the total energy will be:
5,000 mAh x 3.5 V / 1,000 = 18 Wh
Final Thoughts
So, what is mAh for batteries? As discussed above, mAh is a critical factor when it comes to understanding the capacity of a battery, especially when buying an electronic device. Checking the mAh rating of a battery ensures you are choosing a device that adequately meets your power demands.
Although the mAh rating of a battery is an important factor to consider, other factors come into play when choosing a battery capacity. A good understanding of how the battery charging technology works will enable you to apply the mAh knowledge when dealing with batteries for your devices.
If you are dealing with a solar system to power your home or RV, consider buying a battery with a higher mAh to ensure your devices are powered longer. Also, before you purchase any solar-powered lithium-ion battery, consider how much power you need for your devices. If you are living off-grid, then you need a Renogy battery with a higher mAh or Ah. However, if you are doing short RV adventures or short outdoor activities such as camping, you only need a smaller mAh capacity battery.
FAQs about What is mAh for Batteries
1. Does a higher mAh translate to long battery life?
A battery with a higher mAh rating means it has a longer battery life. For instance, a tablet with a 5,000 mAh rating will last for around five hours with prolonged use without recharging. However, a tablet with a 6,000 mAh rating will last for more than six hours with prolonged use without recharging. Also, note that the higher the mAh rating, the longer the battery takes to recharge.
2. Does a mAh rating affect the size of the battery?
No. A higher mAh rating does not necessarily mean a larger-sized battery. The mAh rating does not relate to the physical size of the battery.
3. What is the best percentage range to keep my battery charged?
To maximize the lifespan of your battery, keep it charged between 20% to 80%. Letting the battery drain up to 0% and charging it up to 100% will cause faster degradation of the battery.
