Batteries: How big is BIG?

Most people know one rule: bigger number, better life. That number is mAh. It’s the size of your device's  fuel tank. More mAh means more hours of WhatsApp voice notes, maps, camera, and music while you sit in N1 traffic or wait out Stage Whatever. It won’t make the phone “faster.” It just keeps it going longer.

For everyday South African use, 5,150–6,000 mAh is the “charge at night and you’re fine” lane. It covers school runs, banking apps, a few photos of the kids, and a YouTube catch-up before bed. Step up to 8,000–12,000 mAh and the stress fades. That’s Joburg–Pretoria commutes, back-to-back meetings, GPS to a new client site, and a late detour to fetch boerie for the braai, all without begging for a wall socket.

For tougher days—security patrols, farm runs, conservation work, or a weekend mission to the Drakensberg—10,000–12,000 mAh is a sweet spot. You can log GPS tracks, send photos from muddy roads, and keep tunes playing when the power trips. Push to 15,000–20,000 mAh and you’re in expedition territory. That’s multi-day fieldwork, long filming sessions, or operating in patchy coverage where your phone constantly hunts for towers. At the extreme, 33,000 mAh turns a rugged handset into a phone-plus-power bank. It’s heavier, yes, but it can share power with reverse charging when nobody else has juice.

Charging speed matters because our days run in bursts: ten minutes at the petrol station shop, a coffee stop on the N2, or a plug at the office hot desk. Look at watts (W). Higher watts refill faster—45 W is noticeably quicker than 18 W—as long as your phone, charger, and cable all support it. If your life is “go, stop, go,” pair a bigger battery with strong fast charge so short top-ups add real hours.

You’ll also see two battery build types. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) typically comes as rigid cells used in laptops and tools. Lithium-polymer (Li-po) uses thin pouches that fit slim or rugged phone shells better. In daily use, the difference you feel is small. Capacity, charging design, and heat management matter more than the label. A quality Li-po in a well-designed phone will last years if you treat it decently.

Speaking of treatment, heat is the real enemy. Don’t bake your phone on the bakkie dashboard at noon. Try to live between 20–90% charge for day-to-day use; deep 0–100% cycles are fine sometimes, just not every day. Use decent chargers and cables. Keep software updated—power tuning improves over time. Going off-grid to the Karoo or Kruger? Download maps and playlists in advance. Offline content means less radio hunting and more battery left when you need it.

When is bigger NOT better?

If you mostly use chats, a few snaps, and charge nightly, 6,000–8,000 mAh is generous already. Jumping to 20,000 mAh adds weight, thickness, and price you may never use. Larger batteries also take longer to refill unless fast charging is strong. Be honest about your day: do you truly run flat, or do you just fear it because Eskom has trust issues?

Here’s a simple chooser for local life:

• If you commute, stream, and message on decent signal, 5,150–6,000 mAh is enough.
  
• If you juggle maps, camera, voice notes, and often sit in weak reception, 8,000–12,000 mAh plus 30–45 W fast charge is a balanced pick.
  
• If you work outdoors, patrol at night, or spend weekends where “plug point” is a rumour, go 15,000 mAh or more, add reverse charging, and stop negotiating with wall sockets.
  
• If you never want to think about it, 20,000–33,000 mAh exists—accept the heft and enjoy the freedom.

One last clarity check for the dinner table: mAh is time, not speed.

Your phone’s performance comes from its processor (RAM) and memory (ROM). The battery size decides how long that performance lasts through heat, traffic, patchy towers, and load-shedding. Choose the tank that matches your route, then make sure your device supports fast, safe charging to keep you moving between stops.

Want to know more about phone specs? Read our follow-on article: “Who is RAM and where is ROM?”