I would have been in a great deal of virtual pain this week were it not for my combination of a T-Mobile prepaid SIM card and a 4000mAh Mugen Power battery solution for the Galaxy Nexus. See, I attended Google I/O in San Francisco and learned the hard way how important it is to have a smartphone in an unfamiliar city.
Though the battery juts out from the back of a phone like a mole, Mugen ships it with a custom backing that fits snugly on the back. The cover even has a kickstand, though it’s made of a flimsy plastic that won’t hold up over time. The phone is not too thick with the back cover, either; I was perfectly able to slip it in my pocket or bag and use it like normal. Sure, you lose that aerodynamic feeling of the original, and let’s not kid ourselves that the phone looks as good as it does with the original, but it’s a worthwhile tradeoff in my opinion.
The 4000mAh cell is more than double that of the original 1750mAh battery, and I consistently achieved more than double the eight or so hours of battery life I did with the stock. It didn’t help that the Galaxy Nexus on the best of days is not the most robust battery performer, but being able to use the device for over two days without charging was a huge bonus.
Because of the kickstand, which is not built into the original cover, you can watch movies or other media at a nice angle when stationary. As I said, it’s not the most robust piece of plastic but it works well — it doesn’t get in the way, and that’s all that matters.
The Mugen Power 4000mAh battery for the Galaxy Nexus is available for $98.95. Check after the break for more photos.
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