LG INR18650MH1 batteries with a capacity of 3100 mAh and a current of up to 10 A

Originally, I wanted to title this review “Inexpensive LG INR18650MH1 Batteries,” but then I checked the current price and was a little disappointed. Why, along with everything else, you’ll find out in the review.
There’ll also be a little “food for thought” at the end.


The thing is, I bought these batteries for €1.05 each. A friend messaged me saying they were on sale and asked me to order some for him.
I agree, that’s an amazing price. But I later found out by chance that it was a pricing error. To the seller’s credit, they shipped the batteries without asking for extra money or dragging things out. Respect.
They’re currently priced at 3.25, but if you buy more than 10, the price drops to 2.05, which is still pretty good, especially since these are decent batteries overall.

Some time after I placed the order, a Meest Express courier delivered a box that wasn’t very large but was quite heavy. Inside was a neatly packed, branded LG box weighing over 4 kg.


The order contained 89 batteries. You’re probably wondering why exactly 89, rather than, say, 90 or even 100. It’s simple: the carrier had a weight limit, and shipping 90 batteries would have cost an absurd amount, so I ordered exactly 89.


These batteries don’t stand out for their high capacity or high current output, but they look pretty good in terms of price versus the other specs.


I gave the box of batteries to my friend, but out of habit I appropriated a couple for testing :)


The batteries were made just before New Year’s, on day 362 of the year. I can just picture someone watching the production line, already thinking about Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat, and champagne, while the factory keeps running and the production targets still have to be met....


Dimensions and weight are nothing out of the ordinary.


The “break-in” run also went fine; the batteries showed almost identical capacity.


Since the maximum continuous load current is specified as 10 A, I used a ZKE EBC-A10H electronic load.


Charging takes quite a while. Not as long as it sometimes does with Chinese “Liitokala” batteries, of course, but still a long time. The datasheet specifies a charging current of 0.5C.


The batteries have a very unusual discharge curve, with a sharp voltage drop at the end. That’s a good thing, since the voltage stays high for most of the discharge, which means more energy delivered in Wh.
But another surprise was the capacity measurement: the lowest capacity was at 1C, while in the other test modes it was over 3100 mAh. In other words, this battery is less efficient to use at that current than at either a higher or lower one.
Discharge curves at 0.2C, 0.5C, 1C, 2C, and 10 A.


Temperature rise at load currents of 2C and 10 A; the maximum was 83.5 degrees, which is quite high in my opinion.





Just out of curiosity, I also made a comparison graph for both batteries at load currents of 0.2C, 1C, and 10 A.


The high temperature is partly due to the fairly high internal resistance, around 30 mΩ. Below, as usual, are the three readings: before testing, after the “break-in,” and after testing.


Now for some food for thought. In one of my reviews, I wrote that Chinese sellers sometimes take cheaper batteries, rewrap them in different heat-shrink tubing, and pass them off as more expensive models.
Here’s a photo. As they say, spot the five differences.


And here are the same batteries, shown from two angles and in color.


Conclusion: these are ordinary branded batteries. Their specs aren't impressive, but they're perfectly suitable for power banks and other devices with relatively low power consumption. The key factor here is the price.

That's all from me. Thanks for reading.