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A new generation of AA battery What We Think The Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA battery blew all the other AAs out of the water in our recent comparison test. Their branding claims to be the #1 longest lasting AA battery and they are by a long shot. In some tests, it lasted three and a half times longer than other AAs. Check out our roundup of AAs to see how it compares to the competition. Pros You aren't going to find a more long-lasting or powerful AA Higher discharge voltage than alkaline batteries can help your devices perform better Lighter than traditional alkaline batteries, which may benefit your handheld devices Cons They're expensive - really expensive Where To Buy Amazon: Energizer Ultimate Lithium Deep Dive The Energizer Ultimate Lithium is a different type of AA battery. Most AA batteries that you see on the shelf are Alkaline batteries. Alkalines have been around forever and for the most part, they are all pretty similar. This Energizer, however, is a totally different chemistry: it delivers more power for longer, and all at a higher voltage. Check it out: Notice how the Energizer stays above 1.3V for a majority of its discharge, while the Duracell CopperTop (a typical alkaline battery) falls below 1.3V less than a quarter of the way in. In addition to the massive capacity difference, the higher voltage can help your devices run better too. Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the Energizer Ultimate Lithium. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

An excellent value AA battery What We Think The Rayovac is a great alkaline battery that really punched above its weight. It lasts as long as many batteries costing three times the price, while outlasting all of the batteries in its price range by 10-30%. With a competitive price, excellent capabilities, and USA manufacturing, it is hard to go wrong with this battery. Check out our roundup of AAs to see how it compares to the competition. Pros Great value Made in the USA Performs as well as many expensive AAs Cons Can't compete with Lithium AAs, but it is a fraction of the price. Where To Buy Amazon: Rayovac High Energy AA Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the Rayovac High Energy AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

A good battery from a (relatively) new player What We Think Anker has been making a name for themselves in portable power banks for years, but this appears to be their first entry into traditional AA batteries. Luckily they have done well, with a battery that scores really well for its price and performs well. In addition, they have a very unique packaging design that might make it easier to store batteries for a long time. Check out our roundup of AAs to see how it compares to the competition. Pros Good value A well known brand Cool box Cons Can't compete on performance with Lithium AAs, but it is a fraction of the price. Where To Buy Amazon: Anker AA Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the Anker AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

A good value name brand battery What We Think The Energizer Max AA is a solid, name-brand AA battery. While its mid range performance is nothing to scoff at, it doesn't quite live up to its "50% longer lasting (than basic alkaline in demanding devices)" claim. Although it does beat the AmazonBasics High Performance AA by about 40% in the Medium Power capacity test (6.8 vs 4.8 hours), so maybe it depends on what the definition of "basic alkaline" is. Check out our roundup of AAs to see how it compares to the competition. Pros Great value Name-brand Easy to find at a variety of retailers Cons Can't compete with Lithium AAs, but it is a fraction of the price. Where To Buy Amazon: Energizer Max AA Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the Energizer Max AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries her0e: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

A good value name-brand battery What We Think The Duracell CopperTop AA is a solid, name-brand AA battery. Unfortunately we can't validate their 10 year storage life claim, but we have no reason to doubt it. With wide availability at supermarkets and online retailers, this is a good set of batteries to have on hand. Check out our roundup of AAs to see how it compares to the competition. Pros Good value Name-brand Easy to find at a variety of retailers Cons Can't compete on performance with Lithium AAs, but it is a fraction of the price. Can't compete on price with Energizer or Rayovac AAs Where To Buy Amazon: Duracell CopperTop AA Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the Duracell CopperTop AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

Too much money, no real advantage What We Think "EXTRA LIFE. EXTRA POWER." proclaims Duracell's marketing, "Delivers extra life or extra power vs CopperTopAA in a wide range of devices". With claims like that we were ready to test a AA with power levels we had never seen before. The good news: they are technically right - It is the longest lasting Alkaline AA we have ever tested. The bad news: it is 3 times the price of the Rayovac Max Energy while only lasting 4% longer. The other bad news: if you are after longest life possible the Energizer Ultimate Lithium will offer you nearly twice the battery life. That said, they do look really cool and the package offers a resealable top like a tray of oreos. Pros Better than average alkaline AA battery life (by a hair) Name-brand They look cool Resealable case may help you lose less of them in the back of the junk drawer Cons Barely better than a standard alkaline, yet significantly more expensive. Where To Buy Amazon: Duracell Optimum AA Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the Duracell Optimum AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

Too much money, too little life What We Think While there is nothing wrong with the Duracell Quantum AA, for the price (and Duracell's marketing) you would expect them to have a lot more battery life than a standard alkaline. Unfortunately they just don't. In fact, they actually perform worse than a standard Duracell Coppertop. Let's look at some numbers: Yikes - they cost 50% more than a standard Duracell CopperTop while getting 4% less battery life. If you compare them to the Rayovac High Energy AA things look even worse: 4 times the price for 3% less battery life. The powercheck feature does work so if you need that then these are a good buy, but otherwise we would avoid them. Check out our roundup of AAs to see how it compares to the competition. Pros Name-brand Powercheck can be handy Cons Worse performance than batteries that cost 1/4 as much Only comes in small packs, no bulk options Where To Buy Amazon: Duracell Quantum AA Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the Duracell Quantum AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

An underperforming and needlessly confusing battery What We Think Why is this battery backwards? If you've ever used a battery before, then you probably know (subconsciously) that the side with the mark on it is the + side. Allmax decided to throw all of that out the window and do the opposite with this one. Don't believe us? Look at these Allmax AAs vs some of the competition: In addition to the strange design decisions the battery also didn't last very long, finishing just 2 spots ahead of last place in a test of 10 batteries. If you are interested in putting your batteries in backwards and wondering why your devices aren't working then these are the batteries for you. Otherwise, skip them. Pros Cheap Cons WHY IS IT BACKWARDS mediocre battery life in many applications Where To Buy Amazon: Allmax Maximum Power AA Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the Allmax AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

Not so super at all What We Think Skip these. They're not the cheapest AA you can buy, but they're almost the worst performing. For devices that draw a lot of power, these batteries really fall flat compared to the competition. We take particular issue with their claim that these have higher voltage during discharge than the competitors. ACDelco's claimed battery performance ACDelco's actual battery performance They simply don't have the performance that their advertising claims. In fact our tests show that it is nearly the exact opposite, with a Duracell CopperTop providing higher voltages throughout the duration of the discharge at multiple different discharge levels. In addition their chart clearly shows that their cells start discharging at around 1.7V, while in none of our testing did any of their cells show more than 1.6V. Pros Cheap Container is uses minimal packaging and is easy to open and close Cons Poor battery life in many applications They lie about their battery performance Where To Buy Amazon: ACDelco Super Alkaline Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the ACDelco Super Alkaline AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

Surprisingly Bad What We Think While these may be okay for low power devices like wall clocks or smoke alarms, they fall flat on their face in higher powered devices such as video game controllers, remote controlled toys, flashlights, and more. Unfortunately these have the worst high power (1000mA) battery life of any AA we have ever tested. Expect a Duracell CopperTop or a Rayovac High Energy AA to last 50 - 60% longer than these in many devices. In conclusion: Skip these. They won't last. For the price there are many better options. Pros Cheap Container is easy to open Cons Extremely poor battery life in many devices Competitors are 50% better Where To Buy Amazon: AmazonBasics High Performance AA Technical Specs The following are the technical specifications of the AmazonBasics High Performance AA. Summary Capacity You can see how it stacks up against other AA batteries here: Complete Data Set The complete data set for this battery can be downloaded below.

This post outlines our testing procedure for all AA batteries that we test at The Battery Lab. How We Test We test all AA batteries on professional battery testing equipment. Each AA is tested at least twice at three different power levels to simulate the wide range of devices that AAs might find themselves in. We then average the results at each power level to come up with a realistic measurement. Low Power Test Some devices require really low power for long periods of time. These devices may run for days, weeks, months, or even years on a single set of batteries. This test applies a really low power load (50 mA) to the AA batteries in order to simulate low power devices such as: Radios Clocks Thermostats Smart Home Devices Smoke Detectors Alarms Remote Controls Tape Players Game Controllers (Xbox controllers) Mouse and Keyboards Flameless candles It is important to note that while this is the lowest power test we run on these batteries, some of the devices listed above will draw significantly less power in operation. For instance, a flameless candle may only draw 25ma which would allow it to last about 100 hours or so, while a smoke detector may draw less than 1ma, allowing it to last for months or even years. Regardless of the actual power draw of the device, the relative performance of these batteries should remain the same. Medium Power Test A lot of our everyday devices demand more power from a AA battery than a flameless candle or smoke detector. These devices are probably ones that don't run all the time, but rather are turned on, used, and put away. Think things like: Handheld Games Professional Audio Wireless Transmitters and Receivers (Microphones, body packs, etc) Remote Control Toys (Cars, etc.) Portable Audio Recorders Walkie Talkies To simulate these devices, the tester is set to draw a continuous medium power (250 mA) load from the AA batteries. High Power Test Finally, we test the batteries under a really high power load (1000 mA). This is a great way to simulate devices like: Cameras Camera Flashes Flashlights Electric Shavers Electric Adult Toys GPS units Breast Pumps Average Overall Capacity When we need to rank the batteries by a single capacity number we average the capacity of all three power tests. This gives a good indication of the battery's all-around performance.