Queen Battery QB26650-2300 LiFePO4 cell's test + comparison with A123 Systems ANR26650M1B

QB26650-2300 is the second LiFePO4 model from Queen Battery. The 2500mAh cell i tested recently. In this test i'll compare the two QB models and A123 Systems ANR26650M1B Grade A and Grade B cells.

The battery was bought from Queen Battery which is my reliable supplier of genuine cells and tested with ZKETECH EBC-A20 and a self-made battery holder. It's a PC-connected battery tester supporting 4-wire measuring and discharging at up to 20A.

I've used version 3.0 of my battery holder based on 0.5mm thick pure copper terminals

I've followed all the prescriptions of the IEC61960-2003 standard concerning battery's capacity measurement. Before each discharging cycle the battery was charged at standard charge current mentioned in its datasheet to charge end voltage. Before each discharging or charging i've held a 1-1.5hr pause. The environment temperature was 25±2°C. To be sure in results i've done each test minimum twice (usually 3-7 times).

Queen Battery QB26650 2300mAh

This cells looks like the 2500mAh, the only difference is the capacity mentioned on the heat shrink tube which tells us only the model, capacity and nominal voltage.

Queen Battery QB26650 2300mAh has the following specifications according to its datasheet (pdf):

Typical capacity: 2300mAh (1C discharge)

Minimum capacity: 2300mAh (1C discharge)

Nominal voltage: 3.2V

Charge end voltage: 3.65V

Standard charge current: 2.3A (1C)

Charge cut-off current: 46mA (0.02C) (100mA used)

Cell's surface temperature during charging: 0-45°C

Discharge cut-off voltage: 2.0V

Cell's surface temperature during discharging: –20-60°C

Max continuous discharge current: 46A (20C)

Max short pulse discharge: 92A (40C)

AC impedance at 1KHz: ≤10mΩ at 50% SOC

Weight: 86g

Cycle life: аfter 1000 cycles at 2.3A charge/2.3A discharge (1C/1C) the capacity should be ≥1840mAh (80% of initial capacity).

DC IR at 2300mA in fully charged condition was 6.1±0.4mΩ (measured using EB Tester Software's Resistance test feature).

Measured dimensions: 26.7mm (diameter) × 65.2mm (length).

Measured weight: 85.80g.

Queen Battery QB26650-2300 capacity test results (I've done each test 5 times).

Just look at those numbers!!! This cell is rated at 2300mAh but it's real capacity is more than 2800mAh - 500mAh or 22% more than declared! I've never seen anything like this before... Even at 20A it doesn't go below 2700mAh! The curves look excellent! This guy stays above 3.0V most of the time! It's not just impressive, it's fantastic!

Let's compare it with the 2500mAh QB cell.

Queen Battery QB26650-2300 vs QB26650-2500

The lower rated model is the winner in all tests but let's just calculate the difference.

At 5A discharge:

141mAh in capacity and 470mWh in energy.

At 10A discharge:

162mAh in capacity and 519mWh in energy.

At 20A discharge:

157mAh in capacity and 489mWh in energy.

Queen Battery QB26650-2300 vs QB26650-2500 vs ANR26650M1B Grade A / Grade B

A123 Systems ANR26650M1B is a 2500mAh rated cell well regarded as the best on the market so it's gonna be interesting to compare with it. More than a year ago i tested and compared A123 Systems ANR26650M1B Grade A and Grade B cells using v.2.0 of my battery holder. It's a long time i'm using v.3.0 so it wouldn't be 100% fair to compare tests done using different holders, so i decided to re-test A123 cells in v.3.0 holder at 20A discharge.

In the QB26650-2500 test i was excited that it was so close to ANR26650M1B cells. This time i'll just tell that QB26650-2300 is waaaay ahead of them all...

Now look at the comparative table:

I bet the real continuous and pulse discharge rates of QB26650-2300 are higher than declared but i've put in the values provided by Queen Battery.

Verdict

Queen Battery QB26650 2300mAh should be marked as a 2800mAh one. It's a fantastic cell! It costs twice less than the 2500mAh model and 3 times less than ANR26650M1B. Queen Battery warns that these cells should not be connected in series of more than 4 cells and the total number of cells in the pack should not exceed 60 but i don't know the reason of such a warning. QB26650-2300's IR is very stable and there won't be problems with extreme disbalancing. Whatever, I'd highly recommend this cell as a very low-price LiFePO4 cell with excellent performance!

Here is the video version of this review:

Check out my YouTube channel for batteries, chargers and other stuff reviews.

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