Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have previously tested the AmazonBasics AA Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries (in white wrappers), and concluded that they are just rebranded Sanyo eneloop AA Batteries. When I first heard about the new AmazonBasics High-Capacity Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, my immediate suspicion is that those are rebranded Sanyo eneloop XX batteries. That's why I purchased this product for testing, just to satisfy my own curiosity. I measured a set of those AmazonBasics 'high-capacity' AA batteries, using my La Crosse BC1000 Battery Charger/Analyzer. Here are my findings: - Right out of the box, the average remaining charge was 1204mAh, or 48% of the rated 2500mAh capacity. Date code on them says '2014-02', but just like other eneloop batteries, they were not fully charged when then left factory. - After just one recharge/discharge cycle, the average capacity jumped to 2547mAh. - After another two more recharge/discharge cycles, the average capacity settled at 2555mAh. The spread is very tight between 2510 and 2610mAh, which indicates good quality control. The above behavior is nearly identical to that of the Sanyo XX cell, which I have previously tested in 2011. Mechanically, the AmazonBasics high-capacity cells appear identical to the Sanyo XX. Refer to the photo I uploaded to the 'Customer Images' section, and you will see that they have exactly the same shape for positive terminals, same texture on their wrappers, even down to the same 'vent hole' design. I should note that the Duracell 'Ion Core' AA Rechargeable Batteries also have identical electrical and mechanical characteristic as the Sanyo XX and AmazonBasics High-Capacity batteries. The Duracell batteries are marketed as just 2400mAh, even though they were tested to be over 2500mAh in capacity. I believe this is done for price differentiation purpose. Bottom Line: As of this writing, you can get an 8-pack of Amazon High-Capacity AA batteries for less cost than a 4-pack of eneloop XX batteries. So obviously the AmazonBasics version is a great bargain. My advice is to grab them - before Amazon gets greedy and jacks up the price. One important note: The AmazonBasic High-Capacity AA (or Sanyo XX, or Duracell Ion Core) is fatter than a normal-capacity NiMH AA cell, which itself is fatter than a typical alkaline AA cell. So it may not fit if your appliance has extremely tight battery compartment. [Update on Dec 10, 2014] Long-term self-discharge data: Tested one pair of AmazonBasics AA high-capacity batteries after 5 months in storage. The average remaining charge is 2175mAh, or 85% of the original capacity. This is even better than my previous 5-month test result for Sanyo XX batteries which showed 2040mAh, or 78% of original capacity.