Question about the Kindle Keyboard's battery

Andy_D · 03-19-2017, 01:57 AM

Someone is advertising for sale a Kindle Keyboard. He says, "Roughly, I'd say with 30 minutes of reading a day I'll charge it once a month." Assuming he lets the battery drain to near zero, that's 15 hours of reading time, or probably more since he likely charges it with the battery still having some juice.

I'd like to have a Kindle with audio, but I am dubious about his claim and thus his honesty. Is it at all credible that a device from so many years ago would still have a battery in that condition? (He doesn't say anything about his usage over the years (such as "hardly used") other than the battery claim.

Dr. Drib · 03-19-2017, 06:57 AM

I'd say he's probably full of BS.

That may have been the case years ago when the reader first came out. In fact, he's probably quoting the promotional material handed out when the reader first became available.

dordale · 03-20-2017, 01:32 PM

I agree with Dr. Drib--it does sound like he's probably quoting the promotional material. The seller may have had the battery replaced with a newer battery recently, but if that were the case, I would think he'd disclose that.

flybor · 03-20-2017, 07:42 PM

The batteries on Kindle Keyboards are really great. I got a couple of these from eBay recently specifically because of the battery life (they have twice as large battery as later Kindles). Both were in barely used condition, for less than $20. The battery is excellent on both of them. Although I have not measured it, I would estimate it to be at least 10 hours. Probably even more. I read for 30 min on each of them daily, sometimes more, and charge them very rarely, don't even remember when the last time was - definitely more than 2 weeks ago.

I also bought a new sealed Kindle 5 non-touch and its battery is noticeably worse. It discharges more than KK3 when it is just in sleep mode and takes much longer to get back to full charge.

So, for KK3, I came to a conclusion that even though the battery itself is 6-7 years old, if the device has not been used much, it still works great. They key is to evaluate prior usage and stay away if it is unknown or can't be trusted.

Back in October, I bought a KK3 on eBay which was described as "New, open box". However, it had some minor wear on it and also the box was not its original box (different serial number). I returned it as incorrectly described at seller's expense per eBay policy. The seller was clearly lying, alternating between "I don't know anything about this unit, this is how I got it" to "This unit is in excellent condition, the best I have, - why are you unhappy". Since then, I was able to get two new KK3s for my family, one was sealed ($43, with 3G) and another new open box but truly unused ($26; Amazon still gives you full 1-year warranty when you register it for the 1st time). Everybody is happy with their device.

janrey · 03-23-2017, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_D

Someone is advertising for sale a Kindle Keyboard. He says, "Roughly, I'd say with 30 minutes of reading a day I'll charge it once a month." Assuming he lets the battery drain to near zero, that's 15 hours of reading time, or probably more since he likely charges it with the battery still having some juice.

I'd like to have a Kindle with audio, but I am dubious about his claim and thus his honesty. Is it at all credible that a device from so many years ago would still have a battery in that condition? (He doesn't say anything about his usage over the years (such as "hardly used") other than the battery claim.

No, he is not full of it. I read probably one hour to two hours a day and rarely had to charge it for at least 3 weeks if in airplane mode. The only time I had to charge it more frequently is when I increased my reading time like when traveling. I was disappointed that the Voyage didn't have such long a life but must be the light.

Tarana · 03-24-2017, 11:28 PM

If used with a little regularity, the battery goes on for a very long time. Mine currently allows me to read about 8 hours before I have to recharge down from 10 hours. Unfortunately, the switch is starting to fail, so it probably won't last out much longer.

My brother gave me his kindle keyboard and that battery didn't last long at all because he left it drain and it stayed that way for 2 years.

03-19-2017, 01:57 AM	#1
Andy_D Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 435082 Join Date: Apr 2015 Device: none	Question about the Kindle Keyboard's battery Someone is advertising for sale a Kindle Keyboard. He says, "Roughly, I'd say with 30 minutes of reading a day I'll charge it once a month." Assuming he lets the battery drain to near zero, that's 15 hours of reading time, or probably more since he likely charges it with the battery still having some juice. I'd like to have a Kindle with audio, but I am dubious about his claim and thus his honesty. Is it at all credible that a device from so many years ago would still have a battery in that condition? (He doesn't say anything about his usage over the years (such as "hardly used") other than the battery claim.

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03-19-2017, 06:57 AM	#2
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 44,734 Karma: 55645321 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One	I'd say he's probably full of BS. That may have been the case years ago when the reader first came out. In fact, he's probably quoting the promotional material handed out when the reader first became available.

03-20-2017, 01:32 PM	#3
dordale Wizard Posts: 1,731 Karma: 3472866 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Sony PRS-650 & 350; Kindle Voyage; Kobo Aura HD, Aura One, and Forma	I agree with Dr. Drib--it does sound like he's probably quoting the promotional material. The seller may have had the battery replaced with a newer battery recently, but if that were the case, I would think he'd disclose that.

03-20-2017, 07:42 PM	#4
flybor Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2015 Device: None	The batteries on Kindle Keyboards are really great. I got a couple of these from eBay recently specifically because of the battery life (they have twice as large battery as later Kindles). Both were in barely used condition, for less than $20. The battery is excellent on both of them. Although I have not measured it, I would estimate it to be at least 10 hours. Probably even more. I read for 30 min on each of them daily, sometimes more, and charge them very rarely, don't even remember when the last time was - definitely more than 2 weeks ago. I also bought a new sealed Kindle 5 non-touch and its battery is noticeably worse. It discharges more than KK3 when it is just in sleep mode and takes much longer to get back to full charge. So, for KK3, I came to a conclusion that even though the battery itself is 6-7 years old, if the device has not been used much, it still works great. They key is to evaluate prior usage and stay away if it is unknown or can't be trusted. Back in October, I bought a KK3 on eBay which was described as "New, open box". However, it had some minor wear on it and also the box was not its original box (different serial number). I returned it as incorrectly described at seller's expense per eBay policy. The seller was clearly lying, alternating between "I don't know anything about this unit, this is how I got it" to "This unit is in excellent condition, the best I have, - why are you unhappy". Since then, I was able to get two new KK3s for my family, one was sealed ($43, with 3G) and another new open box but truly unused ($26; Amazon still gives you full 1-year warranty when you register it for the 1st time). Everybody is happy with their device.

03-24-2017, 11:28 PM	#6
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,977 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	If used with a little regularity, the battery goes on for a very long time. Mine currently allows me to read about 8 hours before I have to recharge down from 10 hours. Unfortunately, the switch is starting to fail, so it probably won't last out much longer. My brother gave me his kindle keyboard and that battery didn't last long at all because he left it drain and it stayed that way for 2 years.

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