Anti-clickbait title: the US federal regulation limiting cell phone battery capacity.
If you want to skip the click through: 20Wh maximum
this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2025
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Thanks for this. Another important bit:
5,000mAh × 3.88V ÷ 1,000 ≈ 19.4Wh
The Watt-hour (Wh) rating may not exceed 20 Wh for a lithium ion cell or 100 Wh for a lithium ion battery.
The difference between cells and batteries is that you have to have multiple lithium cells to make a battery.
Edit: this is around 25000 mAh
I'm guessing a pouch cell counts as 'one cell' vs. a larger battery pack with multiple cylindrical cells.
It also explains why Apple does that weird thing with 4-5 batteries in a macbook...
Does this mean the US doesn't have powerbanks with e.g. 30000 mAh capacity?
What's the reasoning behind this? Less risk of explosion?
Effectively. Transportation safety with exemptions made for batteries under 20Wh.
Ah ok. Makes sense, I suppose. But what about the Chinese brand phones with the larger batteries? Are they, then, illegal to fly with in the USA?
The page describes the regulations for manufacturers and dostributors. If you import it yourself or buy it elsewhere then it isn't illegal.
Ah, thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, sorry, I did try to read it all, but it was very, very long, and English isn't my mother tongue.
No worries, it is a pretty daunting document even as a native English speaker.
If you read the article or regulation, you'll note that there are some ways to get around this by dividing the battery into cells.
Also, that is a fucking hilarious "phone."