LG Nexus 4 BL-T5 Replacement Battery 3.8V 2100mAh

LG Nexus 4 / E960 — 3.8V Li-Polymer Replacement Battery (BL-T5)

This is a 3.8V, 2100mAh Li-Polymer replacement cell for the LG Nexus 4 (E960). It replaces OEM part BL-T5 (EAC61898601) and fits all Nexus 4 variants including the 16GB model (Mako). Install it when the original cell no longer holds a charge or causes unexpected shutdowns.

• Nexus 4 / E960 platform fit: All Nexus 4 variants share the same 3.8V single-cell Li-Polymer architecture, the same BL-T5 footprint (69.72 × 45.10 × 4.40mm), and the same charge IC handshake. One cell covers the full lineup.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this cell through charge and discharge on the E960 mainboard. The BMS accepted the full 2100mAh charge without triggering an over-voltage cutoff, and the fuel gauge IC tracked the discharge curve without erratic jumps after the first full cycle.
• Fuel gauge recalibration on first use: Disable fast charging for the first complete discharge-charge cycle after installation. This lets the Nexus 4's fuel gauge IC map the new cell's discharge curve accurately before high-current charging pushes current into an uncalibrated state.

Sudden shutdown at 20–30% on the replacement cell

A fresh BL-T5 cell has a slightly different discharge curve than the worn original. The Nexus 4's fuel gauge IC uses a stored curve from the old cell and misjudges how much capacity remains. When the modem fires during a call or LTE data burst, current draw spikes and the cell voltage drops below the BMS cutoff threshold — even though the gauge still shows 20–30%. One full discharge-to-shutdown and a complete recharge resets the coulomb counter and fixes the mismatch. After that cycle, voltage readings under load stabilise above 3.5V at low reported percentages.

Phone won't power on after the battery sat in storage

Li-Polymer cells self-discharge in storage. If the replacement cell dropped below 2.5V, the BMS enters lockout mode to prevent cell damage — and the phone shows nothing when you press power. Connect to a known-good 5V USB charger and leave it for 20–30 minutes without pressing any buttons. The charge IC trickle-charges the cell back above the BMS re-enable threshold, which sits around 2.9V. Once the Nexus 4 shows the charging indicator on screen, proceed with a normal full charge cycle.