GP Ultra AA Review
Powerful and long-lasting AA batteries at a great price
Verdict
Excellent value and available in a wide-range of pack sizes, the GP Ultra AA batteries proved to be high capacity in my tests, and are suitable for high- and low-drain applications. There are some batteries that had higher capacities from my initial drain tests, but the overall flexibility and price of the GP Ultra AA makes them the current best choice.
Pros
- Low price
- High capacity
- Available in wide range of pack sizes
Cons
- Higher drain batteries available
Availability
- UKRRP: £8.99
Key Features
- Battery typeAA alkaline batteries (non-rechargeable)
Introduction
The GP Ultra AA series of batteries are designed for all types of use, from high power devices to lower-drain items. Available in a wide range of pack sizes, these batteries can often be found online at very competitive prices. According to the company, batteries have a shelf life of up to 10 years.
To test these batteries, I bought a set from Amazon and then ran them through a battery testing device to measure total capacity.
Performance
- High overall capacity
- Good high-drain performance
- High risdual capacity
According to GP, these batteries have a service life of 19.5-hours, based on a 10-Ohm discharge resistance. This makes the batteries designed for use in power-hungry devices.
Starting voltage is quoted at 1.6V, although that’s within 30 days of manufacture. I tested the batteries that I bought at a starting voltage of 1.55V, which is above the 1.5V minimum that you’d expect from alkaline batteries. Voltage continues to drop while the batteries are in use, with GP quoting an end-point voltage of 0.9V.
To give a fair comparison between batteries, I measure their capacity in mAh using the Ansmann Energy XC-3000 battery tester to run a drain test on four batteries plucked randomly from the package that I bought. Draining at 600mA (+/- 20%) I found that the initial drain resulted in an average of 1302.25mAh, ending with the batteries at 0.94V. This is the third-highest initial capacity that I’ve seen in my tests.
After leaving the batteries to rest for a few hours and cool down, I re-ran the test to see if there was any charge left. Here, I got an average of 378.25mAh, giving a total capacity for these batteries of 1680.5mAh – the highest of all alkaline batteries that I tested.
What this shows is that the GP Ultra AA are very good for high-drain applications, such as remote control devices and torches, as the initial test shows. The second drain test to get the total capacity is very high, so these AA batteries can power low-drain devices, such as remote controls for a long time.
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Should you buy it?
If you want good-value batteries that are suitable for all jobs, then these are the AA batteries to buy.
If you just want high-drain performance, then there are AA batteries that will yield a higher initial capacity in my drain tests.
Final Thoughts
A combination of high capacity, plus a low price makes the GP Ultra a winning combination in my tests, and the best set of AA batteries that you can currently buy. They’ll work well in both high- and low-discharge environments giving you flexibility.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every alkaline battery we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
We use an Ansmann Energy XC 3000 to drain batteries, so that we can test capacity in mAh. After the first run, we allow the batteries to cool and then retest to give us a second reading.
We measure the initial voltage of the batteries, checking that the starting voltage is at least 1.5V.
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Full specs
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.