A quick search on Shopee / Lazada / <insert your online marketplace of choice> shows many results of sellers selling Panasonic batteries for very cheap, but many of them are fake.
In this blog post I will go through how you can differentiate between the fake and original cells, such as CR2032, CR2016, CR2025, CR2450.
A quick summary of the pointers (TL;DR):
1. Check for presence of date code etched at bottom (make sure it’s not laser etched)
2. Check texture of text on the face of the battery
3. Look for Inner circle ring (not very obvious)
4. If considering other brands, make sure not Sony. Sony cells with recent dates are all fake, Sony sold its division to Murata.
Checking the battery packaging alone may not be a good indicator as packaging can change, and there are actually original cells that come in trays (bulk pack).
There’s also instances where the packaging is not original by Panasonic but the cell inside is. The cells are bought in bulk pack and then repackaged, this way the cost is lowered without compromising the quality of the battery.
For the CR2032, CR2016 and CR2025 series there is actually a difference in the design. The word industrial is printed on the battery face.
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| Example of cells from bulk pack / tray. Picture Source: https://www.lazada.sg/products/panasonic-cr2032-lithium-cell-button-industrial-battery-5-pieces-i303668764.html |
The word is however not present for the CR2450 series. Not sure why there's the difference, or if there is any difference in quality vs the retail blister pack. But one thing's for sure, they are still better than fake cells.
Date Code
Basically every Panasonic button cell would have a date code stamped on its bottom side (negative terminal).
The date code for button cells are usually 2 digits.
The first digit represents the year. For example, if the first digit is 4, the year it represents is 2024. Technically since it is 1 digit, it could be 2014, but the face pattern has changed around 2020. It is my guess that the design changes every 10 years or so to differentiate between the decades.
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| Old Design. Picture source: https://www.amazon.in/100-Panasonic-2032-coin-battery/dp/B06XP2D3TP |
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| New Design. Picture Source: https://industry.panasonic.eu/energy-and-building/batteries/primary-batteries/lithium-batteries/coin-type-lithium-batteries-cr-series/cr-2032-cr-2032 |
Most fakes do not have date code stamped onto the bottom. If your battery does not have a date code at the bottom, it is a fake. I have come across a Sony fake with some date code at the bottom, but it seems to be etched instead of stamped. The etched numbers seem like on the surface whereas the stamped on ones have indentations in the battery casing. Another way to differentiate is by viewing from different angles. The fake date etching is not visible when tilting at certain angles.
In the above example the code '33' disappears on the fake battery when viewed at a slanted angle but '27' on the original one remains visible.
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| Fake on the left, Original on the right |
In the above example the code '33' disappears on the fake battery when viewed at a slanted angle but '27' on the original one remains visible.
Texture of Battery Face
For those experienced with looking at the face of the battery, one can easily tell if the battery is fake just by looking at it, especially for those like the CR2450 with a bigger diameter.
The real battery has a slightly textured surface as compared to the smooth of the fake. The image on the cell seems to be also stamped on, if you see closely the areas where there are words or images are slightly recessed, seemingly like a dent in the battery surface. However this 'dent' kind of look may not be very visible especially on the smaller cells like the CR2032, CR2016, CR2025 unless you use a microscope.
The fake battery is probably laser etched on. The print is seemingly darker in colour, and there is a distinct look to it. Hopefully the pictures below would allow you to appreciate the difference.
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| Only bottom right Panasonic is real, other 2 are fake. |
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| Shiny surface with dark laser etching on fake Sony |
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| Review picture from other seller listing (fake panasonic) |
Circle Ring shape in the Battery
Original Panasonic cells also have a 'inner ring' look to it.
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| Circle is circled in black, harder to see for CR2450 |
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| Top right cell is circled in black, inner circle can be easily seen on CR2032 |
This is more prominent especially on smaller cells like the CR2032, CR2016, CR2025. On the CR1616, CR1620 series they seem to not be present. The CR2450 has it too, but not as obvious as the CR20XX series.
Sony Batteries: AVOID!!
Sony coin batteries are another popular brand, but any Sony-branded cells on the market today are likely fake or old stock. Sony sold its battery division to Murata, so most recent Sony-branded batteries are counterfeits. These fakes share similar characteristics with counterfeit Panasonic cells, including a smooth texture and laser-etched text.
Need to purchase CR2450 / CR2430 cells?
If you're in Singapore, need some CR2430 or CR2450 cells and find this blog useful, you can show your support by purchasing your CR2450 or CR2430 cells from us:
Currently, we do not sell original Panasonic CR2430, as they are way more expensive than the fakes from competitors. They cost almost twice as much as the CR2450. We are looking into bringing in Muratas for CR2430 as an alternative. Our competitors are selling fake Sony and Panasonic cells at similar prices that we sell our original ones at. If you're looking for something cheaper, we sell generic ones too!
