AAA Battery vs AAAA Battery

AAA and AAAA batteries are rather similar cylindrical batteries, commonly used for powering toys, tools, gadgets, flashlights, remote controls, photo equipment, security devices, etc.

Although AAA and AAAA batteries feature similar physical dimensions, AAA batteries are somewhat larger and thanks to their size, they feature larger capacity and are capable of providing stronger currents, making AAA batteries more common than AAAA batteries.

Published: December 14, 2021.

AAA and AAAA Batteries Features and Specifications

Both AAA and AAAA batteries are offered in various chemistries, each one having its own pros and cons.

Since AAA and AAAA batteries practically originated as Zinc-Carbon batteries featuring 1.5 volts, 1.5 volts is considered as the nominal voltage of both AAA and AAAA batteries - and many more batteries ...

AAA batteries feature physical dimensions of (D x H) 10.5 x 44.5 mm (~0.413 x 1.752 inches) and are commonly known as "AAA batteries", but other labels are also used, including MN2400, MX2400, Micro, LR03, R03, Triple-A, etc.

The following comparison chart lists some of the most common AAA battery chemistries, with their most important features and specifications:

The most popular non-rechargeable AAA batteries are alkaline AAA batteries, featuring a nominal voltage of 1.5V, and capacity in the 850-1200 mAh range.

When compared with Zinc-Carbon AAA batteries, alkaline AAA batteries feature larger capacity, they are almost leak-proof, have a longer shelf life, and they tend to cost a little bit more than Zinc-Carbon batteries - IMHO, the performances of alkaline AAA batteries more than justify the price difference.

The most popular rechargeable AAA batteries are Nickel Metal-Hydride (NiMH) batteries, featuring a nominal voltage of 1.2V and capacity in the 600-1300 mAh range.

Also, NiMH AAA batteries support up to and even more than 1000 charging/discharging cycles, leading to some serious savings.

However, although lithium-ion AAA rechargeable batteries have a smaller capacity than NiMH AAA batteries, thanks to their higher voltages, they tend to be more energy-dense than NiMH AAA batteries.

Note: NiMH and lithium-ion batteries are not directly compatible chemistries due to the voltage difference.

AAAA batteries feature physical dimensions of (D x H) 8.3 x 42.5 mm (~0.327 x 1.673 inches) and are commonly known as "AAAA batteries", but other labels are also used, including MX2500, Mini, LR8D425, 25A, LR61, etc.

The following comparison chart lists some of the most common AAAA battery chemistries, with their most important features and specifications:

AAAA batteries are not as common as AAA batteries and are not offered in as many chemistries as AAA batteries.

The most popular non-rechargeable AAAA batteries are alkaline AAAA batteries, featuring a nominal voltage of 1.5V and a nominal capacity of 500-600 mAh.

The most popular rechargeable AAAA batteries are NiMH AAAA batteries, featuring a nominal voltage of 1.2V and a nominal capacity of 325-500 mAh.

As one can see, due to the differences in size between AAA and AAAA batteries, AAA batteries have approximately double the capacity of AAAA batteries.

Long Story Short: Although AAA and AAAA batteries have a similar shape and even size, due to the difference in size, AAA batteries feature a larger capacity than the AAAA batteries - almost double. Also, due to the fact that AAA batteries are more common than AAAA batteries, AAA batteries are available in more chemistries than AAAA batteries.

When looking for new AAA and AAAA batteries, always go for the batteries from reputable brands, that have good reviews from other users.

Note: although modern batteries have a minimum amount of toxic elements and compounds (if any), when they are dead, they must be recycled properly.