How to check the battery capacity on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5: from engineering menu to hardware tests

The battery is one of the most vulnerable components of the smartphone, and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (codenamed whyred) is no exception. After 2-3 years of active use, the real battery capacity can decrease by 30-40%, leading to sudden shutdowns, rapid discharge and overheating. But how exactly do you know how worn out your device's battery is? Official MIUI settings show only the percentage of charge, not the actual capacity in milliamp hours (mAh).

In this article, we'll look at 5 proven methods, from hidden engineering menus to professional hardware tests, how to interpret data, compare it to factory standards, and what to do if capacity drops critically. Importantly, some methods require root rights or special equipment, but the methods are available to every owner of the Redmi Note 5 majority without disassembling the phone.

Before you start checking, consider that the actual capacity and wear of the battery are different concepts. The first shows how much energy the battery can store now (for example, 3200 mAh instead of the original 4000 mAh), and the second shows the percentage of loss from the factory value (in this case, 20%), We will focus on the first parameter, since it directly affects the life of the device.

Also worth noting is that the Redmi Note 5 came in two versions: with a Snapdragon 636 processor (global version) and a Snapdragon 625 (in India), which does not affect the verification methods, but can affect power consumption. If you do not know your version, check in Settings → About Phone → Kernel version (see sdm636 or sdm625).

1. Check through the engineering menu (#4636##)

The fastest way to get basic information about a battery is to use a hidden engineering menu, which is available on all Xiaomi smartphones without root rights and additional applications.

Open the phone application and enter the combination:

##4636##

Then the Testing menu will automatically open. Go to the Battery Information tab, and you'll see the following options here:

• 🔋 Level of charge: current percentage in digital form (more accurate than in the status bar).
• 🔌 Power source – shows where the charging comes from: battery, usb or ac (network adapter).
• 🌡️ Temperature is a critical parameter. Normal: 25-40°C. If above 45°C in normal use – the battery degrades at an accelerated rate.
• 📊 Voltage: Must be between 3.7 and 4.2 V at 100% charge, below 3.5 V is a sign of deep discharge.

Unfortunately, this menu does not show the actual capacity in mAh. However, you can indirectly estimate the wear on the voltage:

⚠️ Attention: If the voltage is below 4.0 V at 100% charge and below 3.8 V at 50% charge, it is a sign of severe wear and tear.

The engineering menu also allows you to reset battery statistics (calibration).

1. Charge your phone to 100% and disconnect from the network.
2. Return to Battery Information and click Reset Battery Statistics (if option is available).
3. Discharge the phone before it automatically shuts down, then charge again to 100% without interruptions.

💡

After resetting the statistics, do not interrupt the first charging cycle – this may lead to incorrect display of percentage in the future.

2.Use ADB to obtain detailed data

If you want accurate data on the actual battery capacity per mAh, the most reliable way is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that does not require root rights, but requires a computer and minimal technical skills.

First, turn on USB debugging on your phone:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click on the MIUI version 7 times until the notification “You became a developer” appears.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.

Now connect Redmi Note 5 to your computer and execute the following commands in the terminal (or Windows command line):

adb shell


dumpsys battery

In the conclusion, look for the lines:

• charge counter: X is the current charge in microcoulombs (divided by 3600 to get mAh).
• Capacity: Y is the percentage of charge calibrated by the system.
• Voltage: Z is the current voltage.

Example of conclusion:

charge counter: 12500000


capacity: 85




voltage: 3950

Here's the real capacity at current charge: 12500000 / 3600 ≈ 3472 If the phone is charged to 85%, full-capacity: 3472 / 0.85 ≈ 4085 MACh (which is close to factory) 4000 mAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh).

For a more accurate test:

1. Charge the phone to 100%.
2. Run the dumpsys battery command and write the charge counter.
3. Discharge the phone to 0% (until it shuts down).
4. Re-execute the command and compare the values.

⚠️ Warning: The difference between the initial and final charge counter will show the actual capacity. If it is less than 3,000 mAh, the battery is severely worn out.

3. Monitoring applications (AccuBattery, CPU-Z)

If ADB seems complicated, you can use specialized applications, the most popular ones are AccuBattery and CPU-Z. They don't show absolutely accurate capacity (without root rights, this is impossible), but they give a good estimate of wear and tear.

AccuBattery (Free on Google Play):

• 📉 Tracks real capacity by charging/discharge cycles.
• 🔄 Shows battery wear in percentage (compared to factory value).
• ⚡ Monitoring charging speed and temperature.

How to use:

1. Install the application and give all the permissions requested.
2. Charge your phone to 100% and leave it on charge for another 15 minutes (to stabilize).
3. Use your phone as usual until it is 5-10% depleted.
4. In the Health section, see the capacity assessment.

CPU-Z (alternative):

• 📊 Shows voltage, temperature and charge level in real time.
• 🔋 Battery tab contains data on battery technology (Li-ion/LiPo) status.

Limitations of applications:

⚠️ Attention: Without root rights, applications estimate capacity from indirect data (discharge time, voltage), error can be as high as 10-15.

4. Hardware testers (USB-tester, multimeter)

To measure the capacity as accurately as possible, you need external equipment, which is used in service centers and in professional diagnostics.

USB-Tester (e.g. Xiaomi) USB Tester or ZKEtech EBC-A20):

How to run the test:

1. Discharge the phone before automatically shutting down.
2. Connect. USB-tester between charging and phone.
3. Charge your phone to 100% without interruption.
4. The tester screen will display a real capacity (for example, 3120 mAh instead of 4000 mAh).

Multimeter (for experienced users):

Comparison of methods:

💡

USB-Tester is the most accurate method of not disassembling the phone, suitable for testing both new and used batteries before buying.

Comparison with factory standards

To understand how critical battery wear is, you need to compare the data with factory performance. For the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, they are as follows:

• 📉 Permissible wear: up to 20% in 2 years (i.e. capacity not lower than 3200 mAh).

Battery status table:

If your battery falls into the "Bad" or "Critical" categories, consider replacing.The original battery for the Redmi Note 5 has an articulated MBJ407460 (4,000 mAh, Lishen or Sunwoda. Cost: 800-1500 ₽ depending on the seller.

When buying a new battery:

• 🛒 Check for hologram and serial number.
• 🔍 Use it. USB-tester.
• 🔧 Replacement is better to trust the service center - an sloppy installation can damage the plume.

Calibration of the battery after inspection

If the tests show that the actual capacity is lower than expected, but the wear is not critical (20-30%), try calibration. This will not restore the capacity, but will help the system correctly display the percentage of charge.

Step-by-step:

1. Discharge the phone before automatically shutting down.
2. Connect to charging and do not turn on 30 minutes.
3. Turn on your phone and wait for 100% charge (don’t interrupt!).
4. Turn off the charger, turn off the phone and reconnect for 1 hour.
5. Repeat the cycle 2-3 times.

You can use the Battery Calibration app to automate it, which resets the batterystats.bin file, which stores the charging history.

⚠️ Note: Calibration will not help if the battery is physically worn out (blown or has a capacity below 2500 mAh.

After calibration, recheck the capacity with one of the methods described, and if there is no improvement and the phone turns off at 20 to 30 percent charge, this is a sure sign of critical wear.

Frequent Questions (FAQ)