Your laptop offers more power than a smartphone. It’s also highly portable than a desktop. That means it needs an equally strong battery to get everything done.
But with time, the batteries wear out and become ineffective. At this point, replacement is inevitable.
Buying the right battery for your laptop can be challenging. That’s why you have to consider these laptop battery guides to make the right purchase.
Check whether it’s compatible with your device or not. Consider its manufacturing materials, useful life, and power ratings.
Additionally, you need to determine whether you want a generic or brand name replacement. Also, do you want a new or a revamped battery? Does it have warranty terms or not?
- Compatibility
You don’t want to buy a new laptop battery only to realize it’s not compatible with your laptop. Almost all batteries are designed for specific computer models. Get this information on the product descriptions.
But how do you know whether it’ll be compatible with your laptop? By checking the model and make a number of your device. If you don’t have the number, don’t worry.
Unplug the laptop from power and check the number on the battery compartment. The number will be useful in selecting the right battery for your laptop.
- Materials
Laptop batteries are made from different materials. The most common are:
- Lithium Ion (LiON)
- Nickel Cadmium (NiCad)
- Lithium-Ion Polymers (Li-Poly)
- Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH).
NiCad batteries are highly out-of-date. They’re weighty and may not last for long. The NiMH batteries have a higher lifespan than NiCad but less than Li-Poly and LiON. Weighs more and suffers from the memory effect. With this, they aren’t able to recharge fully.
LiON and Li-Poly are the best batteries for your laptops. That’s if they’re compatible. These batteries are eco-friendly and charge quickly.
- Capacity
Don’t forget to check the capacity or power rating. That’s the extent of power that your battery can produce, expressed in mAh.
Batteries with high capacity take long to drain. As such, you don’t have to recharge it quite often.
- Service Life
Just like other electronic products, laptops too have an estimated useful life. The amount of time they’ll offer maximum results.
The service life is given in terms of cycles. A complete cycle consists of draining the battery out and fully recharging it. Most batteries an take 300 to 1500 charging cycles.
- Branded Vs Unbranded
Do you want to buy a generic replacement or a brand name PC battery? In most cases, laptop and generic companies buy batteries components from same manufacturers.
As such, it may not make a huge difference. But in some cases, laptop manufacturers employ rigorous safety standards that generic manufacturers may never attain. Some also use higher quality components.
Some brand companies will have better warranty terms that generic manufacturers.
Branded laptop batteries will cost more than generic batteries. So if you compare the two and don’t note any difference, go for the generic one.
