What makes a laptop lithium battery better than other batteries

What makes a laptop lithium battery better than other batteries

Laptops are no more a luxury gadget. It has become very affordable nowadays and has become part and partial of our life. The new-gen laptops use laptop lithium batteries, which are lithium-ion batteries to power the gadget.

The laptop lithium batteries are rechargeable and are more economical in the long run, and they help reduce waste. Let’s explore them in more detail.

Introduction of laptop lithium battery

Presently, Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride, and Lithium-ion batteries are the three popular batteries used to power laptops.

Nickel cadmium

Despite its prevalence for many years, nickel-cadmium batteries have become outdated for some reasons. They weigh a lot and are susceptible to the ‘memory effect’ Memory effect is a condition in which a battery memorizes the decreased cycle resulting in a shorter operating time. Thus, it reduces the life span of the battery.

Nickel metal hydride

A Ni-MH battery is an electrochemical storage device that uses nickel and hydrogen atoms to store energy. Ni-MH stands for Nickel-Metal Hydride, which refers to the material used in the batteries.

Even though the self-discharge rate of Ni-MH is 30%, these batteries can hold 2-3 times more energy density than Ni-Cd batteries and less energy density than lithium-ion batteries. Their energy density can reach up to 140-300Wh/L. Its self-discharge rate is higher than Ni-Cd, and it has only 65% Coulombic efficiency, whereas li-on batteries have 99%.

Lithium ion

Lithium-Ion batteries are the latest breed designed to deliver the power requirements in consumer electronics such as laptops, cell phones, and other portable devices. Like any other laptop battery, a lithium-ion battery is also rechargeable. It uses a lithium compound interpolated as a positive electrode and graphite as the negative electrode. In a lithium-ion battery, the lithium-ion travels between the two internal electrodes.

The product’s beauty is that it has shallow self-power discharge and no memory effect, as you can find in nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries have memory effect. Above all, it has a high energy density. Hence, laptop lithium battery is far better than other laptop batteries.

Things you need to know when you buy a laptop battery

Lithium-ion laptop batteries last between two and four years (roughly 1,000 full charges), number of cycles of notebook lithium batteries is the highest compared with other notebook batteries. and they charge much faster than other batteries. The lithium-ion batteries charge more rapidly, and it reaches 80% charge quickly, and it will slow the charging process after 80% to trickle charging. The 20% slow charging will help to increase the battery life.

The lifespan of a laptop depends on the battery type, usage, and maintenance. Usually, laptop batteries last between two and four years. But the laptop battery’s performance degrades after about 1-2 years or 300-500 charge cycles. When the battery starts failing, you need to replace it with a new battery.

Check the compatibility

Laptop batteries are available in different sizes, cells, and power capacities matching the laptop models. So, when you buy a laptop battery, first make sure that it is compatible with your laptop. To understand it, check the model number of your device and find out which battery is appropriate for your computer. In addition, you need to buy a battery that has the same voltage as in the old one.

The material used in the battery

Checking the material used to manufacture the battery is another way to find the correct laptop battery. Presently laptop lithium battery has a better edge over other laptop batteries. A lithium battery contains lithium ions that show high energy density, low self-discharge, high capacity, and no memory effect.

Compared to nickel-cadmium batteries, lithium-ion cells have twice the power, and nowadays, several companies have come up with 6 Cell 5800mAh and 9 Cell 8700mAh batteries. We can soon expect to have 9 Cell 9300mAh batteries.

Battery life

The life of the battery is a predominant factor when buying a laptop. The average battery life was 2-4 hours in the good old days. Some laptops have a battery life of 18+ hours; however, the latest even claims up to 36+hours which is an incredible advantage.

Make sure the battery you choose for your computer has the most extended life. The lithium laptop battery offers 3+ years of life which is more than its peers can offer.

What is best for laptop battery life

Laptop batteries do not last forever. While they are certainly better than their ancestors of the past, battery life still leaves a lot to be desired. Over a period, the battery will wear out and stop holding as much charge as it once did, which means you’ll have to replace your laptop’s battery sooner rather than later.

The following are some reasons you can find if your battery is good or bad:
•The battery part of the laptop gets too hot while charging.
•The battery drops down quickly.
•Taking too much time to charge.
•Giving replacement warning, etc.

What are the best practices to maintain a healthy lithium laptop battery life?
•Do not use your laptop when charging.
•Close the lid and put it into sleep or hibernate mode when it’s charging.

If you need to use the laptop while charging, do the following.
•Turn off your Wi-Fi connection if you are not using the internet.
•Turn off Bluetooth
•Stop playing video games or running music in the background.
•Close all the unwanted files.
•Close all the unwanted browsers
•Use a genuine adaptor that can charge the laptop and power the operations

Significant factors to consider while charging laptops:
•Try to avoid overcharging your laptop.
•Leaving your laptop plugin can decrease the battery life.

Besides all the above, you should not recharge 100% or allow the battery to drain out to zero. When you make 100% re-recharge, the battery will lose 1 cycle from its life. Similarly, the battery will lose one cycle when you allow it to drain out entirely. So, for keeping a healthy battery life, you should play between 95% of full charge and 10% of lowest battery power. By consciously following this practice, you can have extended battery life.

How can you buy a laptop lithium battery

Laptop lithium battery shows higher performance than other batteries. It is lightweight and has good battery life. Lithium-ion batteries have a high energy density to hold a high amount of energy.

Should you buy a laptop lithium battery only looking at its brand name? From my personal experience, I must say a big NO. It is not the brand that gives the required power and life for the lithium-ion battery. But it is the material used, the energy it releases for running the laptop, and its recharging efficiency that makes the difference.

When you look for a replacement laptop lithium-ion battery, check for the battery specifications printed on the battery slot of the laptop. You must be careful about the ampere specification. The replacement battery should be matching to the power specification. Otherwise, your laptop won’t work to its full potential. The laptop batteries vary in power, size, and cells. Some laptops won’t work with compatible batteries. Therefore, you have to ensure its configuration and go for suitable batteries.

Similarly, your new laptop battery should have the same voltage as the old one. If your old battery voltage is 15, the new battery must be 15 voltages. Low or high voltage can damage the computer since the laptop’s circuit is designed to work on a particular voltage.

Check the battery capacity before you purchase a new one. As a standard practice, from the technical point of view, it would be better to buy a slightly higher-capacity battery than the old battery. Suppose your old battery is 2500mAH, then the new battery should be 3000mAH.

Though lithium batteries are costly, you don’t need to bother about the cost as it has the best quality and performance in the current era. Lithium-ion batteries have more charging cycles than Nickel Cadmium or Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. You will have extended battery life when you get more charging cycles.

Another critical factor to consider while shopping for the battery is its warranty. Many manufacturers are offering replacement warranties against manufacturing defects. A battery with a minimum 6-8 months warranty is much better than a reputed branded one that does not provide a warranty.

Before you purchase a lithium-ion battery, do a comparison study. Even if the batteries bear the same brand and specifications, you can find different battery prices. It is because of a possible extended warranty. You can find many third-party battery providers offering a 6 to 12 months battery service warranty.

When you buy a third-party compatible lithium-ion battery, ensure it has the service back up and an acceptable warranty offer.

Conclusion

When you think your laptop battery is degrading, you should replace them with a new one. Here, I need to give you a word of caution; if the laptop has a built-in battery, it would be better not to replace it by yourself, instead get it done by a professional to avoid any possible damages.

For buying a new laptop battery, you have to keep in mind certain factors like compatibility, material, lifespan, etc. So, if you’re looking forward to buying a new battery, a laptop lithium battery would be the best choice. They are lightweight, free of memory effects, have an extended life, and offer high storage capacity.