Did you know that your laptop battery has a useful lifespan that is less than the computer itself? That’s true. Odds are you’ll be looking for a replacement battery before you replace any other part in your new laptop. With a high price tag and literally hundreds of different battery models, it’s hardly surprising that getting a new laptop is not a walk in the park.

First, you need to know what type of battery you have. If you have an older nickel type battery, you’ll need to find a special provider of laptop batteries, but if you have a modern type of laptop battery, then you’ll find it much easier to find the battery for your laptop.

Modern laptop batteries use Lithium Ion cells. Lithium Ion batteries are great because they can be charged as often as they need to be and they do not have the memory effect that plagues nickel type batteries. Lithium Ion batteries also have the most power for the size and weight of a pack. It’s not surprising that they are a great choice for laptop batteries. Unfortunately though, there is a downside.

Lithium batteries lose their charging capacity over time, regardless of whether they are charged or not. Heat is what accelerates their loss in capacity. That means that if your battery is exposed to heat, like inside your laptop, it’s capacity will fall. In fact, inside a running laptop, it can lose half of its capacity in less than a year. Once the diminished capacity starts affecting laptop usage, many people look for a new laptop battery.

Laptop batteries are not interchangeable. This means that if your battery works on one brand of laptop, it won’t work on another. In fact, it probably won’t even work on another model from the same company. This is the single biggest reason why laptop batteries are so expensive and why it’s so difficult to find a replacement battery.

You have three choices when going with a new laptop battery. You can buy a new battery from the manufacturer, but this can be very pricey indeed. At least you’ll know that you are getting factory fresh quality and. You can go with a remanufactured battery in order to save money. They are sometimes even higher capacity than the original and the cells used might be higher quality. Lastly, you can have just the cells in your battery replaced. The upside to this is that you don’t have to worry about finding a replacement battery for your obscure laptop model.

With a new laptop battery, you can restore the amount of time you are able to use your computer when away from an outlet. This will help you be more productive with your time and keep your laptop in like new condition.

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