When you buy a replacement battery for your laptop, you need to consider several factors, including price, warranty, compatibility, and capacity.
Compare price range and warranty details. Prices for laptop batteries usually range from $50 to $150. Start with your laptop manufacturer’s Web site or telephone sales department. Get a price for a replacement, and make sure you find all the warranty details.
Check the Internet for third-party battery suppliers. You may find the identical name-brand battery for less. And you may also be offered Brand X replacements at a significantly lower price; some of the third-party batteries even promise to hold a larger charge. However, pay close attention to the warranty; what happens in the one-in-a-million-or-so situation where a battery overheats or otherwise damages your laptop?
Meet the specifications. You can’t squeeze a 3-inch battery made for a Dell laptop into the 2-inch slot on a Toshiba. It’s physically impossible, and even if you could squeeze it in, the electrical connectors probably wouldn’t line up.
Match the voltage. If your original battery was rated at 14.8 volts, that’s the ticket for the replacement model. Don’t go over or under the specified power.
Consider going high capacity. Within the manufacturer’s specifications, you may be able to replace your original battery with one with a higher watt-hour or amp hour rating. This allows you to work longer.
Get fresh. You’ve no good reason to buy a used battery (or an unused model that has been collecting dust on a shelf somewhere). Check the date of manufacture; anything older than about 18 months should be suspect.
