Just like any other technologies, the laptop battery technologies have always been producing better and reliable laptop batteries. There used to be the Nickel Cadmium batteries which had low energy densities but high discharge rate and long life. But they were soon replaced by the Nickel Metal Hydride batteries for being environmental unfriendly. These Nickel Cadmium batteries were later taken over by the Lithium batteries owing to their pros. And a newer technology is always expected which could deliver much efficiency than the existing ones. So, in this article OnlineCmag takes you through all the pros and cons of different laptop battery types.

Here Are All The Different Laptop Battery Types:

Nickel Cadmium (NiCd)

The Nickel Cadmium batteries are proved to have the ability to charge and discharge over a 1000 times before it becomes inactive. It means a life of over 1000 lifecycles. Actually these figures are very good and compared to other batteries NiCd batteries have long life. There obviously are a few shortcomings due to which other battery technologies are preferred in laptops. Their applications include the two way radios, video cameras and medical equipment.

Pros:

• These batteries charge fast and with ease. Also the have no problems with pulsating currents and though they don’t favor DC charge in particular, we can live with that.
• The number of charge/discharge cycles is much higher compare to any other battery technologies (almost 1500 lifecycles) if properly maintained.
• They can withstand any rugged atmospheres; particularly their performance at low temperatures is a real bonus.
• Available in different sizes, these are most economical.

Cons:

• These batteries owing to the chemical nature of compounds used, posses lower energy densities than the other battery technologies.
• These batteries are known to suffer due to the relatively high self-discharge rates, mainly when stored for long.
• The ‘memory effect’ is a phenomenon in which the charging ability of battery is reduced because of the so called memory. Hence to avoid this, each time the battery must be completely discharged before charging.
• The radioactive materials it contains cause severe problems during their disposal and hence is environmental unfriendly.

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH)

Unlike Nickel Cadmium batteries, the Nickel Metal Hydride batteries prefer only to be half discharged. They have more power capabilities for same size as the NiCd and environmental friendly. But their life is much lower compared to the earlier laptop battery types. These batteries are once well used in laptops but now are mainly used for satellite applications.

Pros:

• These battery types due to higher energy densities are more powerful than the others.
• They don’t have any issues related to storage and can be easily transported across various temperature zones.
• Though they are Nickel based products, they don’t necessarily suffer from the dreading memory effect.
• They can easily be recycled and are also environment friendly.

Cons:

• The main concern with this battery types is their service life. The maximum cycles you can extract is not more than 300 that too with proper maintenance.
• Requires more charge time than the NiCd batteries and generates more heat while charging. You wouldn’t dare touch the laptop while charging.
• There is a huge impact of elevated temperatures on battery life.
• Expensive, self-discharging and requires more maintenance than the NiCad batteries.

Lithium ion battery:

Surely this is the type of battery you want in your laptop. Never, at any instance go for the above battery types; the lithium ion batteries are custom made for laptop applications. These batter types have the rapid charging facility due to which there are no constraints on how long or short you charge. In today’s market, the Li-ion batteries are most promising and efficient among the lot.

Pros:

• These batteries have very high energy densities (almost twice as that of NiCad batteries) and also there is scope for effective utilization of stored power.
• The main advantage with these batteries is their discharge rates, when left unused for a month they discharge by about a 10%.
• They are usually maintenance free and provide lifecycles tad lesser than the NiCad batteries (up to 1000 cycles).
• These batteries are eco-friendly, user friendly and are available at affordable rates.

Cons:

• The one major con is the aging effect in these batteries. With time their uptime slowly falls but their manufacturers have always remained silent about this fact.
• Though there are not many cases of laptops catching fire, but these batteries are actually flammable.
• Overcharging doesn’t affect battery life but circuits protecting excess the battery from overcharging is must.
• Better manufacturing techniques could certainly reduce cost by a higher extent.