Here are the most common questions you might ask and you need to know before buying a laptop battery for your notebook computer:

Can I upgrade my Laptop Battery to a newer chemistry?
There are several types of chemistries: Nickel Cadmium (NiCad), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) or Li-Ion Polymer (Li-Polymer). Different battery chemistries cannot be substituted unless the laptop has been pre-configured in the factory to accept more than one type of rechargeable battery. Each chemistry type requires a different charging pattern to be properly energized.

How Are Batteries Rated?
There are two ratings on a battery, Voltage (V) and Milliamp-hours (mAh). Voltage is the rate at which energy is drawn from a battery. Milliamp-hours represents the capacity of the battery. This is a unit of measurement for battery capacity, obtained by multiplying a current flow in amperes by the time in hours of discharge. (Example: A battery which delivers 5 amperes for 20 hours delivers 5 amperes times 20 hours, or 100 ampere-hours.)

What if the "mAh" rating is different to my original battery?
The mAh rating represents the capacity of the battery. The capacity is affected by the number of batteries in the battery pack. The capacity is increased by linking the cells in parallel. If the mAh rating is higher than the original battery, then the replacement battery will run for a longer time, if the rating is lower then the replacement battery will run for a shorter time.

Can I use a battery which has a different voltage rating than my original battery?
No, the voltage rating has to match that of the original battery or as recommended by the computer manual. Using a battery with a different voltage setting can damage the laptop.

Related Reading: Choose a Correct Laptop Battery – How?