Laptops are the key to our modern computing. The convenience of a laptop can’t be beat.Couple that with the power that they provide, and a laptop is really the perfect modern computer. However, there is an issue that can sometimes crop up with a laptop. That issue is battery life.

Unlike a desktop computer, a laptop is mostly dependent on the battery to make them portable and functional. While many people are resigned to lugging around a power cord for charging, it’s more useful when the laptop can go without that need. Batteries can’t be repaired. As they age, they take less of a charge and discharge it quickly. This means that batteries will need to be replaced eventually.

Replacing Your Battery

The ability to replace your battery is going to depend on what type of laptop you have. It used to be common to replace a battery quite easily. The locations where the charging cord plugged in would open up, and the battery could be removed and replaced as simple as that. Now however, it’s much more difficult. Laptops have gotten much smaller and companies have gotten creative about how they are placing their batteries.

Check your laptop manual or online information to determine if it’s possible to replace the battery, or if it will require a professional repairman to do so. Ideally, a person can replace their own battery. If it’s not possible, then it’s likely a list of potential authorized repair locations will be available.

There’s two parts to replacing your battery via a professional. There’s going to be the repair cost and there’s going to be the cost of the battery itself. You can choose to purchase both through the repair location for a bundled price, or it’s possible to purchase a replacement battery directly from a location and simply pay the repair fee. It’s crucial to ensure that the purchased battery is compatible with the laptop in question.

Calibration and Settings

There are many settings within Windows which are intended to allow a person to tinker with how their battery performs. The main one is choosing power levels. Unsurprisingly if your computer is set to high performance, then it’s going to use a lot more of the battery. To increase battery length, the battery should be set to balanced or energy saving.

Windows based machines will also show the amount of power in a battery and the estimated time it can be used from that charge. The downside is that it really isn’t particularly accurate. They’ve been known to stay the same for long periods of time and then have quick drops. Take these readings with a grain of salt.

Where to Buy a New Laptop Battery

As mentioned before, specific laptops will need different batteries. The type of laptop will also influence where you can purchase the battery.

People using Apple laptops will typically have fewer locations to buy a battery. Apple prefers to ensure that all of their equipment is exclusive to Apple products. In addition, Apple laptops will require Apple technicians to replace the batteries. Prices will be around $130 for the replacement battery and installation.

When it comes to Windows laptops, there’s usually some more wiggle room. Batteries can be purchased from third party retailers and common electronics store. Big box retailers are great, but buying online is usually the best. Whether it’s a huge retailer like Amazon, or a smaller computer specific one, they will have what’s needed. Double check the voltage to ensure that it is compatible with the laptop.