new laptops no longer have removable batteries?

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Jul 14, 2020
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while figuring out what to do with my old laptop i went to costco and best buy to look at new laptops. i noticed that they don't have removable batteries like the older styles. in the time i have had my HP i have replaced the battery 3 times.

So are the new ones just designed for the life of the battery and that is it? can the batteries be replaced at home?
 
It’s been like this for some time, probably for cost and weight reduction. In many cases you can open up and replace the battery, much like a phone battery. Check to see if they sell OEM replacements on the manufacturer’s website.
 
My 3 year old laptop is that way.

Removed the case to replace it, and removing the case isn’t hard, lots of tiny torx screws, but not hard.
 
Most laptops they are really easy to replace. Dell provides service manuals online along with a battery management program that extends the life of the battery by allowing you to control charging parameters.
 
Panasonic Toughbook and Dell Latitude Rugged have replaceable batteries, hot swappable as well.

We have arrived at that point where PC's will still be relevant for many battery replacements! Software has not caught up yet.
 
Six year old Samsung died. Took the rear off to get the hard drive out and the battery was replaceable. A little more work than the past years laptops but not difficult. Hey, Isn't this like when cars use to be DIYS friendly?
 
Many people called Apple crazy and/or greedy for incorporating non-removable batteries into their laptops but once the other manufacturers realized the thermal, space, and capacity advantages, they all (with occasional exceptions) jumped onboard.
 
Many people called Apple crazy and/or greedy for incorporating non-removable batteries into their laptops but once the other manufacturers realized the thermal, space, and capacity advantages, they all (with occasional exceptions) jumped onboard.
i have no issue with this as long as i can change it at home. Cost me $200 for Apple to change the battery in my kids Mac book.
 
Jut remember that some laptops come with special stickers on the heads of the screws which void your warranty if tampered with. Changing internal batteries is easy, just make sure the battery is OEM ora high quality replacement, cheap batteries will fail due to the heat. My battery on my MSI G60 ghost pro bulged so much it warped the case.
 
Jut remember that some laptops come with special stickers on the heads of the screws which void your warranty if tampered with.
Consumer electronics have what, 90-day warranties ? By the time the battery dies even if the lowest-cost laptops out there, warranties are long expired...
 
In my experience, the design of the laptop is a big factor in having a removable battery or not. The thinner, lighter ones typically won't have a replaceable battery or it will be very difficult to replace. The 15.6", standard Acer, HP, etc laptops that are thicker and heavier still seem to have the batteries that you push (2) 'locks' to release the battery. Good luck finding a quality replacement though !
 
Consumer electronics have what, 90-day warranties ? By the time the battery dies even if the lowest-cost laptops out there, warranties are long expired...
MSI has a 1 year warranty but many people get the extended warranties so it can be up to 3 years, it varies with the manufacturer Dell has 90 day 1 2 4 and 5 year warranties Apple has a 2 year warranty Toshiba has a 1 year standard warranty, higher end gaming laptop like Asus, Alienware also have longer warranties and the option to extend them. Assuming that the warranty is 90 days is incorrect. Its up to each individual to check. Many people never check and unintentionally void their warranties by removing these anti tamper screws.
 
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I had a new Dell Precision 5520 battery mailed to me by their support rep over the phone without any struggle. 2 days before my 2-year warranty expiry. The old one was really sagging. You have to get a few screws out on that one, disconnect a small cable, etc. It is a relatively thin workstation. I do not venture outside HP ZBooks or Dell's Latitudes and Precisions though.
 
When Apple started doing this, those who love to hate Apple said how bad it was. Fast forward and everyone is doing it for phones and computers.

Imreplaced the battery in my 10year old MacBook air maybe 1.5 years ago. The battery is the first thing you see more or less. Very easy to access.
 
On some cheaper laptops once the battery goes it's done for. On some older laptops it's much harder to obtain a new battery. Just replaced the battery on a Mid-2010 Macbook since health was showing 73% and was starting to balloon up (trackpad becomes difficult to press).
 
This really doesn't have anything to do with the batteries but if you want a good laptop with removable battery there's a good chance you can find something on eBay. I recently bought an older model HP DV2000 that is in nearly like new condition with the 12 cell fat battery and upgraded to Windows 10 for $100. I've had it now for about month and it's running great. I just bought 2 extra 6 cell batteries for it and received them about two weeks ago. Computer, shipping and 2 extra batteries and I'm in for just over $150. I was replacing about a 8 or 9 year old Compaq that had quit working and didn't really want/need a new computer. I think I could upgrade to a SSD and still be under $200. in this one. Of course some people need/want to upgrade and this may be the case for you, but I basically use a computer for surfing the web and saving a few things to the hard drive in case I need them for future reference.
 
Dell Latitude and Precision have had onboard batteries for about five years.

They had a big problem with the first batch of onboard batteries, they would expand inside the case, and distort the touchpad, and keyboard, sometimes breaking plastic clips.

When I did helpdesk I probably replaced about 50 batteries.

It is a simple to do job, just precision screwdriver set required. Takes about ten minutes if you really take your time.
 
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