Thinkpads Forum

I have an X60s with the small, is it 6-cell, battery that is flush with the back of the laptop.
Can anyone tell me of their experiences, expenses, pluses and minuses of the Extended Life battery that attaches underneath the laptop?

Thank you

Plus - More Battery Life
Minus - Cost, Adds Weight and Bulk

The battery that's flush with the X60s is a 4 cell, not 6.

Is it "too" heavy? Is it worth having?
Is it used while my other battery is still in place. I'm thinking, yes.
Does it give me 8hrs plus whatever my main battery is good for?

Googling ...
Lenovo claims it's good for up to 10hrs. Another site claims it's good for 2.5hrs.

Oh, I see, it adds 2.5hrs. With the 8-cell battery added into the equation, you get 10hrs.
I was hoping it added 10hrs.
They seem to be expensive and some third party made ones are available.
I found a good price but wonder if I should wait for a deal on another 4-, 6- or 8-cell.

It really depends on your usage. I have extended battery in both X60s and X61s, I really enjoy being able to carry it around all day without the AC adapter, but for my uses I would probably be okay with only a 6-cell. It does add quite a bit of weight to the notebook, but provides a nice grip to carry it around. I also like how it spans the entire width of the back, unlike the newer widescreen X series.

For me, it feels like it doubles the weight of the X60s, but I can often work an entire day away from my desk with it. If you can find it for a good price, I would get one, provided that you need to have 8 hours of runtime. If not, I don't think it's really worth the weight.

I thought my 4-cell is supposed to give me 2.5hrs. I just got this used. So, I don't know what it will deliver. It was green as soon as I plugged it in even though it sat for weeks while I searched for a power adapter and waited for it to arrive.

I thought the Extended Life Battery on the bottom added 2.6hrs. How would I get 8hrs total?

If it's all that heavey, that could be a detriment.

You carry it by the "handle" on the extended battery. I thought that was for proping up the laptop and not for carrying it.

I found a deal for seven of them new for $70 plus $10 shipping. But that deal passed this morning.

ParatoOptimal wrote:I thought the Extended Life Battery on the bottom added 2.6hrs. How would I get 8hrs total?

Not sure how accurate these numbers are, but on the general Lenovo specification page for the X60, it says:

Lenovo wrote:Battery operation:
* Up to 3.0hr, 4 cell Slim Line battery
* Up to 4.0hr, 4 cell Enhanced Capacity battery
* Up to 8.0hr, 8 cell High Capacity battery
* Up to 3.0hr, 4 cell Extended Life battery
* Up to 11.0hr, 8 cell High Capacity battery + Extended battery

See: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... -62735#pow

The same listing for the X60s doesn't list the Extended Life battery for some reason, but you get the idea.
See: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 5.html#pow

Maybe the numbers Lenovo gave for different batteries changed over time, I don't know.

Phil.

For using the laptop in the real world, its incredibly nice not to even have to think about a power outlet. It gives you a lot more freedom. 2-3 hour battery life goes fast when you are working on a project or whatever you need your machine for.

In my home, its nice to use the 4 cell slim battery because it makes it easier to pick up the laptop towards the middle, a more natural place to lift. With the 8 cell you really have to get behind it because there is so much weight back there. With the 4 cell you can pretty much lift the laptop from the palm wrest.

If I knew would be at a power outlet all day, I would use the 4 cell and the ac adapter for a lighter weight setup. If I knew that it would be only with good fortune that I would have access to a power outlet - I would just bring a full charged 8 cell and I wouldn't have to worry about it all day.

If you have the 4-cell, a much better upgrade would be to simply get the 8-cell battery.