Thinkpads Forum

I would like to give away an X200s to my brother, but first I'd like to replace it's battery with a good one.

By perusing an old tabook, I figured that I'd probably want the biggest one, that is 43R9255, 9-cell one.

1. Where should I buy them online and how much do they normally cost?
2. How do I recognize an original battery from a third-party one? (original is more expensive and supposed to be better, right?)
3. Should I expect the replacement battery I buy online to be as good as new one was back in the day, or would they be old and dead? In which case, I would rather get a dead one and upgrade it at a local company: there's a local company fixes old batteries for laptops and other battery-operating equipment; they are in business for 10 years already, they are using new high-quality cells and appropriate equipment (spot welding, nickel tape) and give 1 year warranty on their work.
4. Do X200 and X200s use the same batteries? If you got either, please tell me its stated voltage and capacity.
To the best of my understanding, the options for both X200 and X200s are:

• ThinkPad Battery 47 (4-cell) 43R9253
• ThinkPad Battery 47+ (6-cell) 43R9254
• ThinkPad Battery 47++ (9-cell) 43R9255

1) For genuine batteries typical choices are: Factory (lenovo.com or outlet.lenovo.com), eBay, local seller. Highest prices are obviously at lenovo.com but you are guaranteed on getting an original, new battery. Outlet batteries can have a couple of charge cycles on them and may be physically "damaged" (scratches, marks, etc.) but they cost slightly less. Prices for eBay and local sellers can be more or less than factory; depends on your luck bidding and what the supply/demand ratio is like. Given you are in Russia, you'll have to check up on the shipping charges and availability for anything you purchase online.

2) Genuine batteries would have the factory "lenovo" logo on them, along with the proper FRU/ASM numbers and bar code label with part number and serial number. Those numbers can be read by Power Manager and should match. Bar code number is in the format: 11S<ASM P/N>Z<serial number>. An example can be seen here:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/x200_ ... es_med.jpg

Top battery is a 9-cell "replacement" from Proline; the bottom one is a factory 6-cell (FRU 42T4648/ASM 42T4539). Note the missing "lenovo" logo on the Proline model. Also there's no bar code label with the proper format. "Knockoff" batteries typically try to copy the label colors of the factory model as close as possible so with a quick glance, they look the same. They usually do not have the multiple languages and certification marks like the original and most of the ones I've seen have "Replacement for ....." written on them.

3) Assuming we're talking about a factory-fresh battery, then it should work just as well those made back when the system was first released (barring any usual difference between Sanyo, Panasonic and Sony cells). If you trust the reputation of your local battery re-celler, then that may be your best source.

4) Yes, both those systems use the same battery. As you've listed, the "47" battery series will fit in either one.

Thanks so much for your answer! One thing: are there batteries in the Lenovo outlet? I can't see any.

At the moment it looks like there are not any batteries for sale at the Lenovo Outlet. I believe that they will be listed under the Accessories tab. Inventory there is subject to wild swings in models and quantity.

If I bought batteries like these on eBay, should I trust them to be original and good?

From looking at the pictures it appears to be a genuine Lenovo battery to me. Some of the factory batteries have the red circle "47" logo on them. Note that the description says it is a "new" battery so you should check the number of charge cycles and "first used" date using Power Manager when you receive it.

How about these? They are sporting "Lenovo" and "47++" logos but should they be shipping from Hong Kong?

I've had good luck with Anker aftermarket batteries. They're a little better put-together than most of the generic eBay rubbish, and they're available on Amazon with Prime shipping.

AFAIK they only have a 6-cell for the X200(s)/X201(s), but that was good enough for me.

4400 mAh? I think genuine 6-cell batteries are supposed to be 5200.

Do you think the ones I linked to are rubbish? If so, is it because they are fake or old?