which battery "sticks out"

[f300]

I've been researching for a while the X6x series for a new notebook and it seems to fit the bill quite brilliantly except for the battery. I understand the extended battery sticks out quite a bit and it doesn't feel so secure so I would prefer to have a more compact solution. Is there a battery that goes "inside" the notebook completely and if yes how it is called and how long it lasts? Actually any info regarding how the batteries are called/how long they last/how well they fit mechanically would be appreciated both for X60 and X61.

[tilneford]

I have the x60s, so my comments are limited to it. I have the 4-cell slim and the 8-cell. The 4-cell slim fits within the contours of the laptop and is the lightest battery so the total weight is under 3 lbs.

The 8-cell extending beyond the form of the laptop is not, IMO, a design flaw. It works well as a handle to carry the laptop around the office. I do not experience any looseness in the battery connection. I get nervous walking with the laptop when using the 4-cell because of the absence of this 'handle'.

Another issue you may want to consider is battery longevity. There are several message threads discussing battery maintenance and how, with lithium-ion, they will last longer if they are not drained too far in daily usage. My experience supports the statement. The 4-cell, since it runs out of juice quicker, has been drained far more often than the 8-cell. After a year and a few months, the 4-cell has a full charge capacity well below the design capacity; whereas, the 8-cell still has a full charge capacity equal to the design capacity after 162 cycles. The cycle count on the 4-cell is about 1/2 that of the 8-cell, so I can attribute the difference only to draining the 4-cell, whereas I rarely drop below 25% on the 8-cell.

[EOMtp]

I get nervous walking with the laptop when using the 4-cell because of the absence of this 'handle'.

Agreed with respect to the 4-cell slim (prismatic) battery. However, the 4-cell enhanced (cylindrical) has the "ridges" seen on the following picture, and those "ridges" let one hold the unit very comfortably and securely:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67825

The X60/s and X61/s use the same batteries. The 4-cell enhanced battery permits 2.5 to 4+ hours or use, depending on what hardware is active (e.g., WLAN, WWAN, BT, hard drive activity) and how the unit is being used (e.g., screen brightness, CPU load). An X61/s is marginally more power-hungry than a similarly-configured X60/s.

The 8-cell battery is the only one that "sticks out".

[Trekk69]

I have only the 8 cell, and it sticks out at the back. But I really enjoy using that as a handle in portrait mode while I'm inking my notes!

[f300]

Thank you all for your prompt replies! So from what I've gathered I have the following options (assuming they are the same for 60/61/61s):

- 4 Cell Slim Line Battery, usually standard, flush with the notebook, 3+ hours
- 4 Cell Enhanced Capacity Battery, almost 4 hours, this is the one with the ridges
- 8 Cell High Capacity Battery, 8 hours life, sticks out quite a bit but its length matches the notebooks length so at least it is flush with the notebook in 2 dimensions
- Extended Life Battery connects to the docking station connector and provides 2+ hours - not really interested in this one

Did I miss anything? Of course battery life is highly dependent on the actual usage and can be even 40% lower than quoted if you do wifi+intense cpu/hdd activity (it also varies a little with the specific configuration).
At this point I would buy the X60/61 (depending on local pricing) with the 8-cell battery but I'm quite put off by the fact that I'll have a larger footprint without any other gain than battery life. However for better or worse X6x are somehow the only notebooks that fit the bill (I also need PCMCIA so the selection is limited).

[Trekk69]

Good luck with the purchase, seems like you got all your 'battery details' well under wraps!

[tilneford]

EOMtp was heard to say:

However, the 4-cell enhanced (cylindrical) has the "ridges" seen on the following picture, and those "ridges" let one hold the unit very comfortably and securely:

Good info. Thanks for the tip.

f300 was heard to say:

4 Cell Slim Line Battery, usually standard, flush with the notebook, 3+ hours

I don't recall ever getting 3 hours on the 4 cell slim, except maybe the first week. If you don't drain the battery, actual real usage time is somewhere between 2-3 hours. You mentioned the extended battery. If you go to Lenovo's website and compare the 4 cell slim and the extended, I don't recall there being much difference between them in power capability. It may be dangerous on this forum to make such a generalized comment. (':)')

If you use the docking station, there is the 4th type of battery which inserts into it. You seem to have all the battery options identified.

2 8-cell batteries, with screen brightness set almost to high, will easily give 12 hour days of computing power, without damaging either battery from draining them too low before recharging. Though I have a desire to play with the other type batteries, the pragmatist in me says a second 8 cell offers all I will ever need.