A universal battery is just a larger version of the standard laptop battery. The chemistry is usually Lithium Polymer Ion or Lithium Ion. Most of the newest ones are Lithium Polymer Ion.

A standard laptop battery contains a number of cells, to power the laptop. This is often called a battery pack, since it is a pack of cells. The Universal Battery contains a number of these packs, as if several laptop batteries were put together to make one large battery.

These universal batteries are rechargeable and come supplied with their own AC Adapter and power lead. They also come supplied with a number of tips. The number varies according to manufacturer or supplier. These tips fit the power supply connector on the laptop. The tips allow the smart electronics embedded in the battery to supply electricity at the correct voltage.

Universal laptop batteries are useful when travelling. It is able to provide anywhere upto 10 hours. However, this is entirely dependent upon manufacturer and model of the universal laptop battery. The other advantage is, if you are an owner of several different latops, including obsolete or discontinued models. The chances are the tips provided would be able to connect to one of these old laptops and resurrect it. Saving you time, effort and money. Retreive vital data that you deemed lost when the battery died and replacements were unavailable.

Most univeral batteries are low profile and slim, they can either sit under the laptop unobtrusively or some smaller ones can double up as a mouse pad. They will all certainly fit in most laptop cases.

Points to Note When Purchasing:

• Make sure the supplier and the manufacturer are reputable
• Supplier/Manufacturer offer full guarantee and warranty
• Provide the supplier with all the information about your laptop, like
  
  • Make
  • Model
  • Part Number
  • Voltage and Current ratings, found in the manual or underside of the laptop
• The chemistry of the universal laptop battery
• Dimensions of the universal battery including the weight