The Differences Between a Nine Cell & Six Cell Battery

• Nine cell batteries offer more battery life. laptop image by martini from Fotolia.com

  The demand for laptop computers causes an increasing number of users to question the differences between 6-cell batteries and 9-cell batteries. Both types are sold by many manufacturers. Two major differences include the size and the battery life. Six cell batteries are usually smaller than 9-cell batteries, and 9-cell batteries are known to offer longer usage and more battery life.

Cost

• At Best Buy retail stores, Lenovo and Toshiba brand 9-cell lithium-ion batteries cost from $149.99 to $179.99, as of November 2010. Laptop brands such as, Toshiba, Lenovo and HP--including Compaq--have 6-cell lithium-ion batteries for sale at Best Buy with prices ranging from $96.99 to $149.99. Customers spend $30 to $53 more when purchasing 9-cell batteries.

Battery Life

• The Dell Vostro 1500 receives 2 to 3 hours of battery life on a 6-cell battery, though with usage of a 9-cell, extended battery, the Vostro 1500 operates on 4 to 4.5 hours of battery life. Unfortunately, laptop users must include the number of hours that the battery adapter is charging for the sake of making the screen brighter when using the laptop. This decreases the battery life of a 9-cell battery. Laptop owners should invest in 9-cell batteries only if the laptop users will not have access to an electrical supply source for a period of more than one hour.

Cooling and Handling

• An advantage that the 9-cell battery has over the 6-cell battery is that the 9-cell, extended battery props up the back of the laptop for better cooling than the 6-cell battery. In addition, the 9-cell battery can be carried and handled with more ease due to the 9-cell battery sticking out from the back of the laptop.