Why External Laptop Batteries Are Good

If you end up purchasing a mini laptop, like the Lenovo Thinkpad X60s, you might also want to purchase an external laptop battery, which would be manufactured by a third party (meaning that it's just not from Lenovo). Chances are that if you are shooting more for longer battery life and less for computing power, you'll want to extend your battery even more. This is where external laptop batteries come in. They can offer anywhere from 4 to 10 hours of extra juice from your laptop. Coupled with a super longlasting laptop like the X60s or X31, which is downgraded in features but still carries 6 hours, you could be able to work from San Francisco, California to Shanghai, China.

Costing from $200 to $500, external laptop batteries usually weigh about two to three pounds. The advantages? The external battery, along with a mini laptop, combine for an average weight that is equivalent to that of a standard laptop. Which batteries are the ones that balance cost, weight, and battery? Let's take a look at the top one: Electrovaya's PowerPad 160. We ran our tests, other experts ran their's, and this one came out on top.

Although it costs anywhere from $450 to $480, the PowerPad 160 is considered "worth it" for travelers. It fuels for a hearty five hours, and only weighs 2.6 pounds. It's compatible with most laptops, and rated as one of the most efficient by CNET. When we tested this product, we were able to keep our laptops running until they overheated. The PowerPad 160 requires a bit less than 5 hours to charge and it also includes a cable which allows charging of the laptop's own battery while the PowerPad 160 is plugged in. In turn, we run the ThinkPad X60s for 7 hours, plugged in the PowerPad, ran for another 5 hours, and disconnected to return to the original battery. For those who need the everlasting power, you'll be able to run for hours on end if you can get to an outlet. The price is definitely worth the potential, and the weight is nominal when compared to other, inefficient external batteries. In the end, when you're looking for something that can pack another several hours so you can finish a project on the plane, head for the Electrovaya PowerPad 160; it's the most efficient, as tested by many experts like us.