Any place I can get a replacement battery for my Lenovo ThinkPad T480 without breaking the bank?

[Cyber Akuma]

I know that Lenovo sells them (Or did, I can't find them anymore) but they charge more for the battery than I paid for the laptop, I got this laptop used about 2-3 years ago for under $100. I recently had to pull both the internal and external battery out because they were swollen, so now I would like to replace at least the internal battery if not both:

https://imgur.com/dZFDiIJ

The internal battery has a model number of "01AV489" and the external "01AV424" though I know that there are several model numbers that work.

Yes, Lenovo has/had them, but they charge more for the battery than the laptop itself cost, if they are even still available. And yes also places like Amazon has them, but they are all suspiciously cheap from random third party sellers most of which have random letters for names and many have bad reviews complaining that they did not work at all or stopped working after 6 months or so.

Batteries Plus was a no-go, so was Microcenter (which appeared to have batteries for EVERY model of Thinkpad.... except the T480 (yet hundreds of of T440, T450, T470...)), CPR said they would charge even more because they would have to install the battery themselves, the only other place I saw was CDW for around $65 but the label was nothing like the label on my battery so I worry if it's just another cheap clone just being sold for more than the ones on Amazon.

I also heard some suggest that they had good luck with refurbished batteries on ebay, but this sounds dangerous if they didn't do it right. Are there any trusted sellers or something that do it properly? Or is it not worth the risk at all?

What are my options if any that won't involve me paying more for the battery than the laptop?

 

[pcgeek11]

I know that Lenovo sells them (Or did, I can't find them anymore) but they charge more for the battery than I paid for the laptop, I got this laptop used about 2-3 years ago for under $100. I recently had to pull both the internal and external battery out because they were swollen, so now I would like to replace at least the internal battery if not both:

https://imgur.com/dZFDiIJ

The internal battery has a model number of "01AV489" and the external "01AV424" though I know that there are several model numbers that work.

Yes, Lenovo has/had them, but they charge more for the battery than the laptop itself cost, if they are even still available. And yes also places like Amazon has them, but they are all suspiciously cheap from random third party sellers most of which have random letters for names and many have bad reviews complaining that they did not work at all or stopped working after 6 months or so.

Batteries Plus was a no-go, so was Microcenter (which appeared to have batteries for EVERY model of Thinkpad.... except the T480 (yet hundreds of of T440, T450, T470...)), CPR said they would charge even more because they would have to install the battery themselves, the only other place I saw was CDW for around $65 but the label was nothing like the label on my battery so I worry if it's just another cheap clone just being sold for more than the ones on Amazon.

I also heard some suggest that they had good luck with refurbished batteries on ebay, but this sounds dangerous if they didn't do it right. Are there any trusted sellers or something that do it properly? Or is it not worth the risk at all?

What are my options if any that won't involve me paying more for the battery than the laptop?

I can't say about the internal battery, but the external battery alternate extended use battery is Model # SB10K97585, 61++. I bought this many years ago and it is still working and charging as well as it ever has. Note that it has a longer life 72 wh and is much thicker than the original battery.

 

[manly]

WTH two batteries??

Knock-off batteries on Amazon and eBay are usually cost-effective, at least for fairly popular laptop models. (Like anything else, higher volume means better unit pricing.)

Probably WAS cheaper on AliExpress/TEMU but tariffs have dramatically changed that.

I just glanced at TEMU, and the batteries are not expensive (bit less than Amazon). Quality will be hit or miss, but at a low enough price I'm okay with that.

If you wanted guaranteed quality, it'll cost a lot more:

Lenovo 01AV421 Laptop Battery

Replace a 2095 mAh battery compatible with your Lenovo Laptop. 24 Watt Hours (Wh). 11.5 Volts (V). Part #01AV421.

www.ifixit.com

 

[Cyber Akuma]

WTH two batteries??

It has both an internal and external battery, can operate off of either or both at the same time (Pretty sure it drains the external first then internal, but I am not 100% sure on that). It's meant to be a work laptop after all.

Knock-off batteries on Amazon and eBay are usually cost-effective, at least for fairly popular laptop models. (Like anything else, higher volume means better unit pricing.)

I know I can find them on Amazon and eBay, the issue is just about every 3rd party rechargeable battery I have ever found on there is full of bad reviews saying how it either did not work at all or stopped working after a few months.

If you wanted guaranteed quality, it'll cost a lot more:

Yeah I know, that's the second problem. I know that official/genuine batteries will cost more, that's fine, the problem is they cost significantly more, as in, more than I paid for the laptop itself. That's a bit much.

 

[manly]

It has both an internal and external battery, can operate off of either or both at the same time (Pretty sure it drains the external first then internal, but I am not 100% sure on that). It's meant to be a work laptop after all.


I know I can find them on Amazon and eBay, the issue is just about every 3rd party rechargeable battery I have ever found on there is full of bad reviews saying how it either did not work at all or stopped working after a few months.


Yeah I know, that's the second problem. I know that official/genuine batteries will cost more, that's fine, the problem is they cost significantly more, as in, more than I paid for the laptop itself. That's a bit much.

As I understand it, the problem with cheap batteries is "you never know what you're gonna get." The explanation for some of the poor reviews is that the "manufacturer" of the pack is using low-quality cells, or even refurbished cells. There is one listing on Amazon with semi-decent reviews; personally I'd roll the dice on that and test it repeatedly during the return period.

https://www.amazon.com/JIAZIJIA-Compatible-4X50M08810-SB10K97579-SB10K97580/dp/B07RYKC8YY/

You can't really compare to the $100 you paid for the laptop, even if that's the effective psychological barrier. You can either roll the dice on a cheap battery, pay a lot for piece of mind; or replace the laptop completely if that makes sense.

Unless you find a unicorn off of eBay, it's not realistic to ask where you can buy an OEM-quality product for 2/3 off.

About 3 years ago, I bought a knock-off battery off of Amazon for a Dell XPS 15 9560. It cost $38, which was reasonable at the time (I didn't check AliExpress or TEMU). Anyway, when I installed it, it did not meet the advertised capacity. After I complained to Amazon, they credited me $15, which I felt was acceptable. I use the laptop plugged in 98% of the time, but the battery seems to otherwise work "okay" for my use case. The replacement battery is $110 on iFixit now, so if I had to do it again, I'd still roll the dice on a cheap knock-off.

 

[tcsenter]

Unfortunately, the reality of this landscape is to roll the dice with the cheap no-name Jiahsqyyz or Zmooql or Shzzyqia brander that doesn't make any sense in any language and has no business office or website, or to pay whatever the OEM genuine wants. Any company that had any delusion of marketing a battery that is above the fray but still less than the OEM want for their overpriced stuff, has gone out of business or assimilated.

Buy from reseller with highest rep you can find, decent warranty terms, satisfaction guarantee, returns. If you aren't satisfied, use them. Amazon and Ebay at least you have fall-back recourse if reseller is unresponsive to your complaint.

I keep waiting/praying for someone to fund a gigantic battery review and teardown where they acquire and test like 100 battery packs from 30 different brands/sellers and expose what is going on. Still waiting....