Just received, unpacked and inserted the new battery for my 2007 Macbook Pro 15. Here are some initial thoughts - I will follow up later with actual performance after I've had a few months with the new battery.
Let me start by saying that I have had TWO batteries replaced by Apple under warranty - I never got more than about 200 cycles before they wouldn't run the MBP for more than maybe an hour. I really didn't want to spend $120 for another battery that would last 6 months and then need another replacement, and at this point Apple probably isn't going to replace my batteries for free anymore....
So, I scoured the various options for aftermarket batteries and settled on this one for a couple of reasons - first, many of the others were just "too cheap" to be any good. At $85 this one seemed to be expensive enough to represent good quality, but still a significant savings from the genuine Apple product.
On unboxing the battery, I was immediately impressed with the look and general finish of the battery. It looks identical to the Apple battery, down to almost every detail. The MFG of this unit definitely spent a lot of time copying the style of the original. In the box is a note saying "You don't need to charge the battery before you use it!" so I went ahead and shut down the MBP, inserted the battery, and then fired her back up. On inserting the battery, I was again impressed at how similar the replacement looked to the original, even down to the ease with which it clicked into place in the battery slot. Its not PERFECT, however. On the leading edge (the one with the two slide-locks) the top edge of the battery protrudes about 1 mm (or perhaps slightly less) from the back plane of the MBP. The rear edge of the battery (where it is held in by two plastic pins) is completely flush with the back plane of the MBP. Pushing on the leading edge of the battery while it is installed, you can notice a tiny bit of play, where it is able to move around a bit; I suspect that it is just that the catches on the slide-locks don't engage at precisely the right spot (or that the square openings for the slide locks are ever-so-slightly too big). At any rate, the movement is not enough to cause an interruption in power to the MBP, and the battery is totally secure in its place. Since I expected it to fit poorly, I was actually impressed with the fit - its not perfect, but definitely something that will work just fine. If you slide your hand along the bottom of the MBP, you can feel the ridge of the battery sticking up, but as many others mention, its something you have to just be willing to live with in exchange for saving $40 on the battery...
Initial performance looks promising, and showed no unexpected behavior. I started up on the battery and the system profiler showed the battery to be in "Good" condition with two cycles and about 5400 Mah of capacity (close to the original, which I think runs around 5,600). The status bar indicator showed about 1:20 in remaining time and indicated that the battery was 50% charged when I pulled down the menu. When I plugged in the charger, it took a moment to recalculate and then the profiler correctly upddated the status to "charging" and the status bar updated to show 0:52 minutes of remaining charge time. AS I've written this, the indicator is now at 0:41 of remaining charge time and 60% of battery life.
Incidentally, the silver button and green LEDs appear to function normally when pressed, whether the battery is installed or not. For example, trying it now, I get 3 solid and 1 blinking LED out of 5, which would indicate somewhere between 60% and 80% (if you assume that each LED represents an increment of 20% of life remaining)
If the fit was perfect, I'd say this would be deserving of 5 stars, but I knocked off one star simply because the fit is not flush to the back plane of the MBP.
I'll post back in a few months on how the battery is performing. See the pictures for a comparison between the original and this replacement. Enhanced truCELL Premium Replacement Laptop Battery for APPLE A1175 MA348LL/A Macbook Pro for Select 15" notebooks
So far, the battery seems to hold a charge just fine. Though, it is often difficult to tell battery quality until at least a few months of rigorous use.
The color is only slightly off from the original. Which is what I expected, given that these 3rd party products never look 100% authentic.
My only real complaint is the mechanical fit of the battery. The size is slightly smaller leaving a gap between the battery and computer body. But the real tragedy is that the holes that secure the battery in place are different shape than the Apple original part. This causes the battery to move when touched or when the laptop is lifted, because the battery is not secure or snugly in place. Once my computer crashed when I lifted it abruptly, perhaps due to loose battery connections. The battery will rise away from the laptop body when pressure is applied and released, as though it were spring loaded. The Apple battery did not do this. It is also visually an eyesore showing an uneven fit, not horrible but definitely noticeable. Thankfully no one really looks at the bottom of the computer. Though I can imagine someone snagging the sharp corner of the battery on fabric if the computer used on their lap or on a table cloth, since the battery fits into the bottom of the computer and will hang down so as not to be flush with the bottom. Also, my battery seems to be a bit warped where one side raises up more than the other. This problem could be prevented by making the cavity where the retractable prongs fit more like that of the Apple battery. The Apple battery has a noticeable pitch in the cavity opening that will allow the computer's retractable prongs to enter at a slight angle applying upward pressure that will hold the battery secure and flush with the body of the computer. It is obvious when looking at the shape of the latch cavity on the "PRO SERIES Equivalent Laptop Battery" that the battery will not be able to fit as snugly. The holes are simply too big and not the same shape as those on the original Apple part. I have seen similar complaints about other 3rd party batteries for this computer that were reviewed by others. Why is it so hard to get this right? Does Apple have a patent on the shape so that no 3rd party is allowed to replicate it? Perhaps it is too hard to manufacture, cheaply, because of the angle of the groove?
I heard of so many 3rd party batteries not lasting 6 months that I was initially discouraged from trying any knock-off. However the 3 Year Warranty on this model made me give this one a chance. I will update this review if it gives me any trouble.
The bottom line is that this battery is not a perfect mechanical replacement for the Apple original, but for the price difference it might be worth the cost. - Laptop Battery - Macbook - Apple - Laptop Batteries'
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