First Impressions: NuPower Macbook Pro Replacement Battery
Product Reviewed: 62 Watt NuPower Battery for Macbook Pro 15 (2006 – 2008)
Retail price: $99.00
Vendor: Other World Computing
Warranty: 1 year NewerTech warranty
A few days ago, I shared my experience using MyService to get Aarti’s 2006 vintage Macbook Pro back in service. Both Aarti and I were very pleased with MyService’s price, customer service and the quality of the repair.
The Macbook Pro was almost “road-worthy”, save for one minor problem: after 4 years of heavy use, the battery inside the unit could no longer hold a charge for more than 30 minutes. I had two options: go with the Apple brand ($129) or seek out other alternatives.
I didn’t have to look too far. Site sponsor Other World Computing had a NuPower battery replacement in stock for $99. The price was $20 cheaper than Apple’s version, plus the NuPower battery boasted an additional 4.4% capacity over Apple’s own.
Given the less expensive price coupled with OWC’s sterling reputation in the Mac community, I pulled the trigger and ordered the NuPower battery. Two days later, the battery arrived at our doorstep. Inside the box was a replacement battery, neatly wrapped up inside an anti-static bag.
The battery itself was physically identical to Apple’s, save for the brand labeling on the NuPower battery’s underside. The NuPower battery’s fit and finish was excellent – it was very easy to install. With the new battery installed, one would be hard pressed to spot any differences between the NuPower brand vs Apple’s. (I couldn’t tell.)
I haven’t used this battery for more than two days, so I don’t have any reliable numbers with regards to run-times as yet. So far, there haven’t been any hiccups whatsoever with regular usage or the install. I hope to have some battery benchmarks in the next few days.
Update: I’m getting roughly 2 hours with the NuPower battery under normal use (web videos, email, web-surfing). Here’s another review on the NuPower battery you should check out.
–Krishna
May 13, 2014: I’ve added a follow-up to this article concerning battery bulges and overall longevity of the NewerTech battery.
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eidolon
June 26, 2010 at 12:20 pmHi,
To get the maximum life and usage from your new battery you should charge it to 100% leave it on the charger for a couple of hours after reaching full charge. Then run it totally down. After the low battery warning save your work and keep going. Once the computer dies leave it that way for a few hours, overnight is fine, then back to 100%.
Do this every few months and remember to exercise the battery, do not leave it plugged in all the time and it will last much longer.
David C King
July 1, 2010 at 2:09 pmI’ve bought from OWC many times … at one time that’s the only place you could get NewerTech stuff from (think G4 processor card upgrades that ran on my older PowerPCs).
Always pleased with OWC service. Their help videos are great for installing memory etc.
Glad you’ve got them as your sponsor.
morgan chiu
April 13, 2011 at 11:09 pmBought a Newer Tech batt for my MBP15. In less than a year, the laptop now has a Service Battery error. Problem started developing after roughly 100 cycles. Current charge 4001 vs 5800 new. Not a reliable product in my book. As bad as Apple’s own batt.
Krishna
April 14, 2011 at 1:42 pmHow old is the battery? Have you tried contacting OWC’s customer service? http://eshop.macsales.com/Service/index.cfm
Tina
January 31, 2012 at 6:40 pmDoes the battery come with installation instructions? I’m a complete newbie and had never even thought of my MBP hardware until the battery died on me.
Krishna
January 31, 2012 at 7:44 pmThe battery didn’t come with instructions – but on an early 2008 Macbook Pro, you simply pop open the two latches underneath the Macbook Pro, and the battery pops out. The documentation is also covered in the user’s manual for the MBP.
Tina
February 2, 2012 at 1:15 pmOK. Thanks!
Daniel
March 14, 2012 at 11:00 pmI am on my second Newer Tech battery in just a few months (MBP 17) The first one stopped working after two weeks. OWC sent me a replacement after receiving the non functioning one (leaving me with no laptop battery for 10+ days. I’ve had the second battery they sent me for about 2 months now and it wont hold a charge for more than a few minutes at best. If I power down and back up the computer tells me there is no battery about half of the time, which was the problem with the first NuPower battery OWC sold me. I am going to request a full refund for the second battery and pay the extra$ for an Apple battery now.
Krishna
March 31, 2012 at 12:22 amThat’s really odd. I’ve had two NewerTech batteries (one for my 2006 Macbook Pro and one for my 2008 Macbook Pro) and they’re both running like champs. Did you condition your batteries (run them until they drained) to calibrate them?
eas
August 16, 2014 at 11:15 pmIt only superficially appears identical to the Apple battery.
It looks just like a NuPower battery I have, which is silver-painted plastic on top, whereas the Apple batteries are stainless steel.