We all want to get the most out of our laptops, and that includes doing what we can to extend the lives of our laptops’ batteries. But sometimes, despite our best efforts, we can still run into situations where our batteries can get damaged. In this guide, we’re taking a closer look at laptop battery swelling, its causes, and what you can do if your laptop shows signs of it.
“Laptop battery swelling” is actually what it sounds like: a swollen (read: distended or bloated) laptop battery. And in some cases, a swollen laptop battery can result in a damaged laptop chassis as well: As the bloated battery expands, it can warp the chassis, the touchpad, the keyboard, or even the display, and cause them to bulge out and split open.
Many laptops use lithium-ion batteries, and swollen batteries are a known issue with this kind of battery. Are swollen lithium-ion batteries dangerous? The general consensus is yes, swollen batteries can be dangerous and can be a fire or explosion hazard. Removing a swollen battery from your laptop can also be perilous, but it’s also unsafe to keep running your laptop with one or otherwise leaving it in your laptop.
That all said, the swollen battery should be removed as soon as possible, but we strongly urge you to be cautious and avoid removing the swollen laptop battery on your own.
Instead, stop charging and using your laptop. Turn it off, then (ideally) put your laptop in a fireproof box or vessel, and then bring it to a trusted PC repair shop, and allow them to handle the battery removal and the repair of your device.
There are a number of factors that can contribute to or lead to battery swelling. Age, excessive charge cycles over its lifetime, and heat can all increase the possibility of battery swelling. It can also be caused by manufacturer defects or other kinds of physical damage.
In any case, laptop battery swelling happens when the battery is no longer able to correctly carry out the chemical reaction necessary for power generation. As a result of these faulty chemical reactions, gases are produced (mostly carbon dioxide, but hazardous gases can be present as well), and these gases build up. The buildup of gases will then cause the battery to swell up and, in some cases, cause those characteristic bulges you’ll see on laptops with particularly swollen batteries.
You should immediately stop using the device, but it may be repairable. Your only option is to have it safely removed as soon as possible (preferably by a PC repair professional) and then have it replaced with a battery that is compatible with your device. Keep the laptop in a fireproof receptacle until you can get it to a repair shop. If you plan on removing the battery yourself (which we don’t recommend), do not simply throw the swollen laptop battery away: Take it to a local collection site that accepts e-waste and hazardous materials.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Google DeepMind's AI world model Genie 4 can now build interactive worlds that you can explore and reshape as they run. It also generates ambient sounds, music, and dialogue that respond to your actions.
The new world model builds on Genie 3 with improved realism, more natural human movement, and better simulations of real-world physics. It could eventually help with everything from game development to training robots.
Apple has an incredible talent for making me admire its products while simultaneously questioning what on earth it's thinking with the pricing. This isn't even something as bizarre as a monitor stand, but the audacity for starting a new laptop lineup from $2,000 doesn't surprise me.
The newly announced 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 is just the latest to showcase this. The funny thing is, I already know that it's going to be a reliable workstation. You get a powerful new 2nm M6 processor, a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display, and up to 24 hours of battery life. We were impressed by the M5 MacBook Air, so the high-end M6 powered MacBook Pro definitely won't let us down.