Lithium AA batteries are a solid choice for more robust shorter-term use in high-drain equipment such as digital cameras, or even better in low-drain devices that need to be powered on for very long periods of time. Instead, what pure lithium chemistry offers in AA format is an especially powerful and very long-lasting cell type. Many battery types placed in the wrong charger may eventually leak or rupture, but Li-ion cells can ignite with shocking violence if mishandled badly enough.Ī standard AA lithium (non-ion) battery, on the other hand, is not intended to be rechargeable in the first place. Li-ion cells operate at significantly higher voltages than most AA battery types, and must never be placed in a charger designed for AA-type NiMH or alkaline batteries. These Li-ion cells combine lithium with other compounds and almost always appear in significantly different form factors (often large, flat and rectangular) than the familiar size and shape of button-top AA batteries. The latter, usually abbreviated to ‘li-ion’, are the extensively rechargeable versions you often find built into mobile phones, laptops, drones, vaping devices, and a broad catalogue of other high-drain consumer electronics products. When it comes to discussing AA lithium batteries, it’s important to make a key distinction between lithium and lithium-ion cells. Combining loose or non-identical rechargeable AA batteries - particularly of different ages and active cycle capacities - in a single device can, therefore, lead to power or stability issues, which is why battery packs are generally a far better option in this scenario. When various batteries working together are unable to discharge at equal or consistent rates, some cells can end up being placed under excessive workloads as they struggle to compensate for weaker performers. This is better and safer for both the batteries themselves, and the long-term health of the devices they’re powering. Good quality rechargeable battery packs are usually assembled such that all the individual AA cells in the pack are functionally identical, reasonably balanced, and can be charged and discharged at similar rates to one another over their active lifetimes. For devices requiring multiple batteries to power on, this is much more convenient than having to remove each individual cell one by one when you need to charge or replace them.
The advantage of rechargeable AA battery packs is that they behave much like a single cell in terms of swapping them in and out. Additional interconnects and terminals are wired in to provide managed power-flow between the numerous cells in the pack, allowing for more evenly balanced delivery across a single combined circuit.
Rechargeable battery packs usually feature secondary wrapping or plastic end caps placed around the cell grouping, in order to keep them in their intended layout. Rechargeable battery packs are generally suitable for use in a wide range of devices that require more than one or two batteries to operate, provided of course that you can find a pack in the right configuration to fit the device in question.Ĭommon pack configurations include 4, 5, 6, 12 or 24 AA batteries assembled in series, in parallel, or in a combination of the two. Rechargeable AA battery packs are also a widely available option, in which multiple identical rechargeable AA cells are combined together to form a single larger battery. They’re often sold bundled together in multiples of two or four cells complete with a charger, although it’s just as common to find any number of the batteries themselves - or indeed the requisite chargers - sold separately.
While other chemistry types are available, NiMH is almost certainly the commonest variant of rechargeable AA battery you’ll encounter today (the once widespread NiCd types are now increasingly viewed as somewhat obsolete, thanks to being both fairly low capacity and toxic).įor convenience and long-term cost-effectiveness, it’s hard to beat rechargeable AA batteries in many day-to-day uses. Rechargeable AA batteries are extremely commonplace these days you’ll find them on sale in almost as many places as you’ll find non-rechargeable variants. In fact, you can buy ‘standard’ AA batteries - disposable alkaline 1.5V versions - almost anywhere you look, and more often than not they’ll work in most types of consumer electronic devices,īut when should you just take the first available option, and in which scenarios does it pay to shop around a little more? In this section we’ll explore some of the most common AA battery types sold in hardware stores, electrical retailers, supermarkets, petrol stations and newsagents all over the UK, and suggest which sorts are best for which applications. The first thing to note when looking to buy AA batteries in the UK is just how many different sorts you’ll find on sale from a wide range of manufacturers, suppliers and retailers.