Alkaline vs Lithium Batteries
Alkaline and Lithium-ion batteries are only two of the many types of batteries in the market that provides power to our wide array of devices. The battery has been the major limiting factor in the portability of devices but it has gradually improved over time to provide more power with a lesser weight and size. The alkaline battery is one that most people are familiar with. Although there are new Alkaline batteries that are rechargeable, they are quite rare and most Alkaline batteries are not. On the other hand, Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable and does not need to be replaced for a very long period of time given that proper care and maintenance is followed.
Alkaline batteries have a nominal voltage of 1.5V per cell. Larger voltages can be achieved by connecting two or more in series; resulting in 3V, 4.5, 6V, and so on. The nominal voltage of Lithium-ion batteries is much higher compared to that of Alkaline batteries at 3.6V per cell. The higher voltage means that you need fewer cells to achieve the desired voltage. Many mobile phones carry a single cell Lithium-ion battery and if you look at you phone’s battery, you may find that it has a voltage of 3.6 or 3.7 volts. Laptops, music players, gaming devices, and all other gadgets that require a lot energy all carry rechargeable batteries like Lithium-ion. Alkaline batteries are commonly used with torches, portable radios, clocks, and remotes where the consumption is not excessive.
The primary advantage of Alkaline batteries is that they come in standard sizes that are easy to identify. You can easily find replacement batteries or swap batteries between two devices that use the same size. With Lithium-ion batteries, finding a replacement battery can be quite a chore. It is not tied up to the actual chemistry of the battery but with how manufacturers use them. Each company constructs the battery casing differently, in order to minimize size and make it fit on their device. This means that even if both your devices use a single cell Lithium-ion battery, chances are you can’t swap their batteries because it would simply not fit.
Summary:
Most alkaline batteries are non-rechargeable while Lithium batteries are
Alkaline batteries have a lower cell voltage than Lithium batteries
Alkaline batteries have many uses while Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used for devices with very high energy requirements
Alkaline batteries have standard sizing while Lithium batteries do not