Correct replacement battery for Early 2011 17" MBP (A1309 vs A1383)

[Sharky II]

Hi all,

I need a replacement battery for an A1297 2011 17" MBP Unibody, which I currently believe to have a faulty 3rd party battery (A1383 spec) that never worked.

However it looks like there are two versions that are being sold:

- A1309 2009/2011 Battery-A1297 7.4V 95WH (£70)
- A1383 2011/2011 Battery-A1297 10.95V 95WH (£75)

They both are apparently suitable for an A1297 MBP, with a £5 difference for a genuine/new Apple replacement on eBay.

Can anyone suggest which is best for my old laptop? I've tried asking the seller on eBay, but no response (hey, it's the holidays).

Many thanks,

Ed

 

[JohnMcL7]

Have you been able to sort out the battery? I have an early 2011 Macbook Pro 17in with a completely dead battery and trying to get my head around the best option to go for to replace it.

 

[Sharky II]

I'm afraid not - was waiting for a reply to this thread!

 

[JohnMcL7]

I'm afraid not - was waiting for a reply to this thread!

That's a shame, from my brief research it looks like 10.95V is the correct one - ifixit list the lower voltage for 2009-2010 and the higher voltage for the 2011 model:

MacBook Pro 17

Repair your MacBook Pro yourself! Detailed step-by-step instructions ✓ The right tools for an easy repair ✓ With full lifetime iFixit warranty ✓ Fast shipping

store.ifixit.co.uk

MacBook Pro 17

Repair your MacBook Pro yourself! Detailed step-by-step instructions ✓ The right tools for an easy repair ✓ With full lifetime iFixit warranty ✓ Fast shipping

store.ifixit.co.uk

Where have you been looking to buy from? A glance around the forum recommends the Newertech batteries which I can only find for sale from sites I'm not familiar with for around the £100 mark. My initial thought was ifixit who have one for £92 but the reviews on their site aren't that good, it doesn't look like Apple will cover a machine of this age for £129 unfortunately.

 

[chscag]

Have you been able to sort out the battery? I have an early 2011 Macbook Pro 17in with a completely dead battery and trying to get my head around the best option to go for to replace it.

Here's the best battery for your 2011 17" MacBook Pro. Not cheap, but good quality and warranted.

Replacement Batteries for 17-Inch MacBook Pro (2011)

NewerTech NuPower 95 Watt-Hour Replacement Battery for all Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch Unibody 2011 models.

eshop.macsales.com

 

[Sharky II]

Just ordered this replacement battery: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124017596511

Hopefully it fixes my problem with the (hopefully) faulty battery that came with it when I inherited the machine!

 

[JohnMcL7]

Just ordered this replacement battery: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124017596511

Hopefully it fixes my problem with the (hopefully) faulty battery that came with it when I inherited the machine!

How did you get on with that one? I'm a bit wary of items like that which claim to be genuine since I don't think Apple allow anyone else to sell these parts.

 

[Sharky II]

Yes, I'm a bit wary of it too. Coconut battery says that it was made in 2020 so I don't really understand. Says it's 97% of full capacity.

Maybe I've been had, but it seems to be working. At least, the battery charged, the machine booted up normally with normal performance (previously it was acting as if no battery was in, so the performance was 100x slower than normal), and it does have Apple markings on it.

I need to do a bit more testing to be 100% sure, and I'll report back soon (no, really).

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"They both are apparently suitable for an A1297 MBP, with a £5 difference for a genuine/new Apple replacement on eBay."

My guess is that 9 out of 10 "genuine/new Apple replacement" batteries being sold on ebay (for not much more than 3rd party batteries) are actually fakes and counterfeits...

 

[kkrabat]

Yes, I'm a bit wary of it too. Coconut battery says that it was made in 2020 so I don't really understand. Says it's 97% of full capacity.

Maybe I've been had, but it seems to be working. At least, the battery charged, the machine booted up normally with normal performance (previously it was acting as if no battery was in, so the performance was 100x slower than normal), and it does have Apple markings on it.

I need to do a bit more testing to be 100% sure, and I'll report back soon (no, really).

You might have to "re-program" your battery: Charge to 100% + 2 hours, discharge to black screen, recharge to 100%