Li-ion batteries

• How long after manufacture will Dell continue to sell a Li-ion battery as "new"?

I don't think anyone will tell  you what their policy is.  The fact that they offer a 1-year warranty on the battery is a good telling sign that the battery is fresh.

• How can I find out the manufacture date of my replacement battery?

Even if you can find that, it's largely meaningless - it's the manufacture date of the cells in the battery, not the battery itself, that is of concern.

• How does the battery health indicator (holding down the check button for five seconds) get its information? Will it reflect reduced capacity due to long-term storage? Does it take a few charge/discharge cycles to calibrate?

The battery has an internal logic board that meters the charge state.  It won't necessarily tell you the capacity is reduced - it simply shows the charge percentage.

Yes, the battery requires a few cycles to reach maximum capacity

• Does Dell store its "new" batteries in a reduced temperature environment at a reduced charge level, to minimize capacity loss?

Most likely not - and even if they did, the batteries are made in Asia and shipped by sea in un-airconditioned containers, so they've already likely been exposed to some temperature extremes when they arrive.

husky0894: Thank you for the comprehensive response!

How long after manufacture will Dell continue to sell a Li-ion battery as "new"? I don't think anyone will tell  you what their policy is.  The fact that they offer a 1-year warranty on the battery is a good telling sign that the battery is fresh.

Good point. At the very least I'm going to do a side-by-side comparison with my 3-year old battery, which shows a full five lights on the health meter (meaning it has <60% of its original capacity.)

How can I find out the manufacture date of my replacement battery? Even if you can find that, it's largely meaningless - it's the manufacture date of the cells in the battery, not the battery itself, that is of concern.

True, but if my battery was manufactured three years ago, that would at least give me its minimum age, and would potentially mean that it's already lost 20% of its useful life.

How does the battery health indicator (holding down the check button for five seconds) get its information? Will it reflect reduced capacity due to long-term storage? Does it take a few charge/discharge cycles to calibrate? The battery has an internal logic board that meters the charge state.  It won't necessarily tell you the capacity is reduced - it simply shows the charge percentage. Yes, the battery requires a few cycles to reach maximum capacity

I'm referring to the battery health indicator, which is different from the charge indicator. After holding the button down for five seconds, it displays a second series of five lights. 0 lights = 100% capacity to hold a charge, 5 lights = <60% capacity to hold a charge. I wonder what sort of logic is involved in determining capacity: whether it's an actual measure of a battery charge/discharge rates, or simply based on # of charge cycles, or what...

Does Dell store its "new" batteries in a reduced temperature environment at a reduced charge level, to minimize capacity loss? Most likely not - and even if they did, the batteries are made in Asia and shipped by sea in un-airconditioned containers, so they've already likely been exposed to some temperature extremes when they arrive.

One more question: Does anyone have any negative experiences operating a laptop without a battery installed (AC power only)? It makes sense to me that you should remove the battery to keep it cool and prolong its life, but I read elsewhere that leaving the battery installed helps protect the laptop against power fluctuations. Is a laptop with the battery installed likely to fare better during a brownout than one operating on AC only?