Yes, your link
Amazon.com: Dell Power Companion 6 Cell 18000 mAh (WCKF2): Computers Accessories costing $103.60. I can see that it is sold by an Amazon marketplace seller.
- If you look at the buying choices [
Used & new (30) from $98.46 + $5.49 shipping], you'll see that for $0.35 more, you could choose one that was "fulfilled" by Amazon so you might wish to consider that.
- I am always concerned when I buy from Amazon marketplace that the seller will not be there to honour its warranty later on so choosing Amazon or at least "fulfilled" by Amazon means you know the buck stops with somebody you can contact & who will respond.
- Consumer laws are different in different countries but in the UK Amazon told me that they would honour seller obligations for items "fulfilled" by Amazon.
- So it's up to you.
Yes, the direct links to Dell were about the same item. The Amazon product page contains the same product code [PW7015L] that Dell's pages use. And it is the only 18000mAh power pack that Dell produce.
Given the choice, I would select the seller that I trust to deliver the genuine article & to honour its obligations if there is a problem but we could spend the rest of our lives discussing how to decide which one to choose. Dell, for example, does not honour its obligations. Amazon does. Some Amazon marketplace sellers do. The shops in my town do.
The link I gave you to the US Dell site for the powerpack explicitly stated listed your model, "
The Dell [US] webpage has a much more detailed compatibility list than the UK page I previously gave you a link to in my first post. If you look at the US page in the Tech Specs section you will see an entry for XPS 15 (9550).". I had only referred to the 9560 earlier on because a user review had mentioned it.
Yes, it fulfils your needs. My only concern is that I do not know whether or not some cheaper non-Dell products might also fulfil your needs. But you would need to investigate each of them to find out. I tried but gave up and got the Dell one [from Amazon UK].
So the most reliable aspect of the PCWorld review and the reviews by users is not the raw statement of times but the comparison between those times. PCWorld's results were that their test computer [you model] lasted almost 5 times as long with the powerpack connected.
Keeping the battery connected to the power supply even after it has reached full charge is now commonplace and I have seen no recent claims that it does any harm. I recall there being issues a decade or more ago with older battery technologies but not with modern [li-ion polymer] batteries such as these. Just by way of example, my own battery also remains connected to power all the time just like yours and it has remained at a healthy 75% of its original design charge level for the year since I bought the powerpack.
Correct, no need to buy anything else. When you get it, you connect your computer's power adapter & its cable directly to the powerpack. You then connect the cable that comes with the powerpack from the powerpack to your computer. The powerpack will supply power to your computer even as it is charging itself up. And you leave them connected like this whenever you can.
As I wrote before, there is no action to take in the event of a power outage or at any other time.
- The powerpack is already connected to your power supply using your computer's adapter & cable.
- The powerpack is already connected to your computer using the cable that comes with the powerpack.
Just leave it all connected and everything is fine. Do not deliberately use your computer battery then connect - just leave everything connected all the time you can.
Do not unplug anything. It will just do its job of powering your computer and keeping your battery at 100% charge all the time.
Yes, I have my computer connected to the powerpack all the time I am at my desk. And the powerpack is the thing that is connected to AC power - it uses my laptop charger to do this.
About batteries wearing out. If you keep your battery fully charged then it will last ages with no loss of capacity. If you keep the powerpack connected [as above] then both it and your battery will stay fully charged. So you will only be using up the life of either battery when you need to.
If you go to bed with the powerpack connected [as it will always be if it is on your desk], you will wake up to find that the computer is still working and that its battery is still fully charged. If there has been a power outage then it is the powerpack that will be partially discharged not the computer.
I have no idea if any of the non-Dell powerpacks on Amazon are suitable. I know that MaxOak is not strong enough for my computers but I have no idea about yours. I told you where you needed to check for the data.
About travelling - mAh do not weigh anything so do not constrain your choice using that parameter. On many Amazon product pages the item weight is given in a table of parameters partway down the page & user questions/reviews might also mention weight.The Dell powerpack weighs just under 1 lb and is the size of one of those caddies/enclosures you might put an old HDD in. So I never think twice about keeping it connected if I am travelling.
I chose the Dell one because I could not find out if any others were suitable but I had already checked out the Dell one and concluded that it was suitable. So you could either investigate non-Dell ones in the hope of getting one that is more powerful or cheaper or you could just get the Dell one.
Yes, you will be able to keep working all day even if there is a power outage or you are travelling. I do not know which guy you are referring to but the PCWorld article was pretty clear on the matter anyway.
If I was using my network or the internet intensively on my WiFi then I would only expect to get an estimated 15 hours use. If I was just using MS Office or reading PDF files then I would get an estimated 35 Hours. If I was watching videos then I would expect to get 23 hours if the PCWorld tests are anything to go by.
Denis