About this replacement
HP Chromebook 14 G4 — 11.4V Li-Polymer Replacement Battery (BU03XL)
This is an 11.4V, 3200mAh (36.48Wh) Li-Polymer battery for the HP Chromebook 14 G4 and related 14-AK series models. It replaces OEM part BU03XL and cross-references 816609-005, HSTNN-IB7F, and TPN-Q167. Install it when the original cell no longer holds a charge and the laptop loses portability.
- Chromebook 14 G4 and 14-AK series fit: These models share the same flat Li-Polymer pack form factor, 11.4V three-cell voltage rail, and BU03XL connector pinout. The BMS handshake protocol is identical across the 14-AK010NR, 14-AK013DX, and the broader G4 platform, so one cell fits the full range.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this cell through charge and discharge cycles on a G4 unit. The BMS accepted the pack immediately, reported voltage correctly, and the charge controller stepped through CC/CV phases without fault flags.
- Post-install discharge cycle: After fitting this battery, run the Chromebook down to hibernate-cutoff on battery power, then charge uninterrupted to 100%. This forces the Chrome OS fuel gauge IC to re-learn the new cell's capacity curve and clears the inaccurate health warning that appears after every cell swap.
Why Chrome OS reports poor battery health immediately after fitting a new cell
The Chromebook's embedded controller reads EEPROM data written by the original factory cell. When a new cell goes in, that stored data no longer matches the actual charge state, so the EC flags the battery as degraded or unknown before any calibration has run. This is not a fault with the replacement cell — it is the EC comparing live readings against stale factory figures. Run one full discharge-to-hibernate followed by an uninterrupted charge to 100% and the EC overwrites the old EEPROM baseline with figures from the new cell.
Chromebook shutting down at 15–25% charge shown on screen
This happens when the fuel gauge IC has not yet calibrated against the new cell's voltage curve. The IC predicts remaining capacity using data points from the old cell, so it misses the voltage cliff and cuts power earlier than the displayed percentage suggests. The fix is the same calibration cycle: discharge fully to hibernate-cutoff, then charge to 100% without interruption. After two or three full cycles the displayed percentage and actual cutoff voltage align — the Chromebook should reach true empty before shutdown.