LiPo Battery 2s vs 3s (A Full Comparison)

LiPo, known as Lithium Polymer batteries, are famous for their durability and power. There are a variety of cell numbers in the series of lipo batteries. For example, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, etc.

Most people around the world ask the same question – which is better between lipo battery 2s vs 3s and what are the differences between them?

If you have the same question on your mind, then you’ve arrived at just the right place.

The voltage between lipo 2s and 3s is different. As a result, the discharge time and performance are different for them.

Today we will show you all the differences between lipo battery 2s and 3s in this article. Till then stay with us.

What Do 2s and 3s Mean in A Li Po Battery?

Before going any further, let’s discuss what 2s and 3s mean in a Li Po battery.

The latter “S” defines the number of cells that a lipo battery has. So, lipo 2s battery has 2 cells and 3s battery has 3 cells inside them.

Each LiPo cell is rated at 3.7v. That means, lipo 2s is 7.4v and 3s is 11.1v. Let’s learn about them in detail below.

Differences Between LiPo 2s and LiPo 3s Battery

The LiPo 2s and 3s batteries do the same job. However, there are some core differences between them. Look at the chart below to observe the differences between the two series of lipo batteries:

Specification	LiPo 2S	LiPo 3S
Number of cells	2	3
Voltage	7.4 V	11.1 V
Capacity	800 mAh	450 mAh
Max Continuous Discharge	45C or 36A	45C or 20.25A
Max Burst Discharge	90C or 72A	90C or 40.5A
Dimensions	51.6 x 25.6 x 21 mm	54 x 29 x 13 mm
Weight	42 grams	41 grams

You can see from the chart above that, a lipo 2s battery has fewer cells and voltage than a lipo 3s battery. However, the capacity of the 2s battery is higher than 3s batteries and 2s batteries discharge more quickly than 3s. The weight and dimensions of both are almost the same.

Now, let’s the differences in detail below.

1. Configuration of LiPo Batteries: 2s VS 3s

First, look at the chart below:

Configuration	2S	3S
Total Number of Cells	2	3
Standard Voltage(V)	7.4	11.1
Full Voltage(V)	8.4	12.6
Storage Voltage(V)	7.6	11.4

From the chart above you can see that the lipo 3s battery has more cells and voltage than the lipo 2s battery. So, obviously, the lipo 3s batteries will long last than the lipo 2s batteries.

Let’s see the difference in their longevity.

2. Longevity of LiPo Battery: 2s vs 3s

The discharge time of the lipo 2s battery is shorter than the lipo 3s battery. According to research, the 3s battery has 33% more lifespan than a 2s battery. Here is the graph:

As lipo 3s batteries have more voltage than 2s batteries, the motor can get more voltage from 3s, and thus it loses less power. That’s why it can last longer than the 2s battery.

3. Impact Differences Between 2s vs 3s Lipo Battery

The speed of a motor depends on the voltage of a battery. If the voltage is high, then the motor speed will increase.

As lipo 2s batteries have a lower voltage than 3s batteries, the motor speed for 2s batteries is also lower than 3s batteries.

The motor speed for the lipo 2s battery is 31080RPM and for the lipo 3s battery is 46620RMP for a 4200kv motor. Here is the chart of total voltage according to the capacity.

Capacity (%)	100	80	60	40	20	0
2s(Voltage)	8.4	8.05	7.75	7.59	7.45	6.55
3s(Voltage)	12.6	12.07	11.62	11.39	11.18	9.82

As 3s batteries consume less current, it has a longer lifespan than 2s batteries.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Use a 3S Battery on A 2S ESC?

It depends on the ESC (Electronic speed control) whether you can use a 3s battery on it or not. If the ESC is rated to run 2 to 4S, then you can use 2s, 3s, or 4s battery with that ESC. But if the ESC is rated 2S, then do not use more than a 2s battery on that ESC.

What Is the Difference Between 2S 3S 4S Li Po Batteries?

The LiPo (Lithium Polymer) batteries are determined based on the number of cells they have which refers to the number of “S”. LiPo 2S battery has 2 cells, 3S has 3 cells, and 4S has 4 cells in total inside that battery. Similarly, LiPo 6S batteries have 6 cells.

Can You Run a 2S and 3S Li Po Together?

Yes, you can run Li Po 2S and 3S batteries together. There is no problem with using the same batteries with different numbers of cells. However, if any ESC is rated 2S then it isn’t safe to use 3S or above.

How Long Does a 3 S Li Po Battery Last?

It is hard to say how long can a 3s Li Po battery last as it completely depends on the usage of that battery. Again, LiPo batteries have no expiration dates. However, a hardware engineer of Intel named Sarah Petrova said that if a 3S LiPo battery is used excessively, then it can last up to 18 months.

How Long Does a 2s Li Po Battery Last?

A LiPo 2s battery can last 150 to 300 cycles but it totally depends on how the battery is being used. If you use the LiPo 2s battery quite often and frequently charge and discharge it, then the battery will ultimately lose its capacity and lifespan.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now understand the differences between the Li Po 2S and 3S batteries after reading this article. The main difference between 2s and 3s is the total number of cells of these batteries. If you have any more queries regarding this topic, then don’t hesitate to leave your question in our comment section below and we will reach you as soon as possible. Thanks for reading.