Alkaline: The mainstream battery technology for high-drain devices. They’re cheap and very easy to find, and last much longer than the old zinc chloride batteries. Technical advances have also seen the major problems – a short shelf life and a propensity to leak – reduced or even fixed.
Lithium: Lithium batteries work even better than alkalines. They last much longer, have an epic shelf life, don’t discharge as much power when not in use and can cope with extreme temperatures. While normal alkaline AAs struggle below 0°C, lithium batteries will operate down to -40°C. They can also be up to 9g lighter than the equivalent alkaline AA battery, which counts when you have something powered by four AAs. The only negative? They’re significantly more expensive.
Generally speaking, you should go for alkalines for most of your battery needs but opt for lithium options for digital cameras or other high-drain products where you need a reliable high charge for as long as possible.
Should I buy rechargeables instead?
In many cases, yes. Rechargeables don’t deliver as much voltage as disposables (typically 1.25V rather than 1.5V), but they normally maintain the same level for longer and can just be recharged when they run dry. You pay more upfront for the batteries and the charger (if you need one), but you’ll recoup the difference within a couple of uses – and AA batteries cost so little to recharge that it’s barely worth thinking about. Factor in the clear environmental issues and it’s a no-brainer, though these days, many local councils and some supermarkets now offer free recycling.
There are exceptions to the rule, though. Sometimes you just need batteries and it’s neither possible nor convenient to get rechargeables. What’s more, most rechargeables tend to self-discharge over time, steadily losing charge until they’re useless and need a recharge. That’s not a problem for many devices, where you use them intensively over short periods, but for something you use over a long period, such as a remote control, regular recharges soon become annoying. You may find the same with game controllers, toys and some other gadgets and devices. Here, standard disposable AA batteries often work out better, simply because they don’t self-discharge at anywhere near the same rate.
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source: https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/accessories/1409251/best-aa-batteries
