Short answer: the NB-13L and the NB-13L II have essentially the same capacity; the difference lies in cell consistency and cycle life. Specifically, the second generation controls the spread of capacity and internal resistance within a batch more tightly, and loses capacity more slowly across repeated charging. This is not a “double the capacity” upgrade, and it will not show up on a spec sheet. What you feel in daily use is a more linear charge reading, more uniform behavior between packs, and no sudden collapse after a year or two.
First, a point that is easy to misunderstand: Canon offers exactly one NB-13L model, and there is no official “first generation” or “second generation”. The version numbers used here are the replacement manufacturer’s own product sequence, and the second generation is often written as NB13L-2. Once that is clear, phrases like “OEM second generation” stop being confusing.
One: what cell consistency actually affects
A battery is cells, a protection board, and a case. As cells leave the factory, their capacity and internal resistance naturally vary, and a well-consolidated batch has a narrower spread. That sounds like an engineering detail, but it directly determines three things you can feel:
| Dimension | Average consistency | Good consistency | What you experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charge reading | Percentage jumps, mid-range drops fast | Flatter curve, closer to linear | Whether you can trust that last bar on screen |
| Between packs | Two units of the same model behave noticeably differently | The two track each other and can be planned interchangeably | How predictable your backup is |
| Shutdown point | Shuts down soon after showing one bar | Releases more of the tail charge | Whether you can shoot the last half hour of the day |
Note that none of these differences is an order of magnitude. Good consistency does not mean twice the shots; it means fewer failures at the worst moment. For a casual user shooting a few dozen frames a day, the difference is nearly invisible. For someone shooting several hundred a day and planning the schedule around bar counts, that predictability is worth real money.
Two: how to read cycle life
Cycle life means how many full charge and discharge cycles a pack survives before capacity falls to some proportion of its initial value. The common industry figure is about eight tenths remaining after several hundred cycles, but published numbers vary by maker and depend heavily on conditions — heat, long storage at full charge, and frequent deep discharge all shorten real life below the rating.
The second generation’s improvement here shows up as a flatter degradation curve: not almost nothing for the first two hundred cycles followed by a cliff, but a slow decline. The practical meaning is that you will not wake up one day to find the pack “only lasts half a day now”.
One caution: cycle life cannot be verified in a short test. Any claim of “tested to 800 cycles” on a consumer product is hard to trust, because it would require years. The more reliable way to judge this kind of improvement is whether the maker states clearly what direction it improved, not whether the number looks impressive.
Three: three differences you can feel in use
First, judging when to swap becomes easier. A common pattern with older packs is: two bars showing, you keep shooting confidently, and ten minutes later the camera shuts off. With good consistency, the tail gives you more buffer, and at least it will not jump from “still have charge” to “no charge” in one step.
Second, two packs can genuinely be used interchangeably. In a batch with wide spread, two units of the same model may differ by more than a tenth in real capacity, and you will unconsciously favor one while the other becomes the “emergency” pack. With a tight batch, the two rotate as equals and wear more evenly.
Third, long-term cost is lower. This is the least intuitive point and the most practical: if a pack lasts two years instead of one, your battery spending over two years is halved. For someone who carries a G7X everywhere and shoots tens of thousands of frames a year, that adds up.
A word on capacity: the OEM NB-13L is rated 1250mAh / 4.5Wh / 3.6V, and the second generation is close to that. If a product claims a capacity far above this figure, either the rating convention differs (for example quoting an equivalent value as if it were actual) or the number is inflated — and neither has anything to do with being a “second generation”.
Four: who does not need to upgrade
If your current packs still work normally and show no obvious degradation, there is no reason to replace them over the word “second generation”. Batteries are consumables; replacing them when they need it is better value than upgrading early.
If you shoot a handful of times a year and the camera mostly lives in a dry cabinet, consistency does not matter either — your usage never reaches that boundary.
Conversely, the second generation is worth considering in these cases: you regularly drain two packs in a day, you plan your shooting rhythm around bar counts, the camera is two years old or more and you are replacing the whole set, or you have been burned once by a sudden shutdown. To see the specific models, visit the NB-13L II category; to compare OEM specs and compatible bodies, see the NB-13L category.
And one honest closing note: consistency is an improvement that reduces surprises, not one that raises the ceiling. Read it as steadier rather than stronger, and you will not expect more than it delivers.
FAQ
Will a second-generation pack fit a first-generation G7X?
Yes. The G7X, G7X II, and G7X III, along with the G9X, G9X II, SX730, and SX740, all use the NB-13L spec and share packs. Everything works normally after fitting; a few bodies may show minor differences in the charge display.
Can I mix first and second generation packs?
You can, but avoid doing it long-term. Rotating two packs with different levels of wear erodes your sense of how long “one pack” lasts. Either replace them as a set, or keep the old one fixed as an emergency spare.
Can I check cycle count in the camera?
These small Canon bodies generally do not offer a battery cycle counter, unlike some DSLRs and mirrorless models. Degradation can only be judged by comparing actual runtime, or by watching whether charging time has clearly shortened.
Does “second generation” mean it lasts longer?
The cycle-life improvement does point to a longer service period, but a battery is still a consumable and will eventually degrade. Treat it as “ages more slowly” rather than “will not fail”, and your expectations will be accurate.