Nickel cadmium batteries offer an average of 1,000 charge/discharge cycles. Lithium-ion batteries are good for around 500 charge/discharge cycles. Lithium-ion batteries often find applications in laptops and cell phones while nickel cadmium are often employed in two-way radios and power tools.
Nickel cadmium batteries can lose electrical storage capacity over time, unlike lithium-ion batteries that lose a much lower amount of storage capacity throughout their life. Lithium-ion batteries can be stored unused for a number of months before they start to self-discharge.
A typical lithium-ion battery is rated to last for around three years while a nickel cadmium battery is rated to last for around five years. Nickel cadmium batteries operate at voltages around 1.2 volts. Lithium-ion batteries operate at voltages over three times that at around 3.7 volts.