What Is the Average Laptop Battery Life and How Can You Extend It?
By the year 2024, the laptop market size is expected to reach $7.52 billion.
It's fair to assume that there won't be nearly enough first-time buyers to make up this number. The increase in sales will rely heavily on return customers being forced to upgrade.
And what causes the need for an upgrade more than anything else? Flat batteries.
If you are tired of the constant repurchasing trend, you need a plan to stretch your device past the average laptop battery life. Lucky for you, we've got the tips and tricks to help you do this.
Follow along to learn about the average laptop battery life and measures that you can take to get the most out of your device for longer.
What Is the Average Laptop Battery Life?
The lifespan of your laptop battery is highly dependent on the quality of your device. While budgets can reduce your ability to get a top range model, purchasing from reputable sites like lenovo.com can help you land a higher-quality laptop for your needs.
While these improved models often see a longer life, the limits of a battery do still apply; however, the timeline may be more reliant on your habits than you're aware.
There is a large variance in the claims made by laptop producers ranging from 18 months to four years. Seeing as this measure is unreliable based on the different usage frequency from customer to customer, many companies are now breaking down this number to a 'recharge rate.'
The expected average is between 500-1000 charges, but you do have the ability to extend or decrease this number.
How to Improve Laptop Battery Life
With the understanding of recharging being the main component to your battery's lifespan, the simple approach to extending the time you get from your device is to reduce the amount you need to charge it.
This can be done through a number of techniques that aim to draw out the amount of use you get per-charge.
1. Dim Your Screen
The brightness of your screen is one of the largest contributors to battery use. Fortunately, this is a simple fix. Head over to your display settings and bring that brightness dial down. The more you dim, the more you can stretch out your charge.
If you find that you can't see your screen due to a bright environment and a dark screen, try adjusting your position to decrease sunlight on your screen. This is better for your screen health and your visibility.
As a bonus, a regulated screen brightness could land you a better night's sleep. Starting at blue light-emitting devices for long hours can fool your brain into reducing sleep hormones. Your eyes will get a much-needed rest from those bright lights and potentially repair sleep regulation.
2. Adjust Settings
If you haven't adjusted your settings since unboxing, now is the time. Advancements in tech have allowed companies to introduce time-sensitive and cause and effect settings.
Functions like the power-saver mode can be prompted to automatically activate when your laptop reaches a specific battery level. You can also set times for screen dimming and sleep timers when your device hasn't had any activity.
This is great for users who spend time on and off the screen. You won't be spending your battery life on unused time and can use power-saving settings to buy you time while you get to a charging station.
3. Disconnect Externals
If you are using external add-ons like keyboards or mouses, disconnect them when not in use. Leaving your desk set up with convenient extras may be tempting, but doing so can seriously sap your battery.
Tie your task to your extras and eliminate the number of connections you have going on. If you are typing long documents, consider unplugging your external mouse for the time being or ditch the keyboard when you're just having a browse on Facebook.
Plugging in these elements will draw from your battery and using Bluetooth as a connection point causes your computer to work harder to maintain that addition.
Another large contributor to this add-on energy suck is an external disc drive. Most laptops require this element because of the phasing out of built-in disc readers but the spinning of a disc is a continual battery user. Unplug this reader when not in use.
If you do have a built-in disc reader, don't fuel a constant reading by leaving discs in for longer than necessary. While it's easy to forget they are in there, the impact they have on your battery is undeniable.
4. Check Your Background
Just like your phone or tablet, your laptop will run apps in the background while you work. Some of these background activities may be necessary, but many are the product of unnecessary energy use.
When you are done with a tab or program, close it. Instead of keeping a word document up for next time, hit save and reopen it when necessary. For those background apps, check-in with your active open apps measures and closeout anything you don't need.
This will reduce the number of programs your laptop needs to maintain and lower the stress on your battery.
5. Switch Off Searching
Wifi and Bluetooth have become prominent features in the digital world, but they come with a lofty energy pricetag.
If you are in an area without an available wifi connection or don't have your Bluetooth add-ons nearby, turn off these functions. Because they are searching for nearby devices or networks, they will kick your laptop into an actively working state and draw from your battery supply.
Allow your system to rest by taking away this constant searching. Even if you are connected to wifi, consider shutting it down when you don't need the internet. The continual exchange of information through the network will draw energy just the same.
6. Upgrade Your Gear
Invest in extra batteries or extensions for your battery pack. Many companies offer additional upgrades that can boost the use time on your battery by as much as 75%.
You can even keep an external power pack with you for those situations where you need a boost. If your battery is easily accessible, the cycling of your battery packs can draw out your sessions and cause you to recharge the same pack less frequently.
7. Keep It Up
One of the largest myths around battery usage is the need to completely drain your battery. This came from non-lithium batteries experiencing a decreased re-charge ability due to only topping up small amounts.
These days, laptop batteries are majority lithium and don't have this kind of limitations. In fact, letting your battery dip below 20% on a regular basis can actually cause damage to the device's health. Instead of letting it go flat, try to make your way to a charging station when you enter this danger zone.
In addition to this, leaving your laptop plugged in is also not a threat. Lithium batteries stop obtaining charge when they reach 100%, so staying plugged in isn't as harmful as you've been made to believe.
While it's less convenient to have your laptop tie to a wall, it won't actually cause your battery to die faster once unplugged.
8. Reduce Heat
Overheating is not only dangerous for your device, it's also damaging. Even if you aren't experiencing shutdowns from high heat, your battery is feeling the pressure.
You've probably noticed the fan on your laptop launches to a whole new level when the heat rises. This is because it needs to get rid of the high temperature around the system in order to keep operating. However, as you may have guessed, the extra work of the fan is relying on battery power to run.
Keep your system healthy and your battery fuller by ensuring un-obstructed airflow. Use a lap-desk to lift the escape vents off of your lap and free up space to breathe. Try not to block your fans by keeping items near the vents or leaving your device on in a closed laptop bag.
9. Hop Into Hibernation
Taking a break for lunch or stepping away from your screen? Save your usage time by sending your laptop into hibernation mode. This isn't the same as powering right off but will allow your system to draw less energy.
You can prompt your laptop to kick into this state when you close the lid or manually activate hibernation mode before clocking out for breaks. This will keep your important documents ready to go without wasting valuable battery life on maintaining system functions.
Get the Best Laptop Battery Life
Now that you know these tips and tricks for lengthening your sessions, you'll be able to get the most out of your device and extend the average laptop battery life to new lengths. Say goodbye to constant recharging and device replacement bills and embrace these habits in your daily usage.
Want to know more tech tips for your everyday life? Check out our other articles to discover all the secrets to an optimized technology experience.
