Looking for explanation of laptop batteries

mdsimmons1118

Proper
Aug 6, 2018
36
0
110
I need a general overview of how I shop for a new laptop based on good battery life.
What affects how long a battery can hold a charge and how many charges it can have before it dies
What are the differences between the laptop battery types and which are recommended more than others
What do the different numbers of cells mean
What are milliamp hours and how does that convert to battery life?
I just need an overview of what i'm supposed to look for to explain how well a battery is since some laptop specs don't necessarily say "up to 10 hours of battery" or something similar.
 
Solution
Even the laptops that do bother to say/claim, 'up to xx hours of battery life', such claims normally are made with users staring at a text only web-page, and not indicative of real life use...

Certainly, for laptops using some sort of decent GPU/integrated GPU for gaming, a battery will last one hour or so under such a load....

My family's last few laptops over the last 10 years have run an HP, a Dell, an Acer, and all have been more than satisfactory on battery life as long as not trying to think that once can play Call of Duty, etc, without accelerated battery drain.

Doubt you will find a 'junk' battery among the top tier OEMs...

Ohher than Tom's, you might also check out Anandtech and Hardocp for actual laptop reviews, where...

kanewolf

Judicious
Moderator
You don't get much technical info about the battery in a laptop. The type of chemistry, the voltage and the capacity are about all that is provided. The best choice is to find a laptop with an easily replaceable battery. That is getting more difficult. Most laptops have internal batteries to make the laptop thinner or lighter.

Most review sites, have some type of battery usage test. Use those reviews to provide real world data.
 

mdd1963

Distinguished
Even the laptops that do bother to say/claim, 'up to xx hours of battery life', such claims normally are made with users staring at a text only web-page, and not indicative of real life use...

Certainly, for laptops using some sort of decent GPU/integrated GPU for gaming, a battery will last one hour or so under such a load....

My family's last few laptops over the last 10 years have run an HP, a Dell, an Acer, and all have been more than satisfactory on battery life as long as not trying to think that once can play Call of Duty, etc, without accelerated battery drain.

Doubt you will find a 'junk' battery among the top tier OEMs...

Ohher than Tom's, you might also check out Anandtech and Hardocp for actual laptop reviews, where battery life under assorted loads might be specifically evaluated...

 
Solution

jojesa

Distinguished


First, batteries won't last as long as the manufacturer advertise them. Unless you stare a them without touching them, with a dim screen, WiFi and Bluetooth off and no apps running.
Laptop power settings, apps running, screen brightness, WiFi signal strength, Bluetooth, temperature of laptop or temperature of the room, etc, could affect how long a battery hold a charge.


Unpredictable. There are too many variables. But I have found that if you start charging a laptop when it reaches 20-30% up to 90% then unplug the battery will have a longer life. Batteries heat up more when empty and when they are about to reach their full capacity and heat is what brings batteries to an early demise.


All laptop manufacturers use lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries. lithium polymer could store more energy on a thinner package but it cost more.
A battery cell stores the power of a battery. A 8-cell battery will have double the storage of a 4-cell battery of the same size.


Milliamp hours (mAh) is used to measure the energy capacity of a battery, so the more mAh the bigger the battery capacity and consequently battery life.