Top 5 Laptop Battery Myths

Battery life is a key consideration for many of us when buying a laptop or that already own a laptop, and ending up with one that runs down in a matter of hours is very annoying to say the least. A number of misconceptions about how long laptop batteries should last, and how you should look after them, have been circulating for many years – we tackle some of the most common below.

If you’re looking to learn more about battery types and the various technologies available, don’t forget to check out our Complete Guide: The Different Battery Types and Technologies.

Manufacturer battery life claims

Laptops come with headline battery life claims from the manufacturer which sometimes sound a bit too good to be true, and, according to product review websites like Cnet and Which.co, they definitely are. Experts often find battery life claims that are hours longer than the real story when they are put to the test in labs. For example, in a recent test the Acer Aspire Timeline U M3 claimed up to eight hours of battery life but the guys at Which.co got less than five browsing the web over a wi-fi connection. Claims are normally benchmarked results given under specific circumstances – take them with a pinch of salt.

"Disconnect the charger when the battery is full or it will damage it."

In short, you just don’t need to do this – laptop batteries will stop charging when they are full. The battery technology used is much cleverer than it’s ever been before. Compared to 10 years ago say, you can now trust that you can leave your laptop plugged in and it will take care of itself.

(60W) AC Adapter for Apple Laptop

"You need to let the battery drain completely before charging again."

Again, this is just not true. Like the above, this myth still exists from older battery technologies which are no longer commonly used. If you’re using your laptop at home you should leave the laptop plugged in making sure it’s running at full speed with the laptop battery setting on ‘high performance’ (see ‘Check your power setting’ in the tips below).

"Laptop batteries can always be easily replaced."

There’s no getting away from the fact that the running time on a single charge will get shorter over time. After a few years you might want to replace the battery, but it’s not always as easy as it sounds. On a standard laptop it’s generally possible to replace the battery – costing between $45 to $130 US depending on your model  and the batteries quality– and they’re easy to fit at home. MacBook Pro's however, tend to come with built-in batteries which you won’t be able to replace yourself and normally require you to send your laptop back to the manufacturer to be fitted – whether or not you’ll be charged may depend on if you’re within your warranty.

HP Pavilion® dv3-4000 Laptop Battery (Standard Capacity)

Extended battery life claims

Not exactly a myth, but these claims are worth looking out for as they refer to how long the laptop battery will last under very specific circumstances (some might say rather unlikely ones), as opposed to the ‘normal’ claimed battery life. You might see battery life claims of weeks, or even up to a month on some laptops. The Asus ZenBook UX31E, for example, claims up to two weeks of ‘standby time’ with open files and other data kept safe in the memory. While the Acer Aspire S3 claims to conserve battery life for up to 50 days in Sleep mode. Though you can expect a longer battery life in sleep mode, the exact times claimed should be viewed with caution in terms of how they’ll stand up in a real life situation.

If you are interested in a real solution to extend the battery life of your laptop then you might want to consider a Limewit Extended Life Battery or Standard Battery. The Limewit Standard Battery is designed to be 10-15% more efficient than the original in your laptop. While the Extended Life Battery will give you, in some cases, up to 50-100% more battery life and power. To see if your model is available you can browse their selection here.

Getting the most out of your laptop battery

1. Check your power setting – your laptop should automatically switch to a power saving option when you’re running on battery but it’s worth checking. In Windows 7 or Vista, check that you’re not on a ‘High performance’ option in the Power Options settings.
2. Lower the screen brightness – this will reduce the rate of your battery’s power consumption. Brightness buttons will be marked with a "sun" icon.
3. Switch off Wi-fi and bluetooth – turning these connections off when you’re not using it can improve battery life.
4. Eject CDs and DVDs – the spinning disks can eat up battery power even if you are not using them.

Edited by Limewit Tech Blog

Written by Catherine West
Photos courtesy of Limewit.com