When it comes to laptops, longer battery life is a universally desirable feature. However, achieving extended runtime often involves navigating trade-offs among various components. Powerful CPUs and graphics cards, for instance, tend to drain battery faster compared to their more efficient counterparts. Similarly, larger, brighter, and higher-resolution displays consume more power, with OLED panels notably drawing more battery resources than LCD screens. Additionally, the size of the laptop itself can impact battery life, with ultraportables typically featuring smaller batteries compared to larger counterparts.
Navigating these trade-offs can be a challenge, but if your priority is securing a laptop capable of lasting through the day on a single charge, you’ve landed in the right place.
Among the champions of battery life, Apple’s MacBooks notably stand out. Equipped with Apple’s own M3 chips, these laptops deliver exceptional performance alongside battery life that outlasts many Windows competitors by hours. While Windows laptops can certainly offer commendable battery life, none quite match the stamina of a MacBook. Although long-running Chromebooks are fewer in number in our recent reviews, models like the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 and Acer Chromebook 317 showcase impressive battery longevity in the Chrome OS ecosystem.
Our testing methodology for assessing battery life involves fully charging the laptop’s battery and subjecting it to a standardized video playback test. This test streams a video over Wi-Fi on a loop until the battery is depleted, providing a standardized metric for comparison across different devices. However, it’s important to note that real-world usage scenarios may vary, and users may experience shorter runtimes under more demanding tasks or longer battery life during periods of idle use.
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Max, 2023)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3, 2024)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)
HP Dragonfly G4
Lenovo Yoga 7i 16
