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The average lifespan of a good laptop is about 5 years. Of course, when we talk about averages, it should be borne in mind that this means that some laptops will be unusable after 2-3 years, while others are very likely to be good for use after 7 years or more. The general rule is that the average lifespan of a laptop depends on its price and the class in which it falls. Approximately we can make the following division: Laptops at a price of up to USD 400 – 2-4 years Laptops priced between USD 400 and USD 750 – 3-5 years Laptops at a price between USD 750 and USD 1,500 – 4-6 years Laptops at a price over USD 1,500 – 5 – 7 years Of course, price is not the only factor that determines the period in which a laptop can be used before it breaks down or needs an upgrade that is not financially viable. But it is a good guide because usually the higher price is associated with more powerful and high-quality hardware.What is the average lifespan of laptop batteries?
The average lifespan of laptop batteries in the general case is between 18 and 24 months. And, of course, there are many cases of extremes – batteries that require replacement every 6 months and those that have worked flawlessly for 5 years or more.
The general rule is that the battery will lose between 15% and 25% of its capacity per year under normal use. This means that if your laptop has lasted 3 hours with new laptop batteries, it will probably run for about 1 hour between two charges when the battery is 3 years old.
The good news is that batteries are becoming more affordable and there are already many quality brands on the market that offer replacement batteries with good value for money.
What is the average life of a laptop charger?
The lifespan of laptop chargers is very directly related to the way they are used. If you use the computer as a desktop and very rarely move it, then the charger will probably not be damaged for at least 5 years.
However, if you change your workplace often, the chances of your laptop charger stopping running earlier increase significantly. Very often problems with the adapter also come from the power cord or the cable that plugs into the computer itself.
How to extend the life of our laptop batteries?
Even if you are aware that dimming the display or turning off the Wi-Fi connection will extend battery life, you should be aware that there are many other ways you can take care of the laptop batteries.
1. Temperature
The operating temperature of your laptop has a big impact on its battery life. Check the manufacturer’s “safe zone” instructions for your laptop, which usually vary depending on whether you store or use it. For OS X users, there is a very useful application that can monitor whether your machine overheats – Temperature Gauge, and Windows users can test at Rainmeter.
It is harmful to your laptop to carry it in the trunk of the car on hot days. Also, avoid working on your laptop in bed or on the beach. It’s a good idea to invest in a cooling pad and keep your laptop on a flat surface, preferably marble, wood, or glass, to prevent it from overheating.
2. Battery drain
To extend the battery life of your laptop, you should avoid leaving it constantly charged. The reason for this is that a full charge of the battery puts it under more stress. It is recommended to perform partial discharges until the level reaches approximately 20-30% and frequent recharges, instead of full depletion and then full recharging.
Complete depletion of the battery should be avoided, as this stress caused to the battery can cause serious damage. It is a good idea to drain the battery completely once or twice a year and then charge it 100%.
3. Settings
A few small changes to your laptop’s settings can help the battery a lot. Reduce the time it takes for the laptop to fall asleep and turn off the screen, lower the screen brightness, turn off unnecessary applications, limit the number of open browser tabs. Mac users can download Battery Health for free to reduce unnecessary battery drain, while Windows users can take advantage of BatteryCare.
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At one point or another, all laptop users find themselves pondering the same question: is it bad to leave your laptop plugged in all the time?
Turns out, the answer isn't entirely straightforward. So let's take a look.
Know Your Laptop Battery
There are two main types of batteries used in laptops: lithium-ion and lithium-polymer. Although they are different technologies, they function in broadly the same way, generating power through the movement of electrons.
This constant flow is also needed to help keep the battery healthy.
For both types of batteries, the following statements are true [at least as far as modern laptops are concerned]:
- A battery cannot be overcharged. There's no danger of overcharging a battery if you leave it plugged in all the time. As soon as it hits 100 percent, it will cease charging and won't start again until the voltage falls below a certain level.
- Fully discharging a battery will damage it. Allowing the battery to become completely empty for an extended period can put it into a deep discharge state. This can be fatal---you might never be able to charge it again. [You can try these methods to jump-start a dead laptop battery.]
So, based on this, do we conclude that you should leave your laptop plugged in all the time? Not quite.
Things That Damage Lithium Batteries
The truth about lithium-based batteries is that they are inherently unstable. They begin to lose capacity from the moment they are produced, and numerous factors hasten their decline. These include:
- Charge/discharge cycles. Every battery has a finite number of times it can be charged and discharged.
- Voltage level. The higher the charge level [measured in volts per cell], the shorter the battery's life.
- High temperature, over 30 degrees celsius. This can cause irreparable damage.
The last two are the ones that we're most concerned with here. A comprehensive study by Battery University highlights how voltage levels and high temperatures will shorten the life of a battery in isolation and even more when they combine.
Charge or Voltage Level
Lithium-ion batteries charge to 4.20 volts per cell, which amounts to 100 percent of its capacity. At this level, the battery will have a lifespan of 300-500 discharge cycles.
Every 0.10V/cell reduction in the charge doubles the number of discharge cycles until the optimum level is reached: 3.90V/cell, with 2400-4000 discharge cycles.
Unfortunately, at this level, the battery is only around 60 percent charged. The runtime will be a little more than half of a fully charged battery.
Heat
And then there's heat. High temperatures, typically classified as being over 30 degrees Celsius, will shorten the life of a battery irrespective of any other factors. Simply leaving your laptop in your car on a summer afternoon is a bad idea.
When you combine the stress of high temperature with the stress of high voltage, the effects are even worse.
The Battery University study shows that a battery stored with a 40 percent charge at 40 degrees would see its capacity fall to 85 percent after a year.
Charged to 100 percent, the capacity falls to 65 percent under the same conditions. For a fully charged battery at 60 degrees, the capacity plummets to 60 percent in just three months.
The evidence seems clear. Keeping the battery permanently charged at 100 percent will slowly shorten its life. Keeping it at 100 percent and exposing it to high temperatures will shorten it much quicker.
And remember, these high temperatures are not just environmental. Resource-intensive tasks such as gaming or video editing will considerably increase heat levels, and using the laptop on a pillow or in a poorly designed case will trap that heat as well.
For the sake of your battery, it's always a good idea to fix an overheating laptop.
Should You Remove the Battery?
If heat is such a danger, it begs another question. Should you remove the battery altogether when using your laptop on AC power?
Obviously, this isn't possible on the growing number of laptops that sport sealed batteries.
Where they are replaceable, the answer seems to vary from one manufacturer to the next. Acer, for instance, says you don't have to remove the battery on AC power, but should remove it if you aren't going to use it for several days. When Apple produced laptops with removable batteries, it advised against ever taking them out.
It all comes down to the power management setup in the laptop. Some may reduce the power when a battery isn't present, just as some do when the battery level gets low. This could leave you with subpar performance.
If you do choose to remove the battery, ensure that you store it properly. This usually means being charged between 40 percent and 80 percent and kept at room temperature.
Should You Keep Your Laptop Plugged In?
Does leaving your laptop plugged in ruin the battery? Yes, it does. But then so does charging it every day.
Curiously, the industry as a whole doesn't seem to have settled on a single answer for the question about whether to use your laptop on AC or battery power.
We've seen that Acer recommends removing the battery when you aren't using it. Asus says you should drain the battery to at least 50 percent every two weeks. But Dell says there's no problem leaving the laptop plugged in at all times.
Apple's advice is no longer on its website, but you can still read it online. The company recommends against leaving a laptop plugged in all the time. Instead, it suggests:
"An ideal user would be a commuter who uses her notebook on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing..."
Leaving your laptop plugged in will not cause short-term damage, but if you only ever use it on AC power, you'll almost certainly find that after a year, the battery's capacity has been significantly reduced. Similarly, if you only ever use it on battery power, you'll get through the battery's discharge cycles quicker.
So, the best solution is something of a compromise between the two: use it on battery power some days, and keep it plugged in on others. And whatever you do, you'll want to make sure it doesn't get too hot.
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