You usually work on laptop from the same place and just to be on the safe side, do you keep it near the socket all the time? Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest mistakes we can make. Why? Our saving ourselves the effort may cost us much more than we think.
The truth about continuous charging
Modern laptops do not need to be constantly connected to electricity. It may even harm them. The lithium-ion batteries used in today's computers perform best when their charge level is between 20 and 90 percent. Constantly keeping the battery at “100” can significantly shorten its life.
When do you really need a power supply?
However, there are several situations when connecting a laptop to the power supply makes sense. Do you play demanding games? Do you edit videos? Or maybe you're just rendering complex 3D graphics? At such moments, the laptop needs full power, so you can easily connect it to the power supply.
Temperature – the silent battery killer
Keeping your laptop near the socket has one more serious disadvantage – overheating. Higher temperature is the eternal enemy of the battery and accelerates its wear. If you must work on power, ensure good ventilation. Laptop on a soft sofa or blanket? Definitely not.
Forget about “formatting” the battery
Remember those old tips about completely draining your battery? Forget about them. In the case of modern lithium-ion batteries this is a simple way to destroy them. What's more, regularly bringing your battery to zero can reduce its lifespan from 1,000 to just 500 charge cycles.
So how can you extend battery life? First of all, don't keep it fully charged all the time. A good habit is to unplug the power supply at 80-90% and plug it back in when the level drops to around 20%. It is also worth reducing the screen brightness and turning off unnecessary functions, such as the backlit keyboard or Bluetooth.
Check if the battery is asking for replacement
Each battery has its own lifespan – measured in charging cycles. One cycle is to discharge to zero and charge to full. An average laptop battery should last between 500 and 1,000 such cycles, although much depends on the model. Wondering how many cycles your battery has completed? You can easily check this.
In Windows, just enter the command line and enter the command “powercfg/batteryreport”. The system will generate a report, which you will find in the C:\WINDOWS\system32\battery-report.htmp folder. MacOS users have an easier way – through the menu Apple → System Information → Hardware → Power will see all the key information about your battery.
Or maybe a laptop without a battery?
There is another, quite radical solution for people who rarely leave home with their laptop. You can simply remove the battery and use it only when needed. This will significantly extend its life. There is only one condition – before removing it, the battery should be charged to at least 40-50 percent. Unfortunately, not all modern laptops allow easy removal of the battery, and in some it is even impossible.
The power supply matters
Don't have your original charger anymore? Better think twice before buying a cheap replacement. Non-genuine chargers may provide unstable voltage, which in the worst case may even damage the battery. Original or branded chargers may be more expensive, but it is an investment in the longevity of the equipment.