Fresh discoveries made by the Research and Development Unit of Yudala, Nigeria’s fastest growing composite e-commerce outfit, have shown that while laptop batteries often depreciate with constant use over time, misuse or wrong usage often leads to this happening within a short period of time and at a time when you should still be deriving optimum utility from your laptop battery.
Laptop batteries are usually made from lithium-ion: a lightweight, high-power battery often used in computers and mobile phones. Lithium-ion batteries come in various shapes, although a flat rectangle is most common in smartphones. It is lighter than the nickel cadmium battery and the nickel metal-hydride battery, thus accounting for its lightweight nature. Lithium-ion batteries work by the movement of lithium ions through a membrane and are clearly different from lithium batteries.
Whereas lithium batteries contain lithium metal and are not rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries do not contain lithium metal and are rechargeable.
However, lithium-ion batteries do not last forever. Each lithium-ion battery will have an average of 600 charge cycles and will work optimally for about 4-5 years without a drastic depreciation on battery life. Hence, your laptop battery should serve you well for at least 3-4 years depending on how frequently you use the device and recharge the battery.
Research shows that frequent travelers only get a couple of years out of their laptop battery because they tend to charge intermittently and keep their laptop unplugged when on the move which kills the laptop battery faster.
To help you get maximum life out of your laptop battery, the following tips can serve;
- Avoid putting your laptop on soft surfaces: It is advisable to place the device on hard surfaces such as tables or desks in order to avoid over-heating. Research has shown that heat is one of the biggest obstacles to your battery’s longevity because your laptop fan can’t circulate air properly when your laptop is placed on a soft surface.
- Be careful how you store your laptop battery: It is advisable to store your laptop in a cool place with less heat. This tip is directed especially at people who keep their laptops in their cars where it can get really hot on a sunny day. Laptop batteries do not work well with heat and might stop working if exposed to excessive humidity. Study shows that fully charged batteries depreciate faster than half-charged batteries.
- Do not leave your laptop dead before plugging it in: A research study by Battery University shows that, modern devices are designed to stop charging at 100 percent hence, keeping them plugged in doesn’t impact the battery’s lifespan. You should avoid letting your battery drain and discharge below 20 percent, else, it would reduce the charging capacity of your battery.
- Show your laptop some love: If the contact point gets dirty or damaged, it may reduce or disrupt the flow of power to the laptop. If you have a removable battery, you can carefully wipe your battery with a soft cloth to get rid of dust. However, you have nothing to worry about if your laptop battery is sealed.
- Update your laptop: The cells in laptop batteries degrade over time, and it is totally normal for old laptop batteries to hold charge less than an hour. Current laptops can achieve up to 10 hours of standard usage because of the software that comes with the perk of a new laptop. Henceforth, upgrading your laptop hardware will significantly improve your laptop battery life.
