When we buy a laptop , in the same way that it tends to happen with a mobile phone, the most common is that its battery is at full capacity, so that – more or less – it will last the time indicated by the manufacturer. However, as time goes by, the most normal thing is that its duration decreases more and more, and to prevent it from happening earlier than expected there are different options to help us take care of it as much as possible.
As far as a laptop is concerned, it is normal that at some point or other we have doubts related to the possibility of using it plugged in all the time, or making use of the plug as little as possible and always pulling the battery. What is the most advisable?
It is true that, unlike mobile phones, users are much more likely to keep their laptops connected to the network, especially most of the time. But what are the risks to battery life? And, above all, what would be the best practices?
What are the risks of leaving your laptop plugged in all the time?
Will the battery drain faster? To answer, you first need to understand how modern notebook computers work, most of which have lithium-ion (Li-ion) and lithium-polymer (Li-Po) batteries .
In both cases, there is no risk of the battery overcharging, which means that when it reaches 100% charge, it stops . Thus, as soon as the battery drops below 100%, it will be charged again. Therefore, there is no risk of the battery being damaged by overcharging .
In other words, leaving a laptop plugged in and 100% all the time is absolutely safe, as well as being a normal practice for most users today.
Why? Very simple: most laptops use a series of sensors (as well as control logic) to ensure that the battery does not overheat or overcharge. But it will slightly reduce its useful life , and that is what leads us to ask ourselves the following question: why does the battery capacity tend to decrease as time goes by?
Why does the battery capacity tend to decrease as time goes by?
This is a common phenomenon: the battery life begins to decrease little by little. And this happens simply as a consequence of use.
Most batteries are estimated to have an estimated life of around 500 complete cycles . However, at the same time, it is necessary to avoid keeping the battery at a high level for too long . Actually, even when it is a difficult balance to achieve, the optimal battery level is 50 percent .
Not surprisingly, as many experts agree, the ideal level of charge would be between 40 and 80 percent . Thus, while a 100% permanently charged battery will cycle between 300 to 500 charge cycles before becoming useless, while a charged battery, on average, about 70 percent will have between 1200 to 2000 charge cycles. That is, it would increase the battery life 4 times .
Of course, with the daily use of our laptop it is true that finding the balance is, to say the least, complicated. To which is added another basic recommendation: completely draining and then recharging the battery is necessary to allow it to calibrate correctly , something that will always happen when it is between 5 to 15 percent.
How to make better use?
From here, especially in those cases in which you have just bought a new laptop, it is normal that you can even rush to immediately disconnect the computer from the power grid when it reaches 100% charge. But, originally, this does not mean that it must necessarily be so.
As we have already mentioned, all laptops have useful control circuits and sensors to protect the batteries from overcharging. But, yes, it is possible to increase their useful life when we leave them at 80% .
What’s more, experts advise that it is better to set a charge limit when we are working at home or in an office, with access to an outlet. But when we are on the move, especially most of the time, an advisable option is to always leave it at 100% (so as not to run out of battery at the most inopportune moment), and not worry excessively.
