The best long battery-life laptops in 2024: work and play all day with our top picks
Here’s our picks for the best long battery-life laptop in 2024
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1.Best overall2.Best lightweight3.Best gaming4.Best 2-in-15.Best Windows6.Best big screen7.Best budget gaming8.Best Chromebook9.How to choose10.How we test
The best long-battery-life laptop is an essential tool for those constantly on the move or working long hours away from power sources. Today’s laptops not only boast significant improvements in performance compared to their predecessors but also offer substantially enhanced battery life as well, so you no longer need to sacrifice one for the other.
This is largely due to more powerful and energy-efficient components, like thebest processorsfromIntelandAMD, but, it’s important to note that not all laptops are built the same, with some offering much longer battery life than others.
Models like the 14-inch MacBook Pro and theLenovoIdeaPad Duet Chromebook stand out for their seriously impressive efficiency, providing not just a slight convenience but a major improvement in how and where you can work. The ability to remain unplugged from morning until evening without the constant search for a power outlet frees you from being stationary, whether you’re a digital nomad or simply prefer the flexibility of working from various locations within your home.
Our carefully curated list reflects a thorough comparison of crucial aspects such as processing power, graphic performance, storage capacity, display quality, and, fundamentally, battery longevity. These considerations are aimed at guiding you towards a well-informed decision, ensuring you select a laptop that meets your needs for enduring power and all-day computing efficiency.
The best long battery life laptop in 2024
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Below you’ll find full write-ups for each of the best best long battery life laptop picks in our list. We’ve tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.
The best long battery-life laptop overall
1. MacBook Air (M3, 2024)
Our expert review:
Apple’s latest MacBook Air for 2024 has been upgraded with the M3 chip, bringing this portable 13-inch laptop closer to the performance level of the MacBook Pro range. While the MacBook Pro remains the choice for power users and content creators, the MacBook Air (M3, 2024) has significantly narrowed the gap.
The design of this laptop remains largely unchanged from its predecessor, the MacBook Air (M2, 2022). However, the MacBook Air was already an excellent notebook, so Apple focused on enhancing performance and offering a better price.
The MacBook Air (M3, 2024) excels in everyday computing and handles more demanding tasks like content creation and light gaming impressively. It offers a seamless multitasking experience, comfortably running multiple apps, and outperforms the already strong MacBook Air M2. The fan-less design ensures it remains practically silent.
With a battery life of 14 hours on a single charge in our tests and a new lower price point, the M3-equipped MacBook Air reaches new heights, making it an excellent buy overall. However, the baseline specs remain a drawback, as the device still comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which feels insufficient at this price point by contemporary laptop standards.
Read our in-depthMacBook Air (M3, 2024) review
The best long battery-life Windows laptop
2. Microsoft Surface Pro 11
Our expert review:
With its exceptional design, stunning display, and impressive battery life, theMicrosoft SurfacePro 11 is a real standout among the best 2-in-1s.
It surpasses the iPad Pro in functionality due to its fullWindows 11OS, and though its performance might lag slightly behind the latest iPad Pro with Apple M4, it still excels in benchmark tests and has no major weaknesses for most users.
The Surface Pro 11’s design and battery life are particularly impressive, featuring an optional 2.8KOLEDdisplay with incredible color accuracy that is well worth the upgrade. In addition, you get a 1440p webcam and a solid, lightweight build. The battery life meets Microsoft’s 14-hour claim, even approaching 15 hours in our local video playback tests, showcasing the power efficiency of Arm architecture.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 excels in all areas, pushing the boundaries of what users expect from a top-tier Windows laptop. As more developers release Arm-compatible apps and more AI features roll out, this laptop is set to become even more remarkable.
Read our fullMicrosoft Surface Pro 11 review
The best long battery-life Chromebook
3. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
Our expert review:
True to its name, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook delivers two form factors in one, while utilizing the versatility of the Chrome OS and setting you back much less than many of the topWindows tabletsout there. For this price, sacrifices have to be made, naturally – the keyboard is tiny, the trackpad isn’t as reliable, and the charger and headphones share one port. However, those are definitely not deal-breakers.
Of course, like all the best Chromebooks, its battery packs a breathtakingly long life of almost 22 hours. That means that it beats all our other picks for the best long battery life laptops when it comes to longevity. During our review, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook lasted 21 hours and 29 minutes in our TechRadar battery life test. So, you could pull an all-nighter, work through the day and mid-afternoon, and you’ll still pass out before it runs out of juice.
Read the full review:Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook
Get your laptop for less withour Lenovo voucher codes.
The best long battery-life laptop: how to choose
Unsurprisingly, when it comes to any decision on buying laptop computers, most of the initial decision-making will be based on personal, subjective choices. Of course, there is the age-old Mac or PC debate, added to which there is now a third dynamic in the shape of Chromebooks.
That decision will immediately whittle you down to a smaller selection, after which you’ll need to base your choice on key factors like budget, style, and size of laptop that best suits your needs. But given the theme of this article, you should also consider why it is you’re after a laptop with long battery life. For example, if it’s because you’re always on the move, you should also consider each model’s robustness and resilience, and how long it’s likely to last being constantly bundled into bags and on and off trains.
The best long battery life laptops: How we test
There’s no stone left unturned in our bid to sort out the top laptops from the also-rans, as we endeavour to underpin each review with a detailed analysis of each contender listed on this page.
For that we take into account everything from subjective factors such as style and looks, to objectively measurable performance parameters like battery life, storage capacity, and screen size.
We also make sure to test out key physical traits too, such as hinges and display colours, to ensure that all our recommendations have been thoroughly put to the test.
Read here for more on how we test every product we review on TechRadar
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John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.
Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.
You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.
Currently playing: Baldur’s Gate 3 (just like everyone else).
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