AT A GLANCE
A Philips laboratory test, revisited by PCWorld, illustrates how limiting charging to 80% can extend battery cycle life. The five-year calculation is an illustration, not a guarantee: heat, age, usage and the notebook model still matter. Dell, HP and Lenovo provide relevant settings on supported devices. Choose the policy for the user..... someone travelling may need a full charge, while a permanently docked notebook may not.
If you expect your notebook to last FIVE years, why not plan for the battery to last as well?
P.S. This is also why 32 GB remains the minimum - you need to try and get through 5 years without upgrading the memory as well!!!!
Back in 2021, I wrote about managing notebook batteries to extend their life. As companies try to keep their notebooks working for longer, that advice is even more relevant..... and PCWorld has revisited the subject.
In a Philips Research laboratory test, cells charged 100% managed around 550 cycles, compared with an estimated 900 when charged to 80%, before maximum capacity fell to 80% of the original.
Even with the smaller charges, the 80% test delivered about 41% more total charge before reaching that point.
Let’s do the maths.....
For a user consuming roughly half a battery’s original capacity per working day, the test figures translate to approximately 3½ years versus just over FIVE years before reaching that capacity benchmark.
That could mean no replacement battery, no labour, no downtime, and no opening the notebook to replace parts during its five-year life!
Cleaning the fans is another story..... for another day!
BUT..... this is a calculation based on a laboratory test, not a guarantee. Battery age, heat, usage and the notebook model all affect the result. Obviously, an 80% charging limit also means less running time between charges.
So where are the settings?
Dell: Look for Adaptive or Primarily AC Use in Dell Optimiser, MyDell or the BIOS.
HP: On supported business notebooks, Battery Health Manager can limit charging to around 80%.
Lenovo: Vantage or Commercial Vantage can set charging thresholds. Lenovo suggests 80% or less for notebooks that remain plugged in.
Choose the setting for the user. Someone travelling may need a full charge; a notebook that lives on a docking station probably does not.
Before ordering a battery, check its health and charging settings. A battery at 80% health may still be perfectly usable..... but if it is swollen, stop using the notebook and get qualified help immediately.
THE SOURCE / FURTHER READING
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