How long does a HP laptop battery last?

Laptop batteries usually only last from 2 to 4 years, which amounts to about 1,000 charges. However, there are a few factors that determine how long a battery will last before it finally gives out:

  • The material that the laptop battery is made from
  • How much you use the laptop
  • To what degree you recharge the laptop

The best laptop batteries are made from lithium - a battery made from any other material is likely to have a shorter battery life.

The more you use your laptop, the less your battery may last. Remember, the average laptop battery only lasts for about 1,000 charges, so each time you recharge your laptop you step an inch closer to its demise.

How long does a laptop battery last?

There are three main types of batteries used in laptops, viz. Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH), Lithium-ion (Li-ion), and Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) batteries. NiMH batteries were outdated with the introduction of Lithium-ion in 1990s. Laptops with more than thickness of 18mm (Lithium-ion cells mostly come in cylindrical cells having a diameter of 18mm, length of 65mm) use Lithium-ion batteries. Slimmer laptops such as MacBook Air, etc. use Li-Po because of its ability to size as a pouch. Your laptop should have either of them depending on the thickness. Either of these batteries use Cobalt based chemistry, which allows the cell to have up to 3.7 Volts and a high energy density. Unfortunately, good energy density comes at a cost, the cost of instability.

Since the Lithium-ion cells are connected in series in a battery to provide the required voltage (Ranging from 10.8 - 14.4V), if a single cell's performance is deteriorated, it will affect the whole battery system. There is no real way to stop those cells from going bad (either deteriorated current capacity or deteriorated voltage) but there are some tips to be followed while charging and discharging the batteries.

  • 1 . Cycle life is affected with fast discharge of the device, that is during heavy usage or gaming. It builds up heats in the battery and heat is the enemy of battery's well-being.
  • 2 . Cycle life is affected with using a charger that didn't come with it, using a different charger with a different power rating can affect the battery, specially if the other charger is rated higher.
  • 3 . Discharging the battery completely affects the battery cycle life the most. Never ever discharge your battery or even come close to it, the farther you stay from discharging to 0% the better cycle life. Nothing is more ruining than squeezing it dry. A good time to charge is when you get the first warning of battery low.
  • 4 . Also, charging above 80% should be avoided unless you really need it, because of tapering the battery charges slowly and just builds up heat.
  • So it all comes down to cycle life, the more times you charge and discharge per day, the faster the battery's retention capacity deteriorates.