SOLVED laptop battery question

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Batman

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#289255 23-Aug-2021 08:55

was about to pull the trigger on getting a laptop for the kid in case we get extended lockdown etc etc

anyway almost bought it, it says this laptop has 60% more battery life compared to other li ion batteries etc etc

then i thought wait a sec - but physics?

turns out this laptop has 2 cell 32whr battery, another one i was looking at that didn't have pretty marketing pictures has 3 cell 42whr

surely the 3 cell 42whr will have better battery life!

am i missing something?

timmmay

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#2765238 23-Aug-2021 09:08

It could be referring to a larger battery or lower power consumption. Lower power = slower (usually). Most laptops spend most of their time plugged in, during lockdown maybe not a big issue?

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#2765239 23-Aug-2021 09:11

"battery life" in the context your putting forward is what I would call "run time" ie the time the laptop is on and useful. With that in mind it depends on all the other specs of the laptop. Screen, cpu, storage and the programs that will be running will all effect the run time.

Whats the specs of the two laptops ?? links ??

Sounds like Voodoo marketing to me too ...

MadEngineer

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#2765242 23-Aug-2021 09:16

As above consumption will be playing a part here especially with a chrome book.

I believe USB-c charging has put a nice cap of 65 watts on many laptops resulting in better battery life. There are laptops that require higher but it would mean sourcing a higher power charger which would add to the cost.

I set up a new 14 inch laptop the other day that showed a battery life of 14 hours.

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Batman

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#2765248 23-Aug-2021 09:29

asus x509 vs dell inspiron 3501

Batman

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#2765249 23-Aug-2021 09:30

MadEngineer: As above consumption will be playing a part here especially with a chrome book.

I believe USB-c charging has put a nice cap of 65 watts on many laptops resulting in better battery life. There are laptops that require higher but it would mean sourcing a higher power charger which would add to the cost.

I set up a new 14 inch laptop the other day that showed a battery life of 14 hours.

if the specs are exactly the same (both intel i5, ssd)

then is it possible for a 2 cell 32whr to have better battery life than 3 cell 42whr?

timmmay

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#2765252 23-Aug-2021 09:33

I rate Dell as a better brand than Asus. I rate HP top, then Lenovo, then Dell.

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#2765261 23-Aug-2021 09:52

Batman:

if the specs are exactly the same (both intel i5, ssd)

then is it possible for a 2 cell 32whr to have better battery life than 3 cell 42whr?

On the surface of the numbers above no.

however (and this would be totally weird battery design)

32 /2 = 16 whr per cell
42 /3 = 14 whr per cell

so depending on how the batteries are wired and the internal power draw, its possible the smaller total whr might outlast the other, not sure about the 60% claim tho??

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#2765291 23-Aug-2021 10:51

They can put effort in making the whole system extra efficient, but I don't think there is any physics defying magic that will make a lithium ion 32Wh battery better than a lithium ion 42Wh battery.

Reviewers like anandtech normalize battery tests to Watt hours.

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#2765328 23-Aug-2021 11:48

I think you'll find, The ASUS advertising is referring to the battery's lifespan.

Battery - A safe fast-charging and longer-lasting battery

ASUS X509 features a 3x the lifespan of standard lithium-ion batteries. With ASUS fast-charge technology, a low battery can be charged to 60 percent in just 49 minutes.

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#2765333 23-Aug-2021 11:53

OMG you're right.

ok topic closed.

i have this issue about misreading things

Bung

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#2765357 23-Aug-2021 12:24

There could still be something about the power design 2 cell vs 3 cell must be different starting voltages unless the cells are paralleled. The Asus blurb I read somewhere attributed long run time to 10nm Icelake i3 cpu. Maybe the 30% better doesn't count against other brands using the same cpu.

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#2765363 23-Aug-2021 12:32

https://www.techradar.com/nz/reviews/asus-laptop-15-x509/2

--snip--

In our experience with the X509, the battery life was average with around 4 hours of usage on a single charge. This is a general pain-point for budget users as the laptops in the segment are not known for their power efficiency. The Asus X509 doesn’t make it up to the consumers either but it does charge fully in about 110 minutes.

--snip--

While there is some updated battery charging technology at work, I think the 60% charge stuff really is marketing spin to cover the small total battery reserves. Charging both laptops for the same time at the same rate means the smaller battery will get to 60% full before the bigger battery does.

I can charge 1 cell in 20 mins to 100% or 4 cells to 25% in 20 mins etc

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#2765702 23-Aug-2021 23:16

timmmay:

I rate Dell as a better brand than Asus. I rate HP top, then Lenovo, then Dell.

I wouldn't rate a Dell Inspiron as much at all. Dell Latitude certainly but not Inspiron.

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#2765944 24-Aug-2021 12:35

Handle9:

timmmay:

I rate Dell as a better brand than Asus. I rate HP top, then Lenovo, then Dell.

I wouldn't rate a Dell Inspiron as much at all. Dell Latitude certainly but not Inspiron.

Same with HP. ProBook/EliteBooks are great but their consumer stuff is at best, average.