There’s nothing more frustrating than hearing the familiar ding of a dying battery. This scenario always seems to happen when there’s zero outlets in sight. Bummer, man.
Nowadays, laptops are lasting longer than ever thanks to the energy-efficient chips from Intel and Qualcomm. Many laptops we’ve tested here at PCWorld are pushing well past the 20 hour mark, a far cry from the days when eight to 10 hours was the norm.
So, if marathon battery life is a top priority of yours, you’ve come to the right spot. We’ve personally tested over 70 laptops so far this year (still counting!), over 120 last year, and many more over the past decade. I can point you to the ones that have the best battery life. Here are the five laptops we tested with the longest battery life.
How PCWorld tests battery life:
When it comes to testing battery life for laptops, we loop a 4K file of a short film on screen until the laptop dies. We set the brightness level to 250 to 260 nits, unplug all USB drives, disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and plug in a pair of earbuds. We run this test twice per laptop to ensure consistent results.
1. HP OmniBook 5 14 (25 hours)
Pros
- Enjoyable keyboard
- Attractive 1200p OLED display
- Incredible battery life
- Ships with small GaN charger
Cons
- Though attractive, build quality doesn’t stand out
- Connectivity is limited
- So-so performance
Price When Reviewed:
$899.99
The HP OmniBook 5 14 is the new king of the castle as far as battery life goes–it’s currently PCWorld’s Best Battery Life pick, and for good reason. In our battery test, which you can read more about here, it lasted an astonishing 25 hours on a single charge. That’s a jaw-dropping result for any Windows laptop, especially one that costs under $1,000. So, where does this efficiency stem from? It comes from the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 processor that’s nestled inside.
It’s a lower-tier chip that trades raw performance for endurance. It’s not a slow machine by any means, but if you’re a power user, you may need to look elsewhere. For the day-to-day stuff, though? Totally fine. The 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED display, though it delivers good colors and contrast, tops out at just 300 nits in terms of brightness. In other words, it’s not a huge power draw. The keyboard feels snappy and comfortable, too, which is nice for long typing sessions.
2. Asus ZenBook A14 (24 hours)
Pros
- Incredibly lightweight
- Ceraluminum is impressive
- Mind-blowing battery life
Cons
- A $600 laptop CPU in a $1,200 machine
- Seriously, this is the slowest Snapdragon X chip
- Ceraluminum feels almost plasticky and hollow
Price When Reviewed:
$1,200
The Asus ZenBook A14 is one of those laptops that’s so light it might just cloud off into the clouds if you’re not careful. It weighs just two pounds and yet it somehow manages to last 24 hours on a single charge. That’s just plain bananas! This is probably because of its 70Wh battery (this is on the bigger end for a portable laptop) and the entry-level Snapdragon X processor, which prioritizes efficiency over pure speed.
It’s fine for things like browsing the web and writing emails, but it’s not built for heavy-duty apps, so if you’re a multitasker at heart… this might not be the machine for you. That said, if your priority is to stay unplugged for as long as possible, the ZenBook A14 will definitely deliver on that front.
Read our full
Asus ZenBook A14 review
3. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 (24 hours)
Pros
- Over 24 hours of battery life (in our standard test)
- Solid build quality
- Snappy desktop performance
- 2-in-1 experience with pen
Cons
- On the expensive side
- Lunar Lake’s low multithreaded performance is an issue for some workflows
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 is a business powerhouse with loads of endurance (despite the smaller 57Wh battery sitting inside of it). This 14-inch laptop managed 24 hours in our playback video test thanks to its Intel Lunar Lake CPU and lower-power display. You could unplug it for a full day (or more!) without worrying, as long as you keep the brightness turned down some.
Battery life aside, it’s a classic ThinkPad machine through and through. You’ve got a sturdy metal chassis, an excellent keyboard with the iconic red TrackPoint, and an included pen. The 1920×1200 IPS display also hits 500 nits of brightness, and performance is snappy for productivity and some light multitasking, though it may slow down a bit when running super-heavy workloads.
Read our full
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition review
4. Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (23 hours)
Pros
- Long battery life (almost 24 hours in our test)
- Beautiful OLED screen
- Great webcam
Cons
- Lunar Lake’s multithreaded performance isn’t ideal for some workloads
- Glossy screen can be difficult to read in harsh lighting conditions
- A little expensive
Price When Reviewed:
$1,749
The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is a good-looking laptop (it’s wrapped in aluminum!) that just keeps on going and going–and it’s no wonder it took home PCWorld’s Best Overall title this year. It’s another 14-inch convertible that runs on an Intel Lunar Lake chip (Intel Core Ultra 7 258V to be exact) and between that and its 75Wh battery, it pushed out 23.5 hours of video playback. That’s not bad for something that looks so good!
It’s like the posh sibling to the more straight-laced ThinkPad X1 2-in-1, swapping the lower resolution display of the former for a sharper 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen. You’re also getting 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD, both generous amounts. The Intel Arc graphics can handle some lightweight creative apps, too.
23.5 hours of battery life is a phenomenal result, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s a tiny bit shorter than others on this list. That’s probably because of the Yoga’s higher resolution display, which eats up more of the battery life.
Read our full
Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 review
5. HP EliteBook X G1i (21 hours)
Pros
- Quiet operation
- Strong anti-glare display
- Great battery life
- Clean, lightweight design
- Charging on both sides
Cons
- Middling specs and performance for the price
- Nebulous pricing
- Mics pick up too much
Price When Reviewed:
$2,283
Stamina is the name of the game here and the HP EliteBook X G1i is no different in that regard. With its Intel Lunar Lake processor and 68Wh battery, it managed nearly 21 hours in our tests, which is impressive for a machine that’s built for the business crowd.
The 1920×1200 anti-glare display isn’t the most beautiful thing we’ve ever laid our eyes upon, but it’s bright and sharp and, most importantly, easy to read under fluorescent lights. The keyboard and trackpad also feel good, and the magnesium chassis keeps it pretty light at 2.7 pounds. The facial recognition stuff is pretty great, too.
It doesn’t match the Yoga 9i’s 23.5-hour result nor does it dethrone the battery life champion up top (aka the OmniBook 5 14), but the EliteBook X G1 rightfully earns its place here because it’s reliable and that’s what really matters most.
Read our full
HP EliteBook X G1i review
There’s nothing more frustrating than hearing the familiar ding of a dying battery. This scenario always seems to happen when there’s zero outlets in sight. Bummer, man.
Nowadays, laptops are lasting longer than ever thanks to the energy-efficient chips from Intel and Qualcomm. Many laptops we’ve tested here at PCWorld are pushing well past the 20 hour mark, a far cry from the days when eight to 10 hours was the norm.
So, if marathon battery life is a top priority of yours, you’ve come to the right spot. We’ve personally tested over 70 laptops so far this year (still counting!), over 120 last year, and many more over the past decade. I can point you to the ones that have the best battery life. Here are the five laptops we tested with the longest battery life.
How PCWorld tests battery life:
When it comes to testing battery life for laptops, we loop a 4K file of a short film on screen until the laptop dies. We set the brightness level to 250 to 260 nits, unplug all USB drives, disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and plug in a pair of earbuds. We run this test twice per laptop to ensure consistent results.
1. HP OmniBook 5 14 (25 hours)
Pros
Enjoyable keyboard
Attractive 1200p OLED display
Incredible battery life
Ships with small GaN charger
Cons
Though attractive, build quality doesn’t stand out
Connectivity is limited
So-so performance
Price When Reviewed:
$899.99
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The HP OmniBook 5 14 is the new king of the castle as far as battery life goes–it’s currently PCWorld’s Best Battery Life pick, and for good reason. In our battery test, which you can read more about here, it lasted an astonishing 25 hours on a single charge. That’s a jaw-dropping result for any Windows laptop, especially one that costs under $1,000. So, where does this efficiency stem from? It comes from the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 processor that’s nestled inside.
It’s a lower-tier chip that trades raw performance for endurance. It’s not a slow machine by any means, but if you’re a power user, you may need to look elsewhere. For the day-to-day stuff, though? Totally fine. The 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED display, though it delivers good colors and contrast, tops out at just 300 nits in terms of brightness. In other words, it’s not a huge power draw. The keyboard feels snappy and comfortable, too, which is nice for long typing sessions.
2. Asus ZenBook A14 (24 hours)
Pros
Incredibly lightweight
Ceraluminum is impressive
Mind-blowing battery life
Cons
A $600 laptop CPU in a $1,200 machine
Seriously, this is the slowest Snapdragon X chip
Ceraluminum feels almost plasticky and hollow
Price When Reviewed:
$1,200
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The Asus ZenBook A14 is one of those laptops that’s so light it might just cloud off into the clouds if you’re not careful. It weighs just two pounds and yet it somehow manages to last 24 hours on a single charge. That’s just plain bananas! This is probably because of its 70Wh battery (this is on the bigger end for a portable laptop) and the entry-level Snapdragon X processor, which prioritizes efficiency over pure speed.
It’s fine for things like browsing the web and writing emails, but it’s not built for heavy-duty apps, so if you’re a multitasker at heart… this might not be the machine for you. That said, if your priority is to stay unplugged for as long as possible, the ZenBook A14 will definitely deliver on that front.
Read our full
Asus ZenBook A14 review
3. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 (24 hours)
Pros
Over 24 hours of battery life (in our standard test)
Solid build quality
Snappy desktop performance
2-in-1 experience with pen
Cons
On the expensive side
Lunar Lake’s low multithreaded performance is an issue for some workflows
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The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 is a business powerhouse with loads of endurance (despite the smaller 57Wh battery sitting inside of it). This 14-inch laptop managed 24 hours in our playback video test thanks to its Intel Lunar Lake CPU and lower-power display. You could unplug it for a full day (or more!) without worrying, as long as you keep the brightness turned down some.
Battery life aside, it’s a classic ThinkPad machine through and through. You’ve got a sturdy metal chassis, an excellent keyboard with the iconic red TrackPoint, and an included pen. The 1920×1200 IPS display also hits 500 nits of brightness, and performance is snappy for productivity and some light multitasking, though it may slow down a bit when running super-heavy workloads.
Read our full
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition review
4. Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (23 hours)
Pros
Long battery life (almost 24 hours in our test)
Beautiful OLED screen
Great webcam
Cons
Lunar Lake’s multithreaded performance isn’t ideal for some workloads
Glossy screen can be difficult to read in harsh lighting conditions
A little expensive
Price When Reviewed:
$1,749
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The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is a good-looking laptop (it’s wrapped in aluminum!) that just keeps on going and going–and it’s no wonder it took home PCWorld’s Best Overall title this year. It’s another 14-inch convertible that runs on an Intel Lunar Lake chip (Intel Core Ultra 7 258V to be exact) and between that and its 75Wh battery, it pushed out 23.5 hours of video playback. That’s not bad for something that looks so good!
It’s like the posh sibling to the more straight-laced ThinkPad X1 2-in-1, swapping the lower resolution display of the former for a sharper 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen. You’re also getting 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD, both generous amounts. The Intel Arc graphics can handle some lightweight creative apps, too.
23.5 hours of battery life is a phenomenal result, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s a tiny bit shorter than others on this list. That’s probably because of the Yoga’s higher resolution display, which eats up more of the battery life.
Read our full
Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 review
5. HP EliteBook X G1i (21 hours)
Pros
Quiet operation
Strong anti-glare display
Great battery life
Clean, lightweight design
Charging on both sides
Cons
Middling specs and performance for the price
Nebulous pricing
Mics pick up too much
Price When Reviewed:
$2,283
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Stamina is the name of the game here and the HP EliteBook X G1i is no different in that regard. With its Intel Lunar Lake processor and 68Wh battery, it managed nearly 21 hours in our tests, which is impressive for a machine that’s built for the business crowd.
The 1920×1200 anti-glare display isn’t the most beautiful thing we’ve ever laid our eyes upon, but it’s bright and sharp and, most importantly, easy to read under fluorescent lights. The keyboard and trackpad also feel good, and the magnesium chassis keeps it pretty light at 2.7 pounds. The facial recognition stuff is pretty great, too.
It doesn’t match the Yoga 9i’s 23.5-hour result nor does it dethrone the battery life champion up top (aka the OmniBook 5 14), but the EliteBook X G1 rightfully earns its place here because it’s reliable and that’s what really matters most.
Read our full
HP EliteBook X G1i review Read More
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