Tip of the Week: Laptop Battery Best Practices

Nowadays, laptops are the weapon of choice for productivity. They function much like a desktop computer but are mobile enough to go anywhere with. Unfortunately, most laptops chew through their batteries in only a few hours of work and need to be plugged in in order to function. With so many people working from home, many people are using their laptops more like a desktop and keeping them plugged in around the clock. For this week’s tip, we’ll discuss the best practices of a laptop battery. 

Is Overcharging a Laptop Battery a Problem?

Of course, like everything there is a qualified answer to this question. The first qualification is the age of your device. It wasn’t too long ago that battery innovation in these devices was truly lacking and devices that have older batteries have a much better chance of degrading when they are overcharged. On the other hand, newer batteries made of lithium-polymer or lithium-ion don’t have this problem. Hardware improvements have also played a role in keeping batteries juiced without ruining them. 

If you have a laptop on its power source for long periods of time that the device itself starts getting warm, it may be smart to remove it from the power supply as it can damage internal components and ruin the device. The temperature you are storing the device at matters too. In fact, enough research has been performed on the subject to suggest that leaving a fully charged laptop at high heat will significantly degrade the battery compared with a laptop stored at lower temperatures, to a point. 

In total, you will want to monitor your laptop’s heat levels when keeping it plugged in, but if you store it in a cool well-ventilated area, you should be fine keeping your laptop on the charger for as long as you want. 

For more great tips and tricks about how to manage your hardware and use your technology, return to our blog each week.