Manufacturers tend to advertise battery life, but battery size matters too.
Battery life is an estimate.
It doesn’t tell you exactly what you’re getting.
Battery size is a more precise measurement, and it helps you determine much more about your machine.
One approach is to cram as many battery modules into a laptop’s chassis as it can possibly hold.
Another is to see how long you’re free to get a smaller battery to last.
A laptop with a 40W battery uses fewer than 4W per hour to last for over ten hours.
It’s pretty straightforward math.
There are 1,000 watts in one kilowatt, so 30W = .03kW.
If you’re paying 12 cents per kilowatt, then this adds up to .36 cents per charge.
.36 cents doesn’t sound like much, and it isn’t.
But there are other factors to consider too.
For example, a laptop with a smaller battery may have a less power-hungry CPU.
Every watt matters when trying to live off solar panels or stretchhow long a portable power station lasts.
Can one function as your off-grid TV?
It sure is easier to carry around.
A laptop with a 30W battery can get closer to three charges.
If your goal is to go as long as possible between charges, a bigger battery helps.
MacBooks with Apple Silicon CPUs pair an efficient processor with a substantial battery pack.
The result is battery life that puts most of the competition to shame.
If the laptop can last multiple days on a charge, recharging only halfway can buy you another day.
A Bigger Battery Means More Power
There’s little point in making a beefy laptop with a small battery.
It won’t hold a charge long enough to be considered portable.
Sure, the size of the battery doesn’t tell you how much power a PC is packing.
That’s what other specs are for.
But if you’re comparing different models, you may notice a correlation between processing power and battery capacity.
Which Battery Size Do You Prefer?
But that’s likely not the case.
A smaller battery might mean a smaller, more portable laptop.
A bigger battery can mean a more powerful one.
Which matters more to you depends on your preferences and your needs.
