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In a few short years, laptops went from clunky, quasi-portable machines to thin and light workstations that help make remote work possible.
Although laptops have gotten smaller, the components inside have become more energy-efficient, and the software they run has been optimized to preserve power. These breakthroughs, combined with recent advancements in battery technology, allow laptops to run longer than ever.
Most of us rely on a laptop to get our work done, and few things are as frustrating as fumbling for a power cable in the middle of a project or conference call. If your current laptop’s battery constantly conks out, we’ve got the solution.
The laptops in this guide can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, which is closer to true “all-day” battery life than ever before. We use the term “up to” because the amount of time these laptops will actually last depends on the work you do.
Resource-intensive work like photo and video editing will eat a lot more power than writing and editing documents. System settings like your display’s brightness will also make a big impact on the longevity of its battery.
If you’ve been using an older laptop that’s started to flake out or needs to be plugged in all the time, the machines below will be a significant upgrade.
What Are the Longest Lasting Laptops?
There are many factors to consider when choosing the longest-lasting laptop; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.
Operating System: The laptops in this guide run either Windows, macOS, or ChromeOS. Each system has full access to a desktop-class web browser and can run popular software like Microsoft Office.
Screen Size: The laptops we’re recommending have screens between 13 and 16 inches wide. Larger screens are better if you work with a lot of media, but they’re bulkier and heavier. We recommend getting a smaller laptop and hooking it up to a big external display for the best of both worlds.
Screen Resolution: A laptop’s screen resolution will determine how sharp text, photos, and videos look. Every laptop below has an HD screen, but some of our picks edge closer to 4K.
Processor: All of the machines below run on a new, power-efficient chip designed by either Intel or Apple. They’re fast enough to run multiple apps at once.
RAM: The laptops we’re recommending have between 4GB (Gigabytes) or 16GB of RAM (memory). Computers with more RAM can run more apps simultaneously without slowing down.
Storage: We’re recommending laptops with between 64GB and 512GB of storage. The amount you’ll need depends on whether you store most of your files in the cloud, or prefer to keep them on your computer.
Inputs: A computer’s inputs (known more commonly as ports) allow you to connect accessories to your machine. Each one of our long-lasting laptop picks has a different assortment of ports, which you should strongly consider before making a choice. All of them support WiFi and Bluetooth, though, so you have a range of wireless connectivity options, too.
