The best battery life laptops of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

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There's no question about it: The past year has redefined what's possible when it comes to battery life in laptops. Thanks to new processor technology, we're seeing devices lasting upwards of 15 hours as the new norm, when just a few years ago that would have been considered exceptional.

We put all the laptops we test through the wringer, and the ones chosen for this list emerged as some of the best in class for not just their battery life, but how well that battery complements other features. The numbers cited here reflect the standard test: starting at 100% battery, putting on a live stream over Wi-Fi, setting brightness to 50%, and letting it run. We also use a "neutral" profile, disabling any battery-saving performance states. With that in mind, these numbers could go higher or lower, depending on which performance modes you have active, and what you're doing. The test we perform makes the laptop work pretty hard; keep in mind that average battery life will likely be higher for you with everyday use cases like web browsing, multitasking, and typical use of productivity apps.

Also: The best laptops: Expert tested

What's the best battery life laptop right now?

Our tested pick for the best laptop for battery life overall is the Microsoft Surface Laptop. This device can last you up to 20 hours on a single charge, and features a lightweight, stylish form factor and impressive performance all around. Read on for the rest of our top choices.

The best battery life laptop of 2024

Microsoft Surface Laptop

Best battery life laptop overall

Battery life: 15-20 hours

It's safe to say that Microsoft's Surface Laptop was one of the best surprises of 2024. It's a lightweight, sleek device with a well-optimized hardware set and a marathon battery. I went hands-on with the laptop earlier this year and was thoroughly impressed with its snappy, responsive performance and reliable battery life.

As the quintessential Copilot+ PC, it's powered by the Snapdragon X Plus (10-core) or X Elite (12-core) processor, and what allows it to run so cool for so long. In my testing, I got over 15 hours of battery life on a single charge, but intermittent or light use can easily push that number up to well past 20 hours.

Review: Microsoft Surface Laptop

The combination of smart design with meaningful trade-offs is what makes the Surface Laptop so well-rounded, from a creator's device to a solid work machine, or anything in between. It feels fast and light and multitasks with ease across the Windows ecosystem. Web browsing with dozens of tabs, while connected to an external monitor feels responsive and smooth, a must for me to be considered a main driver.

Basically, this is a laptop you can work remotely with for the whole day without a charger, and its sleek and minimal form factor supports some surprisingly robust performance.

Microsoft Surface Laptop tech specs: CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12-core) | GPU: Qualcomm Adreno | RAM: 16GB-32GB | Storage: 256GB-1TB | Display: 13.8- or 15-inch touchscreen, 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness | Weight: 3.67 lbs.

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Apple MacBook Air M3

Best ultraportable battery life laptop

Battery life: 15-18 hours

The resounding success of Apple's M2 MacBook Air was only improved upon with its successor, the M3 MacBook Air, and it's our pick for best battery life on an ultraportable laptop. This category has seen a host of newcomers, with some very close contenders when it comes to light and thin form factors this year, but the MacBook Air M3 has been at the party this whole time.

Available in 13-inch and 15-inch display sizes, the MacBook Air is thin, light, and incredibly compact for its power. At just under three pounds for the smaller version and just over three pounds for the larger one, it can be slipped into virtually any bag and go unnoticed wherever you go.

Review: M3 MacBook Air

It's also no secret that the M3 lineup was designed to handle AI workloads, and the MacBook Air is no exception. With a 16-core Neural Engine (along with accelerators in the GPU/CPU for improved on-device machine learning) this MacBook Air can run various AI models and is future-proofed for the inevitable deluge of AI applications coming.

Apple MacBook Air M3 tech specs: CPU: 8-core CPU with 16-core Neural Engine, 10-core GPU | RAM: Up to 24GB unified memory | Storage: Up to 512GB | Display: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, 60Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness | Weight: 2.7 lbs. for the 13-inch

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Asus ProArt PZ 13

Best battery life laptop for creators

Battery life: 14-21 hours

The OLED touchscreen on the ProArt PZ13 isn't the most high-end on the market, but it's boosted with image-enhancing apps like Dolby Vision, support for the entire DCI-P3 color gamut, and VESA Display HDR True Black for ultra-dark shadows. Everything works together to ensure a stunning visual experience (despite the the 60Hz refresh rate).

But the ProArt PZ13's coolest feature is the Creator Hub. It's a dashboard app that lets you adjust tools on the fly, like Color Control, which lets you change the on-screen color gamut, a DCI-P3 option that tweaks the colors for movies, and Display P3, which is recommended for artists as it more accurately displays hues. You can even adjust the color temperature.

Review: Asus ProArt PZ 13

Most surprisingly, though, the battery life is fantastic, particularly for a creator-minded machine with an OLED display, which is historically notoriously power-hungry. In our testing, the ProArt PZ13 ran for over 21 hours straight when on the Best Power Efficiency mode. On Best Performance mode, the model managed to outperform most Intel-based laptops, as it lasted for about 14.5 hours on a single charge.

Asus ProArt PZ 13 tech specs: CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (8-core) | GPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Adreno | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 1TB | Display: 13.3-inch, 3K AMOLED touchscreen, 60Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness | Weight: 1.94 lbs.

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Dell XPS 13

Best battery life laptop for work

Battery life: 13-18 hours

Dell's XPS 13 is as high-performing as it is diverse. As the brand's flagship consumer laptop line, these devices come in a myriad of configurations and are highly customizable. I recently went hands-on with Dell's XPS 13 for a few weeks, and enjoyed using it so much that I'm inclined to say it's one of the best 13-inch laptops I've tested this year.

Its performance feels good as a productivity machine: boot times move at warp speed, multitasking is a breeze, and browsing behavior feels snappy and responsive. When paired with the brilliant tandem OLED display, it feels like a true high-end productivity device.

Review: Dell XPS 13

Even better, the battery life on the Dell XPS 13 is very good. Of course, different configurations and performance modes will result in a high degree of variability. In our testing, we got over 17 hours of battery life running a livestream video over Wi-Fi without any of the power saving modes on. But there are lots of factors that can push the battery life of this machine to either end, resulting in one of the largest windows of possible battery life.

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Asus Zenbook S 14 (Lunar Lake Series)

Best battery life laptop with an OLED

Battery life: 15-17 hours

Intel just announced its next generation of high-efficiency, AI-powered chips with the "Lunar Lake" Core Ultra Series 2, and one of the first laptops it's loaded on is the Asus Zenbook S 14. The new chip aims to bridge the gap with other AI-powered processors with upgraded x86 efficiency, with thinner, lighter devices (that endeavor to run cooler).

The result on the Zenbook S 14 is a powerful laptop with a fantastic battery. During our livestream test, it lasted well over 17 hours streaming a full-screen video over Wi-Fi. The power-saving technology with Intel's "Intelligent Display" and dynamic tuning uses machine learning algorithms to automatically adjust brightness, refresh rate, and contrast, allowing it to effortlessly play media for hours with only a trickle of battery life.

Review: Asus Zenbook S 14 (Lunar Lake Series)

The performance element is just as nice. It's snappy, with rapid-fire load times and smooth transitions between apps while multitasking. Even better is the fact that the laptop's gorgeous OLED display with a variable 120Hz refresh rate feels smooth and premium.

Asus Zenbook S 14 (Intel Lunar Lake Series) tech specs: CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 200V "Lunar Lake" (Series 2) | GPU: Intel Arc Graphics | RAM: Up to 32GB | Storage: Up to 1TB | Display: 14-inch, 3K OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness | Weight: 2.65 lbs.

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As previously mentioned, we test all laptop batteries in the same way to provide a standard methodology for judging each machine's endurance. Since this test is quite taxing on the laptop, most users will see battery metrics quite higher than these numbers here in day-to-day use.

Of course, there are plenty of other factors that can result in different battery life metrics, depending on how you use your machine and whether or not you use different performance profiles. We've compiled our testing numbers here to provide an at-a-glance table with key specs and, of course, price points.

Best battery life laptop	Battery duration (hours)	RAM/Storage (Max)	Display	Starting Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop	15-20	32GB/1TB	13-inch/15-inch HDR touchscreen	$999
Apple MacBook Air M3	15-18	16GB/512GB	13-inch/15-inch Liquid Retina display	$1,299
Asus ProArt PZ 13	14-20	16GB/1TB	13-inch 3K AMOLED touchscreen	$1,099
Dell XPS 13	13-18	32GB/1TB	13-inch FHD/QHD touchscreen or non-touch	$1,259
Asus Zenbook S 14 (Lunar Lake Series)	15-17	32GB/1TB	14-inch 3K OLED	$1,499

These five laptops are solid machines in their own right, but paired with their highly-optimized battery life, we've highlighted them as great picks for anyone who prioritizes a good battery when shopping for a new machine. If you're still not sure which one is the right pick for you, check out our breakdown below.

Choose this laptop…	If you want...
Microsoft Surface Laptop	A Windows Copilot+ PC with all-around solid performance, great battery life, and versatility.
Apple MacBook Air M3	An ultraportable machine with a tried-and-true performance and battery.
Asus ProArt PZ 13	A laptop designed with creatives in mind with a nice display.
Dell XPS 13	A strong suite of hardware for work or play packed into a 13-inch, portable powerhouse.
Asus Zenbook S 14 (Lunar Lake Series)	A lightweight, sleek laptop with a brilliant OLED display and top-of-the-line hardware.

Batteries, like any electronic device, have a lifespan. Getting the most out of your laptop's battery comes down to preserving its longevity with battery-saving modes, keeping it within normal operating temperatures, and being smart about how you charge it. Yes, that means you don't need to leave it plugged in 24/7.

Letting your battery life go down past 50% (or 25%) before you charge it again is also a natural part of the battery's lifecycle. Staying charged at 100% for its entire lifecycle has been shown to reduce its overall longevity.

When you're working with your laptop and want to make it last as long as possible, there are some key things that make a big difference:

Activate your system's battery-saving mode. This will turn on presets designed to make the most of your charge by disabling things you don't necessarily need, like keyboard backlighting, full-power processing to all your apps, and reducing screen brightness.Close apps you're not using, as things running in the background can consume just as much power as apps that you are using. Turn off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi if you're not using them. These settings alone can go a long way toward reducing your laptop's overall power drain. Reduce your display brightness and disable your keyboard's backlight. Although displays don't drain as much power as they used to, running your laptop at full brightness will definitely carve a chunk out of your battery's charge. Just use as much as you need.

We use a combination of methods to test laptops here at ZDNET. First, we acquire data from benchmarking software to analyze a system's metrics under the hood, and compare those to advertised numbers. Then, we spend an extended amount of time with the laptop (usually a week or two) using it the same way a normal consumer would, in order to analyze its portability, form factor, and how well the battery actually holds up, among others. For an extensive breakdown, check out our comprehensive laptop testing methodology.

Benchmarking: First, we run a series of tests to put the computer's hardware through the wringer in order to see what it's capable of. Cinebench is one of the most commonly used hardware testing suites, which tests the laptop's rendering performance on single and multiple CPU cores. PCMark 10 is another powerful program that covers a wide variety of tasks performed in the workplace, and there are many others that we use in tandem to gather as much data as we can. Some components we run tests on include:Processor: The "brain" of the laptop, and one of the most important factors that determines performance. The four biggest manufacturers that make most of the CPUs found in laptops today are Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Apple (in their own machines only). This is tested in benchmarking software.The display: The size of the display (measured diagonally from corner to corner) is also what dictates the laptop's overall size, and play a big role in the laptop's cost. Brightness is measured in "nits," and color spectrums are tested in benchmarking software.The graphics processor (GPU): Whether it's integrated into the CPU or a dedicated graphics card, how well the machine handles graphics is a key factor when it comes to demanding visual tasks like video editing, rendering, and of course, gaming. We test the GPU with a combination of benchmarking software, gaming, and media playback. Physical form factor: Finally, the laptop's overall appearance and physical form factor encompasses its weight, thickness, how the keyboard and trackpad feel, and whether or not it has a display that can be folded back to form a tablet. We carry the laptop around for at least a week and note how well it commutes.Battery testing: We test a unit's battery in a few ways. A handful of benchmarking programs have their own battery testing components, but we also will just let the laptop run for as long as it can under a medium load. We ensure screensavers and hibernation mode are turned off, set the display's brightness and audio at 50%, load up a livestream on YouTube in Chrome, and wait 'til the end.The human element: As we mentioned earlier, metrics and system data is important, but numbers alone don't give you the full picture. This is where we weave in our personal experience with the device and tap into the practical use cases that consumers actually care about.

Ultimately, our goal is to break down the capabilities of each and every laptop we test into digestible terms that real people can find useful. There is a lot of noise and confusion when it comes to navigating the laptop and computer consumer market, so we hope to bring an intuitive element to the whole process by leveraging our team's decades of experience.

These days, a "computer" for most people is a laptop of some kind. The desktop form factor -- particularly in the shape of all-in-one (AIO) devices -- is by no means finished. Still, laptops span the range from thin, light, and ultraportable to bulky, powerful, and deskbound.

If small screens are a problem, you can always attach an external monitor. There are also plenty of hybrid 2-in-1 devices that straddle the divide between laptops and tablets.

Battery technology is closely linked to the laptop's processor, and there have been leaps forward in processor technology this year. From the launch of Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs with the Snapdragon X Elite Windows-on-ARM compatible chips, to comparable chips from AMD and Intel, the market has shifted, and that's good news for consumers.

Of the five machines on this list, three of them have the Snapdragon X Elite chip. The MacBook Air M3 utilizes Apple's M3 Silicon processor, which has remained near the top of the list for power and efficiency for a few years now. The fifth machine on this list, Asus' Zenbook S 14 with Intel's Lunar Lake Series 2 processor is brand new to the playing field, but if additional models with this chip are anything like the Asus, will prove to go head to head with the leaders of the pack.

These five laptops were chosen for their combination of marathon battery life and otherwise exceptional features, but this list is by no means exhaustive. There are other laptops out there that compete head to head with many of the devices here. Chromebook and Chromebook Plus devices in particular, have pulled ahead as some of the most impressive in terms of performance relative to battery life, and we're including the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus as an attractive alternative.