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The best laptops for battery life in 2022
By Alex Wawro published 5 September 2022 Here are the longest-lasting laptops you can buy right now Included in this guide:1AppleMacbook Pro 13 (2022)Check Price (opens in new tab)2AppleMacBook Pro 16-inch 2021Check Price (opens in new tab)3AsusZenbook 13 OLED (UM325U) Check Price (opens in new tab)4AppleMacbook Air (M1 2020)Check Price (opens in new tab)5AppleMacBook Pro 14-inch (2021)Check Price (opens in new tab)6AppleMacBook Air M2 2022Check Price (opens in new tab)7LenovoIdeapad Duet ChromebookCheck Price (opens in new tab)8LenovoThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 1Check Price (opens in new tab)9SamsungGalaxy Book2 Pro 360Check Price (opens in new tab) (Image credit: Tom's Guide) The best laptops for battery life are capable enough to tackle your day-to-day tasks and power-efficient enough that you won't run out of juice unexpectedly. Everyone values battery life in a portable PC, but finding the laptops with the best battery life is tricky because not only is each model different, but what you're doing on the laptop and how has a big impact on how long it lasts before needing to be plugged in. Worse, many laptop vendors quote too-good-to-be-true battery life estimates for their products that rarely stand up to real-world use. That's why we send every laptop we review through our testing lab, which puts each PC to the test in a battery (pardon the pun) of performance benchmarks. One of those tests involves tasking the laptop with endlessly surfing the web via Wi-Fi with its screen set to 150 nits of brightness, then timing how long it takes to run out of power. This test gives us a decent idea of how long you can expect a laptop to last on a single charge while browsing the web. More importantly, it gives us a standard metric we can use to see how laptops stack up against each other in terms of power efficiency. We review dozens of laptops from the top manufacturers every year, then gather the very best (4 stars or higher) together here and rank them by how long they lasted on a fully-charged battery. Laptops are only allowed on this list if they earned 4 stars or more and lasted 12 hours or longer in our battery test, which should give you some confidence you can use one for an eight-hour workday without having to recharge. However, keep in mind that battery life fluctuates based on a number of factors, including what you're doing and how your laptop is configured. What are the best laptops for battery life
Right now we recommend the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro 2022 as the best laptop to buy if you want great battery life. This is the first MacBook Pro launched with Apple's new M2 chip, and thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon it managed to last over 18 hours in our battery test. That's incredible when you consider many Windows ultraportables last around 8-10 hours in the same test. It's a great laptop to boot, with strong performance, a nice screen and a comfy keyboard. If you want more power in a long-lasting laptop we recommend another Apple laptop, the 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021. The 2021 MacBook Pros are fantastic laptops, packing beautiful displays, excellent port arrays, excellent webcams and great performance thanks to their M1 Pro/M1 Max chips. While we like the 14-inch model as much as the 16-inch, the larger MacBook Pro lasts slightly longer in our battery test, to the tune of 15 hours and 31 minutes -- though the 14-inch model did manage to last 14 hours and 9 minutes in the same test. If you want a great long-lasting laptop that won't break the bank, we recommend the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED. This peppy little ultraportable delivers great performance and remarkable 15-hour battery life in our tests, and that's with the eye-catching 1080p OLED display. Even if you splurge for the OLED (and we think it adds a lot), this AMD-powered laptop can often be found for well under $1,000. If you're looking for something significantly cheaper the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a great Chrome tablet that comes with a keyboard at no extra charge, and it lasted nearly 13 hours in our battery test. The best laptops for battery life you can buy today
(Image credit: Tom's Guide) 1 MacBook Pro 13-inch M2 2022 review
The longest-lived laptop we've tested yet Specifications
Display: 13.3 inches (2560 x 1600)Processor: Apple M2 (8-core)Graphics: Integrated 8-core M2 GPU Integrated 10-core GPUMemory: 8GB to 24GBStorage: 256GB to 2TBWeight: 3 poundsTested battery life: 18:20Today's Best DealsView at Amazon (opens in new tab)View at Amazon (opens in new tab)View at Walmart (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Blazing-fast performance+Amazing battery life+Sharp, vibrant display+Comfortable keyboard Reasons to avoid
-Same old design-720p webcam-Limited ports The 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 (from $1,299) is the first M2-powered Apple laptop to hit the market. While the design hasn't changed, Apple promises a big leap in performance, whether you're editing photos or videos or running multiple applications at once. But most importantly for our purposes, the M2 chip helps it achieve an incredible 18 hours in our battery test. And based on the rest of our testing the M2 chip is quite powerful, offering performance that destroys most competing Windows laptops. The M2 also beats the M1 chip by a significant margin in various benchmarks. However, while this notebook sports a new slice of Apple silicon, the design shows its age. You get the same form factor, same ports, same display and same webcam. Meanwhile, the new MacBook Air 2022 offers a larger display with thinner bezels, a 1080p webcam and a thinner, lighter design. It would be easy to say the new MacBook Pro isn't worthwhile and that it's better to wait for its modern cousin, the MacBook Air. There's some truth to that sentiment, but it wouldn't be wise to dismiss this product, which is still one of the best laptops for power users -- especially if you care about battery life more than anything else. Read our full MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022) review. (Image credit: Future) 2 MacBook Pro 2021 16-inch
Best long-lasting laptop for power users Specifications
Display: 16.2 inches; 3456x2244 pixelsCPU: M1 Pro (10-core CPU) M1 Max (10-core CPU)GPU: Integrated 16-core GPURAM: 16GB to 64GBStorage: 512GB to 8TBWeight: 4.7 pounds (M1 Pro) 4.8 pounds (M1 Max)Tested battery life: 15:31Today's Best DealsView at Amazon (opens in new tab)View at Walmart (opens in new tab)View at Best Buy (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Beautiful Liquid Retina XDR display+Incredible performance trounces competition+Finally, more than USB-C ports Reasons to avoid
-Display is sub-4K The 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 is a great laptop for power-consciouc power users, as it lasted 15 hours and 31 minutes in our battery tests. It's a speedy beast too, thanks to the M1 Pro/M1 Max chips, which pushes graphics performance on the Mac to a whole new level. On top of that, its amazing redesign helps improve its display (everyone will get over the notch, trust us), with thinner bezels than ever, catching up to the Dell XPS InfinityEdge display (except for that notch, of course). That screen, too, is better than ever, with mini-LED technology and improved picture quality thanks to fantastic contrast and a 120Hz refresh rate for excellent smoothness. And that's just the start of the story. The 2021 MacBook Pros see a realignment on ports for MacBooks, moving back from the "USB-C or bust" situation of the past 5 years. Now, you've got HDMI-out for connecting to displays and an SD memory reader for pros with real cameras. If you want a powerful MacBook with a better design than the 2022 MacBook Pro and excellent battery life, this is the one to buy. Check out our full MacBook Pro 2021 (16-inch) review. (Image credit: Future) 3 Asus Zenbook 13 OLED
Best long-lasting laptop for the money Specifications
Display: 13.3-inch 1080p OLEDCPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700UGPU: Integrated Radeon graphicsRAM: 8 GBStorage: 512 GBWeight: 2.5 poundsTested battery life: 15:00Today's Best DealsCheck Amazon (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Stellar battery life+Beautiful 1080p OLED display+Great performance Reasons to avoid
-Middling sound quality-Inconsistent webcam-No headphone jack The AMD-equipped Asus Zenbook 13 OLED is an excellent value, offering an eye-catching 1080p OLED display and exceptional 15-hour (in our tests) battery life in a slim, lightweight package for less than a thousand bucks. Sure, the speakers aren't amazing, the webcam leaves something to be desired, and there's no headphone jack, but these are stumbling blocks you can work around. If you need a zippy little ultraportable with a great screen that will last you all day long, you can't do better than the OLED-equipped Asus Zenbook 13 at this price. Read our full Asus Zenbook 13 OLED review. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 4 MacBook Air with M1
The long-lasting MacBook Air for those on a budget Specifications
Display: 13.3 inches; 2,560 x 1,600CPU: Apple M1GPU: Integrated 8-core GPURAM: 8GB-16GBStorage: 256GB-2TB SSDWeight: 2.8 poundsTested battery life: 14:41Today's Best DealsView at Amazon (opens in new tab)View at Amazon (opens in new tab)View at Musician's Friend (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Super-fast performance+Incredibly long battery life+Comfortable keyboard Reasons to avoid
-Still has thick bezels-Light on ports The MacBook Air was always the best MacBook for most people, and even now that the M2 model is out, the original MacBook Air with M1 is still a great laptop, with great 14-hour battery life and strong performance in a lightweight package. Apple's decision to replace its Intel processors with its own Apple Silicon, starting with the M1 chip in the MacBook Air, is reaping serious rewards. This laptop's 14 hours and 41 minutes of battery life on the Tom's Guide battery test is excellent, and the M1 chip gives it enough power to tackle whatever day-to-day tasks you throw at it. The MacBook Air's webcam has also been upgraded, as the M1 chip provides signal processing tricks to improve clarity and color accuracy. And, of course, the Magic Keyboard is still here, which provides a comfy typing experience. Read our full MacBook Air with M1 review. (Image credit: Henry T. Casey) 5 MacBook Pro 2021 14-inch
The long-lasting MacBook Pro for those who prefer 14-inchers Specifications
Display: 14.2 inches; 3024x1964 pixelsCPU: Apple M1 Pro or Max with 10-core CPUGPU: 16-core to 32-core integrated GPURAM: 16GB to 64GBStorage: 512GB to 8TB SSDWeight: 3.5 poundsTested battery life: 14:09Today's Best DealsView at Amazon (opens in new tab)View at Walmart (opens in new tab)View at Best Buy (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Amazingly fast+Beautiful mini-LED display+Fantastic battery life Reasons to avoid
-No USB-A port While the 14-inch MacBook Pro 2021 didn't last quite as long in our battery tests as the 16-inch model, it still lasted over 14 hours, which is remarkable. Other than that and the size difference, this is basically the same laptop as the 16-inch model. That means HDMI-out and an SD card reader for when you need to expand your display or use external memory. Also, MagSafe charging is back, though it doesn't displace USB-C charging either. What is gone, though is the Touch Bar, that little touch screen that sat above the keyboard. It's been replaced for full-sized function (F1-F12) keys, which we're happy to see back. Apple's also upgraded its internal webcam to 1080p (from 720p), as we're all spending far more time on video conferencing calls than ever before. Combined with that fantastic display, improved internal mics and a six-speaker setup that produces stellar sound, the new MacBook Pro will have everything looking and sounding better than before. Read our full MacBook Pro 2021 (14-inch) review. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 6 Apple MacBook Air M2 2022
The best long-lasting laptop for MacBook Air fans Specifications
Display: 13.6 inches; 2560x1664CPU: Apple M2GPU: 8-core or 10-core GPURAM: 8GB-24GBStorage: 256GB-2TB SSDWeight: 2.7 poundsTested battery life: 14:06Today's Best DealsView at Amazon (opens in new tab)View at Musician's Friend (opens in new tab)View at Apple (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Fast M2 performance+Brighter and bigger display+1080p webcam+Very long battery life Reasons to avoid
-Notch distracting-Supports only one monitor While it couldn't match the performance of its predecessor in our battery tests, the new MacBook Air M2 is still a remarkably long-lasting laptop. With 14 hours of tested battery life you should have no trouble taking this out for a day of work without bringing a charger, and it delivers everything you could want in a notebook: great performance, an awesome display, long battery life and plenty of comfort in a very sleek design. This new Air lives up to its name by shrinking down the design 20% by volume and measuring just 0.44 inches thick. And it's quite light at 2.7 pounds. And yet the M2 chip inside this machine delivers power that outperforms most Windows laptops. It's a multitasking champ, and if you want more graphics might you can upgrade to a 10-core GPU. We also really like the bright display on the new MacBook Air M2, which rivals the MacBook Pro M2, and it's now bigger at 13.6 inches with slimmer bezels. Other highlights include a sharp 1080p webcam, MagSafe charging and four color options. The only strikes against this system are the somewhat distracting notch and support for only a single external display. Read our full Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) review. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 7 Lenovo Chromebook Duet
The best long-lasting cheap Chromebook Specifications
Display: 10.1 inches, 1920x1200CPU: 2.0GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P60TRAM: 4GBStorage: 64GB eMMC, 128GB eMMCDimensions: 9.64 x 6.66 x 0.71 inches (docked)Weight: 2 pounds (docked)Tested battery life: 12:47Today's Best DealsView at Best Buy (opens in new tab)View at Walmart (opens in new tab)View at Amazon (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Epic battery life+Colorful Full HD screen+Keyboard is included Reasons to avoid
-That keyboard is also kinda cramped-Hinge is a little weak Costing under $300 yet delivering over 12 hours of tested battery life, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a remarkable value and a very power-efficient Chromebook. It's technically a Chrome tablet, but the keyboard comes free, making this a great device for casually surfing the web and getting some light work done. Oh, and it's also a solid tablet too, thanks to strong color output and a sharp resolution that you rarely see at this price point. The Chromebook Duet also sees ChromeOS gain some touchscreen tablet optimizations that it's needed for a while, making it easier to navigate all of your tabs. The only knock against it? Its cramped keyboard might take some getting used to, especially if you have large hands. Read our full Lenovo Chromebook Duet review. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 8 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
The best long-lasting business laptop Specifications
Display: 13 inches; 2KCPU: Intel Core i5-1130G7 Intel Core i7-1160G7GPU: Intel Iris Xe GraphicsRAM: 8GB - 16GBStorage: 256 - 1TB SSDWeight: 2 poundsTested battery life: 12:00Today's Best DealsView at Walmart (opens in new tab)View at Best Buy (opens in new tab)View at Amazon (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Great battery life+Lightweight+2K, anti-glare display Reasons to avoid
-Limited ports-Dull sound When we hear a laptop is incredibly thin and light, it makes us worry about how long its battery will last on a single charge. That's not the case here, as the 2-pound Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano lasted 12 hours on our battery test, which should be more than enough to get you through a day at the office. Lenovo didn't sacrifice on performance or usability either. The Nano's Intel 11th Gen Tiger Lake processors provide the speed you need for tons of productivity - and its keyboard provides a snappy and comfortable typing experience that lives up to the ThinkPad brand. You just might need to pack a USB-C hub, though, as it's a little light on ports. Read our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano review. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 9 Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360
The best battery life in a 2-in-1 with a stylus Specifications
Display: 13.3- or 15.6-inch 1080p Super AMOLEDCPU: Intel Core i7RAM: 8-16 GBStorage: 256 GB - 1 TBWeight: 3.11 poundsSize: 13.97 x 8.98 x 0.47 inchesTested battery life: 11:59Today's Best DealsView at Samsung (opens in new tab)View at Best Buy (opens in new tab)View at Walmart (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy
+Gorgeous 15.6-inch AMOLED display+Fetching ultra-thin design+Extremely portable+Speedy performance+Roomy keyboard and responsive touchpad Reasons to avoid
-Samsung apps can feel like bloatware-1080p max resolution disappoints The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is an ultra-thin 2-in-1 laptop that's tailor-made for people who are always on the go. With a tested battery life of nearly 12 hours it's got plenty of juice to get you through a day at the office. And like last year's Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360, this iteration features a gorgeous AMOLED screen that's perfect for media consumption. It's also ideal for work thanks to its speedy performance. Though a Windows laptop at its core, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 comes loaded with a slew of Samsung software. This could be good or bad, depending on how invested you are in the Samsung ecosystem. If you are, then you'll find that this 2-in-1 pairs nicely with your Samsung tablets and phones. Otherwise, all of these applications are effectively bloatware. Despite the middling webcam and Samsung bloatware, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 has a lot going for it and is a 2-in-1 we highly recommend to those who are in the market for a powerful, portable laptop that pairs nicely with Samsung devices. The fact that it comes with Samsung's S Pen stylus included is a nice touch that makes this especially nice if you like doodling notes or just doodling in general. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 review. How to choose the right long-lasting laptop for you
What kind of power do you need? Forget about battery power for a minute -- what kind of performance do you need from your new laptop? If you only need something basic for surfing the web, consider a Chromebook -- the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is an especially good value, if you don't mind a tablet. If you plan on getting more intensive work done, consider buying a laptop with at least a Core i5 CPU, 8 to 16GB of RAM and a 256GB to 512GB SSD. What kind of games do you want to play? Most mainstream laptops (including nearly everything on this list) feature integrated graphics, which can handle lightweight titles such as Minecraft and Fortnite but aren't ideal for graphically-demanding games or heavy visual work. For that, you'll want a laptop with a discrete graphics card, such as an Nvidia GTX 3000-series on the higher end. While no dedicated gaming laptop has the battery efficiency to make it on this list, we recommend the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which lasted over 10 hours in our battery test. Of course, you'll get far less (maybe a couple hours) when playing demanding games, but that's still better battery performance than most gaming laptops. How big of a laptop do you want? Consider how mobile you want your laptop to be. Machines such as the Dell XPS 13 and HP Elite Dragonfly are feather light with slim designs, but their 13-inch screens are on the small side. You can get a larger 15-inch display on a premium ultraportable like the XPS 15 and still not have to worry about weight too much, but once you start getting up into the realm of 17-inch screens, expect your laptop to weigh at least a few pounds. Gaming laptops such as the Alienware m15 R4 have more heft to them, than thin-and-light ultraportables, but offer big power in exchange. Do you want Chrome, macOS, or Windows? Thanks to recent tech improvements, no operating system is out of the question if you really want a long-lasting laptop. You have your choice between Windows (pre-installed on most laptops), macOS (MacBooks) and Chrome OS (Chromebooks). Windows 10 is the most common operating system, but if you buy a new Windows laptop these days it may well come with Windows 11, which makes meaningful improvements to the way Windows deals with touch interfaces but is otherwise not a huge upgrade. Apple's macOS is more ideal for folks already tied into Apple's ecosystem, while Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system built to allow for cheap, fast systems, though it has gotten a bit more robust over the years with support for full Android apps. Whichever system you decide on, you may also want to consider investing in the best mouse and best keyboard for your needs so you can have some more ergonomic options for working on your new laptop. How we test the best laptops
To find the best laptop, we run every machine through a rigorous suite of benchmarks and real-world tests to gauge how it will perform during everyday use. We measure the average brightness and color quality of each laptop's display using our in-house light meter and colorimeter. For general performance, we run our machines through tests that include Geekbench 5 (CPU performance), as well as various 3DMark tests to measure graphics capabilities. We also run a file transfer test to measure how fast a machine's hard drive is, and our custom battery test that has the machine browse the internet over Wi-Fi until it runs out of juice. When testing dedicated gaming laptops, we run benchmarks for popular games such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2. For more details on our testing process, check out our guide to how we test products at Tom's Guide.Round up of today's best dealsReduced Price (opens in new tab)Apple Macbook Pro 13 (2022) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$1,299 (opens in new tab)$1,247.29 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)See all pricesReduced Price (opens in new tab)Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021 (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$2,499 (opens in new tab)$2,199 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)See all pricesReduced Price (opens in new tab)Apple Macbook Air (M1 2020) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$999 (opens in new tab)$799 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)See all pricesReduced Price (opens in new tab)Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$1,999 (opens in new tab)$1,859 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)See all pricesReduced Price (opens in new tab)Apple MacBook Air M2 2022 (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$1,199 (opens in new tab)$1,099 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)See all pricesReduced Price (opens in new tab)Lenovo Ideapad Duet Chromebook (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$299 (opens in new tab)$209 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)See all pricesReduced Price (opens in new tab)Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 1 (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$1,829.99 (opens in new tab)$1,694 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)See all pricesReduced Price (opens in new tab)Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$1,299.99 (opens in new tab)$1,049.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)See all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best pricespowered by Be In the Know
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Alex WawroAlex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC World magazine. A lifelong PC builder, he currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice. More about laptops The MacBook Air M1 is Black Friday cheap right now at $799 Best Buy deals and sales in October 2022Latest How to redeem a code on Nintendo SwitchSee more latest ► Topics Laptops See all comments (0) No comments yet Comment from the forums MOST READMOST SHARED1How to redeem a code on Nintendo Switch2Fed up with push-ups? These 5 variations will revamp chest day3How to clean sneakers in 4 easy steps4I used four different tools to get rid of leaves - here's what worked best5I'm worried the Xbox Series S is holding back true next-gen gaming 1How to redeem a code on Nintendo Switch2Fed up with push-ups? These 5 variations will revamp chest day3Get your kicks looking brand new again with these top tips on how to clean sneakers.4I used four different tools to get rid of leaves - here's what worked best5I'm worried the Xbox Series S is holding back true next-gen gaming