
In the last-generation Surface Book 2, together, they eked out an impressive 17 hours of battery life in our testing, but you'll get far less than that if you're using the tablet by itself. One notable exception is the Microsoft Surface Book line, which includes two separate batteries, one in the tablet and one in the keyboard base. Detachable Windows tablets tend to be underrepresented, and for good reason: There's simply no room for a large battery in such a small enclosure. Our top 10 list is stacked with traditional laptops and convertible designs with 360-degree display hinges. Alternatives from Apple (the Apple M1) and Qualcomm's Snapdragons are starting to make a showing, too. Some of the systems here use the chip maker's previous 10th Generation CPUs, but 11th Generation chips are taking over in laptops released through 2021. (It's not just battery technology that deserves the credit.) That's especially true of Intel's newest Core processors, which power many of the longest-lasting models currently on our list. These recent improvements in laptop battery life are thanks to CPUs and other components that are more power-efficient than ever. But today, even many thin ultraportables with sealed-shut chassis show impressive endurance away from an AC outlet. Just a few years ago, it was necessary to buy and charge an external battery pack to get long battery life, or to insist on a machine with a removable, swappable battery. Business travelers and students are often at the mercy of their computer's remaining juice, since so many conference rooms, aircraft, and lecture halls are woefully short on accessible power outlets. How long a laptop lasts on its internal battery is one of the most important considerations for PC shoppers.



