My laptop, which has a 6-pack Li-ion battery died after six years. I rarely use it now except as backup in case something happens to my desktop. I sync it weekly and update some files and programs.
As the AC/recharger cable is right at my desk, that is about the only place I use it now.
I just got a replacement battery pack, but it did not have any instructions, so just snapped it in place and gave it a full charge. It was partly charged when I got it.
So, the question is, would it be better to leave it in the laptop and just let it charge every time I plug it in, or when the battery is charged, take it out and just use the AC, and maybe charge it every month or so?
Is one or the other better for battery life, or does it not make any difference?
In short, lithium ion batteries rapidly decline if they are kept fully charged. If they are kept only partially charged, the rate of decline is much lower.
The way to ensure this is to keep the battery removed from the laptop when it is on your desk, and only snap the battery in when you are taking the laptop somewhere. It will gradually self-discharge over the times it is sitting on your desk. (charge it up once you come back to the desk, but then remove the battery once it is charged)
Of course, for a 6 year old laptop, since the battery will provide acceptable performance for 1-2 years anyway, and a 6 year old laptop is so obsolete that it is cheaply replaceable, I would just let the battery die over time and not worry about it. The odds are good that by the time the battery is no longer able to hold an acceptable amount of charge, you will have replaced the laptop.
How long do you plan to keep the laptop? Even at 100% charge the battery should last 2 years or so. They really should have a keep at 50% charge setting.
True. However, I also think that it needs to be said that Lithium Ion batteries tend to die an early death no matter how well you treat them. They are light in weight and have a great energy density for their size, which makes them a great choice for things like laptops where size and weight really matter. But their longevity kinda sucks.
Heat also kills Lithium Iion batteries very quickly, and laptops generally run hot. A good laptop design will have the processor and all of its heat located as far away as possible from the battery. If your laptop is designed in such a way that the battery gets stuck with a lot of heat, then doing things like leaving the laptop plugged in and on overnight when you aren’t using it will cook the battery into an early grave.
Habeed’s advice of removing the battery when you don’t need it solves the heat problem as well.
Regarding heat. I live in the tropics, and it is always hot, and the laptop is hot. I bought a chiller and it really does a great job of moving the heat away from the laptop. I have read that heat is an enemy of electronic devices. If you get a chiller, my advice is to not buy the cheapest. They tend to be a little noisy.
Trying to micro-manage the charge state of your laptop battery to extend its’ lifespan is a rube’s game.
No matter how anal you are about keeping the battery at the theoretical best state of charge, it’s still only going to last 4-5 years. Furthermore, keeping it at 50% charge means that your maximum off-power time is cut in half, which kind of defeats the purpose.
FWI, I keep all my devices plugged in and charging whenever I’m near a power source. My MacBook Pro is 2 years old, and I can still get 4-5 hours of battery life from it.
Taking the battery out of a laptop whenever you are plugged in runs the risk of being disabled by a power failure. Leaving the battery in at least gives you time for an orderly shutdown with no data loss.
