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Need some battery life tips?These are the facts and habits you need to maximize your phone battery’s longevity.
Most of us — casual users and enthusiasts alike — are forever searching for smartphones with the longest battery life. And while fast charging keeps us topped up every day, the absence of replaceable batteries means eventually, the lithium-ion cells enclosed in our phones are going to age and deteriorate, making it harder to maximize battery life.

If you’ve held onto a phone for a couple of years, you’ve probably noticed the battery doesn’t seem to last as long as it did when your handset was brand new. Four or five years down the line, many phones struggle to make it through the day on a single charge. Holding onto a phone even longer can even spell trouble for reliability too as you may face sudden shutdowns.
Unfortunately, battery capacity inevitably declines with age. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to prolong the lifespan of your smartphone’s battery. If you’ve ever wondered what the best way to charge your battery is, here are some scientifically proven tips to maximize battery life.

Partial charging is a healthy habit
One particularly persistent battery myth is that you need to occasionally fully discharge and recharge to erase “battery memory.” This couldn’t be more wrong for lithium-ion batteries. It’s a leftover myth from lead-acid cells, and it’s pretty undesirable to charge your modern smartphone in this way.
Partial charging is just fine for lithium-ion batteries and can have some positive benefits for cell longevity. To understand why it’s important to appreciate how a battery charges. Li-ion batteries draw constant current and operate at a lower voltage when closer to empty. This voltage gradually increases as the cell charges up, leveling off at around a 70% charge before the current begins to fall until the capacity is full.

Partial charging is just fine for lithium-ion batteries and even has some positive benefits.Notably, operating at a low voltage is good for a battery’s lifespan, increasing the number of available charging cycles before you’ll start to see a significant reduction in capacity. Roughly speaking, every 0.1V decrease in cell voltage doubles the cycle life, according to Battery University. Therefore, charging up your phone in that 30% to 80% range keeps the voltage lower and might slightly prolong the battery’s lifespan.
Smaller but regular top-ups are much better for Li-ion batteries than long full charge cycles.Using up just 20% of your battery between charges isn’t practical, but topping up when you’ve used about half will see an improvement in your battery life over the long term. Especially if you avoid charging up to full each time too. The bottom line is that smaller, regular top-ups are better for Li-ion batteries than long full charge cycles.

Avoid idle charging
Charging overnight or in a cradle during the day is a very common habit, but it’s not recommended for several reasons (the old “overcharging” myth isn’t one of them). First, continuous trickle charging of a full battery can cause plating of the metallic lithium, which reduces stability in the long term and can, in rare cases, lead to system-wide malfunctions and reboots. Secondly, as we just mentioned above, it leaves the battery at a higher stress voltage when at 100%. , and most important, it creates excess heat caused by wasted power dissipation.
Some phones disable or slow down charging when nearing full capacity.Ideally, a device should stop charging when it reaches 100% battery capacity, only turning the charging circuit back on to top up the battery now and again — or at the very least reducing the charging current to very small amounts.

While some phones disable charging once full, many continue to pull up to half an amp and sometimes more from the wall outlet. Turning smartphones off doesn’t make a difference in many cases either. While this isn’t a massive amount of power, it’s going to stop your phone from cooling down as quickly and will continue to cycle through a small part of the battery, resulting in a mini-cycle.
A final point worth mentioning is parasitic load. This occurs when the battery is being drained significantly at the same time as being charged, such as watching a video or gaming while charging.

Parasitic loads are bad for batteries because they distort the charging cycle and induce mini-cycles — where part of the battery continues cycles and deteriorates faster than the rest of the cell. Worse still, parasitic loads occurring when a device is fully charged also induce higher Voltage stress and heat on the battery.
Gaming or videos while watching charging is bad because it distorts charging cycles.The best way to avoid parasitic loads is to turn your device off while charging.But that’s not really realistic. Instead, it’s best to keep the workload light

 while the device is plugged in, leaving it idle most of the time. Browsing the web is probably fine. Also, remember to unplug it once the battery is topped up enough.

Heat is the enemy of long battery life
Along with all of the above, temperature is an equally key contributor to longevity and maximizing battery life. In fact, it’s arguably the biggest killer of long-term battery health. Like high voltages, high temperatures stress the battery and make it lose capacity far more quickly than when kept at lower temperatures.

How to maximize smartphone battery health long-term
Lithium-ion battery technology is well understood these days, and smartphones are built around our use cases, but bad habits and myths still permeate the public consciousness. While most of these habits won’t severely negatively impact your phone’s battery life in the medium term, the decline in removable phone batteries means we should take extra precautions to maximize battery life and thus our smartphone’s longevity.
Broadly speaking, smaller regular charge cycles and keeping your phone cool are the key things to remember. Although I should point out that different phone batteries will always age slightly differently depending on how we treat them.

Are you often frustrated at how quickly your laptop battery runs out of juice? Laptop batteries work on the same principle as your phone, tablets and pretty much every other battery in the world. down – it’s inevitable really. Here are five tips that will help to extend the life of your laptop battery.

1. Turn off unnecessary functions

The first step in extending your battery life is to turn off all the functions you don’t need at the time.If you’re not using the internet or any wireless accessories, then turning off wifi and Bluetooth will give you longer battery life. If you do need wifi and Bluetooth on, then try blocking online apps such as Dropbox, AirDrop, OneDrive and iCloud.

2. Do one thing at a time

Having multiple apps open at any one time will drain your battery power faster than having only one open. So, if you’re running out of juice, using one app at a time will help you get more out of your battery. re really running low, then using text-editing software, such as Apple Notes or Windows TextPad, will sponge less power from your battery.

3. Check your energy-saving settings

Your Mac laptop comes with a fantastic function for efficient use of power called ‘Energy Saver’. You’ll find a similar feature on your PC called ‘Power Options’. Both have automatic settings that can help to extend your laptop’s battery life, and also allow you to manually input settings, such as when to put your computer to sleep if you’re not using it, and other options to improve battery efficiency. You can also dim your screen and backlit keyboard, and mute your speakers to save battery power. Sometimes, turning down your screen resolution can also help maintain battery charge for longer.

4.Use apps to analyze battery health

You can check your battery health in your laptop’s control panel, but you may also wish to use a third-party battery monitoring app such as Battery InfoView for PCs and iStat for Macs to get a more detailed look at how you battery (and other parts of your laptop) are performing.

5.Keep coolL

aptops tend to become hot when in use, and when they get hot, the cooling fans kick in which, you guessed it, uses more battery power. Try to keep your laptop cool by following Ryan’s tips to stop your laptop overheating.

6. Disable unused devices and ports

External devices such as a mouse, wifi, speakers and Bluetooth can drain your battery.
The USB ports these devices use have power running to them that can be disabled through your laptop’s control panel.

7. Turn down your monitor brightness

A bright monitor will lap up your battery. Reduce screen brightness as much as possible without straining your eyes.

8. Don’t use screen savers

You may have been told you need to use a screen saver to preserve your monitor, and while it can stop screen burn-in, a screen saver is also a huge drain on your battery.
Replacing your high-definition screen saver with the simple black screen option will protect your screen without draining your power.

9. Turn it off

It probably goes without saying that your computer uses less power while it’s not switched on. So, if you don’t plan on using it for a while, why not turn it off?

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Battery life, alongside storage, is the one thing we can never have enough of . Without enough “juice,” even the best, most beefiest laptops get turned into unusable bricks.
Our needs in regards to endurance vary wildly — some only tend to work whilst on the go for a couple of hours before, eventually, reaching a wall outlet. Others, however, need as many hours of battery life as possible.
The way in which we use our laptops differs, but one thing’s for certain: there’s no such thing as having too long a battery life .

The longer our laptops last, the longer we are able to work on our projects, to create, study, and explore.
For many a year, mainstream laptops couldn’t really give us the kind of endurance we wanted and, more often than not, needed.

Now, though, in 2023, we have a litany of laptops at our disposal, some of which can easily last for 15 hours on a single charge (if not more, depending on the usage).
Those are mostly developed by Apple, but the Windows side of things isn’t all that much worse — AMD’s U-series processors are incredibly efficient and are, by all means, worth the asking price.
Getting ten hours of battery life is no longer as rare as it was in the past, and we couldn’t be happier for that being the case.
Still, what if you need more? What if your processor isn’t all that efficient, your battery is not as large, and your needs are not as modest?

Down below, we’ll take a closer look at a myriad of different ways in which you can “squeeze out” as good a battery life as possible, regardless if you’re using a Windows laptop or one running macOS.
Windows Laptops — How to Extend Battery LifeYou can prolong your laptop’s battery life by doing the following:
Lower the brightness — This one’s obvious but, to be fair, cranked up brightness does incur a tremendous hit to battery life. Lower it whenever you can.
Turn on Battery Saver — Click on the battery icon in the lower right-hand corner of the Windows taskbar. Once a small menu pops up, you’ll be able to see your quick settings — one of which is called “Battery Saver.”Turning it on is essentially the easiest and quickest way of prolonging battery life (alongside lowered brightness).
Depending on your laptop’s internals, you might not even notice that big of a difference performance-wise (especially if you’re just browsing the web and doing general productivity work).

For more demanding tasks, however, you’ll definitely want to turn it off.
Use the most efficient power mode — Go to Settings > System > Power & Battery and then, under the “Power Mode” setting, select “Best power efficiency.” This’ll reduce your CPU’s operating frequency and, in general, slow everything down without incurring too big of a penalty performance-wise. That being said, if it’s turned on — and you happen to start pushing your laptop — you will notice a difference in speed.

Power Saver Mode on LaptopsSet your laptop to its most efficient performance profile — Most laptops nowadays come with at least three different power profiles (which are created by the OEM itself). Their nomenclature varies but, for the most part, they adhere to the following: Silent, Balanced The first one basically limits the power draw of your components which, in turn, lowers internal temperatures and, by proxy, fan noise. The last one allows your processor and graphics card to draw as much power as possible. Balanced, as the name implies , offers a solid middle ground.In other words: the more modest the profile, the less power your components will draw.
And so, if you’re not doing anything overly intensive like video editing, gaming, 3D modeling et cetera — and you want to extend your battery life — make sure to set your laptop to its Silent profile, as opposed to Balanced or Performance.

The easiest way of doing this is by simply pressing the appropriate key combination — Fn + F on ASUS laptops, Fn + Q on Lenovo, and so on and so forth.
Lower your display’s refresh rate — If you have, say, a 90Hz display (or faster), switching it to 60Hz will help extend your laptop’s runtime by a fair bit; Windows laptops , unlike the latest MacBook Pros, still do n’t come with variable refresh rates which, in turn, affect their battery life by quite a bit.Change Refresh Rate WindowsTurn off Bluetooth/Wi-Fi — If you don’t need a constant internet connection, turn Wi-Fi off. Leaving it on will have a much bigger impact on your battery life than you’d expect. Bluetooth isn’t as big of a culprit, but the same holds true nonetheless.Close all unnecessary apps and background processes — This one’s self-explanatory.Turn off keyboard backlighting — One of the easiest battery life “fixes” around.Disconnect all external media — Much of the same holds true for all unnecessary peripherals and external media like SSDs, hubs, docks, and whatever else.Tiny 11—The Core Windows 11 ExperienceThis is essentially a stripped-down version of Windows 11 and, needless to say, it includes everything one needs to get up and running without the extra (and wholly superfluous) bloatware.

It doesn’t require TPM or SecureBoot, it needs just 2GB of RAM (or less), and will only consume a measly 8GB of storage once installed.
It isn’t officially supported though, and it won’t automatically update, so that’s definitely something worth keeping in mind. Still, users have reported tremendous gains in battery life, so it’s more than worth recommending.
You can download Tiny 11 at the following link and, if it happens to have piqued your interest, make sure to give the embedded video a look:

Windows Laptops with OLED Displays—Battery Life TipsOLED displays are a sight to behold, in no small part because of their awe-inspiring contrast ratio and incredible color coverage.
They’re not as energy efficient as their alternatives, though, so that kind of “eye candy” sure does come at a cost.

All methods listed above are still valid here, but we do have an additional few tips to share if you happen to own an OLED laptop:
Lower brightness is a must — If you have an OLED display — and you need as much battery life as possible — make sure to lower the brightness battery life just turning it down a notch; OLEDs are notoriously-power hungry.Turn on “Dark Mode” everywhere — Windows has a built-in “dark mode.” Activate it immediately. If you’re browsing the web and your favorite websites happen to have such a mode, turn it on. Dark mode is absolutely vital if you have an OLED display as each individual pixel is self-lit. If a good number of them aren’t activated (and are, as a result, pitch black) or are only marginally bright (to portray a shade of gray, for instance), then the panel itself isn’t going to draw as much power.Dark Mode WindowsThis also holds true for any wallpaper you might have: make sure it’s as dark as possible.

Apple slows down processors used in legacy iPhones – but what does that mean?In 2017, Apple revealed it slows down older iPhones such as the iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, and the first generation iPhone SE in order to prevent unexpected shut downs by managing the performance peaks.

The performance management feature – or throttling as some have described it in the past – is also included on the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR, but it only kicks in after an unexpected shutdown first occurs on a device with a battery that has diminished ability to deliver maximum instantaneous power.

Apple iPhones from the iPhone 6 and later also have a Battery Health tool that was introduced with iOS 11.3 back in March 2018, along with the ability to turn off the iPhone’s battery management feature. Here is everything you need to know about Apple iPhone’s Battery Health and performance management features and how to control them.

What is the iPhone performance management feature?

Apple’s performance management feature is specific to iPhones and it’s designed to prevent a device from unexpectedly shutting down so the device can still be used. Unexpected shutdowns can occur for a number of reasons, be that extreme cold temperatures, or a device with a battery of high chemical age, for example.
Apple’s iOS software will dynamically manage performance peaks in order to manage shutdowns. It looks at a combination of things, like device temperature, battery state of charge and battery impedance. The software then assesses whether action is required and if it is, the maximum performance of some of the system components, like the GPU and CPU, will be managed in order to balance out workloads and allow for a smoother performance overall.

Some of the things you might notice when the performance feature has kicked in are: Longer app launch times, lower frame rates when scrolling, backlight dimming, lower speaker volume, gradual frame-rate reduction in some apps, disabled camera flash in extreme cases and apps refreshing in the background may require reloading upon launch.

Some of the things that won’t be impacted by the performance feature are: Mobile call quality and networking performance, captured photo and video quality, GPS performance, location accuracy, sensors like gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer and Apple Pay. 
With regards to the performance management feature, Apple describes it as: “If the battery health is able to support the observed peak power requirements, the amount of performance management will be lowered. If an unexpected shutdown occurs again, then performance management will increase. This assessment is ongoing, allowing more adaptive performance management.”

iPhone Battery Health explained: Why Apple throttles iPhone performance and how you can control it photo 2AppleWhat is the Battery Health feature? Apple iPhones running iOS 11.3 and later have a Battery Health tool built in. To access the tool, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. From there, you’ll see information about your iPhone’s maximum capacity and peak performance capability. 
You’ll also see if your iPhone is being slowed by Apple’s performance management feature.

For example, we have an older iPhone XR showing as having a 94 percent battery capacity. Apple is not yet throttling the phone though: “Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance”.

In the Battery Health feature, you’ll also see whether your iPhone needs service and you can subsequently turn off the controversial performance management feature that’s throttling your iPhone if you want to.
How to disable throttling on an iPhoneThe ability to disable – and even enable – throttling is only available for iPhones more than a year old running iOS 11.3 and later.
Under Battery in the Settings app you’ll notice the Battery Health option. Tap it. You’ll then see a screen with a link to more information about lithium ion batteries. Below that, you’ll see your battery’s maximum capacity.

If this indicator is under 80 per cent, you’ll see another message at the bottom of the screen that warns your iPhone’s battery is “significantly degraded”. There will be another link that will point you to a page about how to get your phone serviced. 
Disable ‘performance management’ featureIf your device has shutdown due to battery degradation, this same screen will tell you that “performance management has been applied to prevent this from happening again”.
There will also be an option to disable the throttling. You can’t enable the performance management feature until you experience another shutdown. Your iPhone will auto-enable it should that ever happen.
It’s also worth noting that “all iPhone models include fundamental performance management to ensure that the battery and overall system operates as designed and internal components are protected. This includes behavior in hot or cold temperatures, as we ll as internal voltage management. This type of performance management is required for safety and expected function, and cannot be turned off”. 
What do those percentages mean?In the Battery Health menu, you’ll see a percentage that indicates your iPhone battery’s maximum capacity, followed by a message explaining your iPhone battery’s peak performance capability.

For instances:
100 percent: Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance.95 percent: This iPhone has experienced an unexpected shutdown because the battery was unable to deliver the necessary peak power. Performance management has been applied to help prevent this from happening again. Disable…79 percent or less: Your battery’s health is significantly degraded. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the battery to restore full performance and capacity. More about service options…Unknown: This iPhone is unable to determine battery health. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can service the battery. More about service options…Maximum capacity and peak performanceMaximum battery capacity measures your iPhone’s battery capacity relative to when it was new.

Batteries will start at 100 per cent when first activated and will have a lower capacity as the battery ages. According to Apple, a normal battery is designed to retain up to 80 per cent of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles when operating under normal conditions.
Now, as far as peak performance capability goes, it is the ability of your iPhone’s battery to supply adequate charge. If your iPhone’s battery maximum capacity is under 80 per cent, then its health has been significantly degraded and it needs replacing.

As new smartphone models are released, many may be tempted to throw away their old phone and go for a newer, more advanced device. The same is definitely true for old iPhones. Even if you are looking to buy the latest iPhone model, there are many who are more than happy to buy your old phone. So do not just throw away your old iPhone. Consider selling it instead.
Depending on the model and condition of your old phone, you can sell it for a good price. For example, an old iPhone 11 Pro Max with little to no visible damage is more valuable than an even older and battered iPhone XS. learn how to sell old iPhone -devices to Swappie.

What old iPhone models can I sell?

When the goal is to repair old iPhones to be sold again for someone else, some iPhone models are more valuable than others. To see which Apple iPhone models you can sell, take a look at our Sell your iPhone -page.
On the Sell your iPhone -page you can get an estimate of your old iPhone’s value. There are a few factors that affect the price you can get for your old device.
The model of your old iPhoneHow much storage capacity the iPhone hasDoes the phone function normally or is something not working rightAre there any signs of damage on the phone’s display, camera and bodyWhat is the level of damageBased on these factors you can estimate the value of your old iPhone. Start by selecting the iPhone model you want to sell and answer truthfully to the website’s questions.
If you have taken good care of your old iPhone, you can get a reasonable sum in return when selling it. We here at Swappie are more than happy to buy your old device. So, don’t wait. Go and check how much your phone is worth and sell your old iPhone to us.
After accepting our price offer, you will get a free shipping label for sending your old phone. Remember to clear your iPhone before sending it to us. After receiving it, our experts inspect your old phone and refurbish it to be sold once again. will receive the payment to your bank account soon after we have accepted your old phone.

Why should I sell my old iPhone?

Selling old iPhones is the smart thing to do for many reasons.
Save money when buying a new phone.

Rather than just throwing your old Apple iPhone away, why not sell it?By selling your old iPhone, you can get some money back in return that can then be put towards the budget of your new phone. How much you are paid for your old phone depends on its model and condition.Save the environment. Tons of old smartphones are thrown away every year, amounting to endless piles of electronic waste. Selling your old iPhone is a form of recycling where the old device is put to good use.Give your old phone a new home.

Would it not be a shame if your trusty old iPhone was just thrown away once it no longer has any use for you?

Sell it to someone else who is willing to give your old iPhone a new home.Give your broken phone a new life. Did you know that you can sell your old phone even if it is slightly broken? Depending on the level of damage, some cracks, scratches and bumps do not mean that your old phone cannot be saved. Manufacturers do not want you to know this, but many phone parts can be fixed or changed into new ones to extend the device’s lifespan.

Can I buy someone’s old Apple iPhone?

Whenever we think it is time to upgrade our trusty old smartphone, we probably start looking for brand new ones. However, a brand new iPhone is going to cost you much more than a used but refurbished model. After selling your old iPhone, why not Replace it with a refurbished one from Swappie.We here at Swappie are known for selling high-quality refurbished iPhones that have been inspected and repaired by true professionals. You are not just buying someone’s old iPhone, but a refurbished and repaired model instead. Have a look and see all of the refurbished iPhones We have to offer. Our iPhones come in a variety of colors, models, sizes and conditions from Acceptable to Like New. Check out the entire selection of Swappie’s refurbished iPhones on sale.

people, they don’t obey Moore’s Law–You can’t expect next year’s batteries to last twice as long as this year’s. Battery technology may improve a bit over time (after all, there’s plenty of financial incentive for better batteries), but , while interesting possibilities may pop up, don’t expect major battery breakthroughs in the near future.
Although your battery will eventually die, proper care can put off the inevitable. Here’s how to keep your laptop battery working for as long as possible. With luck, it could last until you need to replace that aging notebook (perhaps with a laptop having a longer battery life).

I’ve also included a few tips on keeping the battery going longer between charges, so you can work longer without AC power.

Despite what our screen shows, most laptops probably won’t allow you to set the critical battery level at 0 percent–and you shouldn’t try.Squeezing every drop of juice out of a lithium ion battery (the type used in today’s laptops) strains and weakens it. Doing this once or twice won’t kill the battery, but the cumulative effect of frequently emptying your battery will shorten its lifespan.(There’s actually an exception to this rule–a circumstance where you should run down the battery all the way. I’ll get to that later.)
The good news: You probably can’t run down the battery, anyway–at least not without going to a lot of trouble to do so. Most modern laptops are designed to shut down before the battery is empty.

In fact, Vista and Windows 7 come with a setting for just this purpose. To see it, click Start, type power, and select Power Options. Click any one of the Change plan settings links, then the Change advanced power settings link. the resulting dialog box, scroll down to and expand the Battery option. Then expand Critical battery level. The setting will probably be about 5 percent, which is a good place to leave it.
XP has no such native setting, although your laptop may have a vendor-supplied tool that does the same job.

Myth: You should never recharge your battery all the way.

There’s considerable controversy on this point, and in researching this article I interviewed experts both for and against. But I’ve come down on the side of recharging all the way. The advantages of leaving home with a fully-charged battery–you can use your PC longer without AC power–are worth the slight risk of doing damage.

Heat breaks down the battery, and reduces its overall life.
When you use your laptop, make sure the vents are unblocked. Never work with the laptop on pillows or cushions. If possible, put it on a raised stand that allows for plenty of airflow.

Also, clean the vents every so often with a can of compressed air. You can buy this for a few dollars at any computer store. Be sure to follow the directions on the can, and do this only when the notebook is off.

If you’re going to be working exclusively on AC power for a week or more, remove the battery first.Otherwise, you’ll be wearing out the battery–constantly charging and discharging it–at a time when you don’t need to use it at all. 
You don’t want it too empty when you take it out. An unused battery loses power over time, and you don’t want all the power to drain away, so remove it when it’s at least half-charged.

Never remove the battery while the computer is on, or even in standby or sleep mode; doing so will crash your system and possibly damage your hardware. Even inserting a battery into a running laptop can damage the system. when the laptop is completely off or hibernating.
If you’ve never removed your laptop’s battery and don’t know how, check your documentation. (If you don’t have it, you can probably find it online.) The instructions generally involve turning the laptop upside-down and holding down a button while you slide out the battery.
Myth: Refrigerate your battery.
Some people recommend you store it in the refrigerator, inside a plastic bag. While you should keep a battery cool, the last thing you want is a wet battery, and condensation is a real danger in the fridge. place at room temperature. A filing cabinet works fine.
You don’t want the battery to go too long without exercise or let it empty out entirely. e it for a few hours, then remove it again.
Also, before you take the laptop on the road, reinsert the battery and let it charge for a few hours before unplugging the machine. Allow the battery time to get a full charge before you remove the AC power.

Myth: You can rejuvenate a worn-out battery.This isn’t, strictly speaking, the case. You can’t make old lithium hold more electrons than it can currently manage.

But if the battery is running out unexpectedly fast, or if your laptop is having trouble figuring out how much power it has left, you might be able to fix the battery’s “gas gauge,” so it at least gives a more accurate reading.
If you suspect the battery can’t tell if it’s charged or not, run it through a couple of cycles. Drain it of all its power (yes, this is the exception to the “don’t drain the battery” rule mentioned above) , recharge it to 100 percent, and then repeat.
But how do you drain the battery when Windows won’t let you do just that? Don’t bother with the settings described above. They’re not safe (you might forget to change them back), they may not be getting an accurate reading, and they quite possibly won’t let you set the critical battery level to 0 percent. (If they did, it would crash Windows.)
Instead, unplug your AC power and keep your laptop running (you can work on it if you like) until it automatically hibernates. Then reboot your PC back and go directly to the system setup program.

I can’t tell you exactly how to get there; each computer is different. Turn on your PC and look for an onscreen message (one of the first you’ll see) that says something like “Press the X key for setup.” Immediately press the designated key.
It may take a couple of times to get the timing right. If there isn’t enough power to let it boot, plug in AC until you’re at the setup program, then unplug it.
Leave the notebook on until it shuts off. This can take some time (45 minutes on my laptop); setup uses a lot less power than Windows.
Once the PC is off, plug in the AC power, then wait a few hours before rebooting to Windows and making sure you’ve got a full recharge.
Repeat the process once or twice.
With luck and proper care, your battery will still be useful when you’re looking for a new laptop.
Longer Life Between ChargesThe tips above should lengthen the time before you need to replace your laptop’s battery. But on a daily basis, we’re far more concerned with another type of battery life: how long we can keep our laptop running without AC power. most of the following tips already, but it never hurts to refresh (or recharge) your memory.
Dim your screen Your laptop’s backlight requires a lot of juice. Keep it as dim as you can comfortably read it.
Shut off unneeded hardware Turn off your Bluetooth, and if you’re not using the Internet, turn off your Wi-Fi receiver, as well. Don’t use an external mouse or other device. And muting the PC’s sound system not only saves power, it avoids annoying everyone else in the café.
Avoid multitasking Run as few programs as you can get away with. If possible, stick to the one application (word processor, browser, or whatever) you’re currently using, plus your antivirus and firewall in the background.
And if you’re not on the Internet, you don’t need those two.
Avoid multimedia Save chores like photo editing and watching old Daily Show videos for when you have AC power. And if you must listen to music, use your iPod (or similar device).

You need to think about when you want to save power by sending your laptop into Standby or Sleep mode, and when you want to hibernate it.There’s a difference. XP’s Standby and Vista and Windows 7’s Sleep modes keep your PC on, using some power, but less of it than in normal use. Hibernate saves the PC’s state to the hard drive, then shuts it off entirely, so that no power is used.
On the other hand, Windows takes much longer–sometimes minutes–to go into and come out of hibernation. And those are minutes that the battery is draining heavily and you can’t work.
XP’s Standby mode isn’t really all that efficient. If your laptop will be inactive for more than about half an hour, hibernate it. Otherwise, use Standby.
But Vista and Windows 7 do a much better job with their Sleep mode. Don’t bother hibernating your PC unless you think you’re going to go more than two or three hours without using it.
Myth: Adding RAM saves battery life.
True, more RAM means less hard drive access, and the hard drive uses a lot of electricity. , more RAM won’t reduce hard drive use.
Juiced for more battery life tips? Check out our other battery life tips or post your favorites in the comments!

If you’re a teacher, a proper laptop is an essential tool for today’s educators. Of course, you’re going to want value for your purchase, with a focus on the right specs. You’ll need something that delivers powerful processing performance Ample storage is important as well, so there’s no concern about storing a multitude of documents and media files.If you’re not sure where to begin your search, don’t worry.The team at PCWorld has done most of the heavy lifting for you. In this article, we’ll highlight the best laptops for teachers available right now.
It’s back to school season and that means it’s the perfect time to take advantage of the great offers available and score a killer deal on tech for teachers. And for even more recommendations, see our roundup of the best laptops.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra – Best laptop for teachers overall
With its superb battery life, lightweight form factor, and powerful CPU performance, the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra has a lot to offer. The 1080p webcam is a nice addition for remote learning, too. Trounced the competition with 13.1 continuous hours of use, which means you can kiss those outlet-hunting days goodbye.
The Galaxy Book3 Ultra features a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU, the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. With that kind of power this machine should have no problem handling productivity tasks as well as day -to-day use. It also comes with a 16-inch OLED display that boasts a resolution of 2880×1800 and a refresh rate of 120Hz. Visuals should be both vivid and detailed. of the productivity boxes and more, then the Galaxy Book3 Ultra is well worth consideration.

Acer Aspire 3 – Best budget option
The Acer Aspire 3 is a great option for budget-conscious teachers out there. It’s reasonably priced and performance is fast enough for everyday tasks like writing e-mails, online research, and grading homework. which is perfect for longer typing sessions. While that’s all well and good, the internal bits are really what makes this laptop a good value buy.
This laptop has an Ryzen 3 7320U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of PCIe SSD storage. The 15.8-inch display has a resolution of 1080p and decent color quality. Also, in our tests we found that the battery should hold a charge for up to eight hours of continuous use—enough for the average full workday. The design, while a little utilitarian, is one of the sturdiest builds we’ve seen on a budget laptop. All in all, the Acer Aspire 3 gives you plenty of bang for relatively few bucks.

Acer Aspire Vero 14 – Best eco-friendly option
For the eco-conscious teacher, the Acer Aspire Vero 14, made from 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastics, is a great option. Acer should be commended for its design of the Vero 14, which is not only eco-friendly, but attractive and includes a few unique touches that help it stand out. It’s no slouch in the performance department either, sporting a Core i7 processor, Iris Xe integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a fast 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD. The Vero 14 is an attractive ultraportable for the eco-conscious educator.

Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen – Best 2-in-1Lenovo’s flagship line of Yoga laptops have always been top-tier 2-in-1s, but the latest Gen 8 version has taken it a step further. Lenovo’s new Yoga 9i upgrades previous versions with a new 13th-gen Intel processor and a beautiful OLED screen. Thanks to the aforementioned Core i7 processor, Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB SSD, there is plenty of performance for everyday productivity tasks. It’s also a sleekly designed svelte laptop that’s just over half an inch thick and weighs a mere 3 pounds. There are some great extras for teachers with this laptop as well. These include the 1080p webcam, which helps you look nice for online lessons and meetings, an OLED touchscreen display, and an included stylus pen for when you want to flip the screen back and use the device in tablet mode.
Admittedly, it’s a bit pricey, but all of the great performance and features you get with the Yoga 9i make it good value for the money. 2-in-1s in general make great tools for teachers as they are flexible enough to fit into any setting and they can fulfill multiple roles. For anyone looking to purchase a 2-in-1, the Yoga 9i should be at the 

HP Dragonfly Pro – Best MacBook alternative
Apple’s line of MacBook Pro laptops are known for their attractive design, incredible efficiency, and great performance. But they are also extremely expensive. Now HP has created a worthy competitor with the Dragonfly Pro. They partnered with AMD to create a svelte laptop that packs the latest Ryzen 7 processor with 8 high-performance cores and a powerful Radeon 680M graphic card. The design of the laptop is spot on—it’s thin and attractive with a high quality feel made from aluminum and polycarbonate. The main drawback is that, just like the MacBook Pro models, this laptop takes a minimalist approach to ports, meaning that those who rely on plug-in accessories will need to find work arounds. Also, while the display is good enough, it just doesn’t quite live up to Apple’s best. Still, for a laptop that is significantly cheaper than any of the MacBook Pro models, this Dragonfly Pro laptop from HP is an excellent option.

Even if you’ve got a long-lasting notebook, sometimes you need to preserve every last bit of your laptop’s battery to help it survive the day. And if your laptop’s getting older, its battery life may be dropping fast. suffered from extended power and Internet outages during a brutal wind storm. These three tactics helped my laptop battery stay alive until the lights turned back on.

Is there more you can do to make your laptop survive until you’re able to connect to a power outlet?

 Definitely—you’ll want to avoid power-sucking tasks like gaming or 3D modeling, for example. But these three tips deliver the most bang for most people’s bucks.

Change your Windows power profileWindows 10 and 11 ship with several power profiles available, ranging from a setting that maximizes performance to another than prioritizes battery life. Obviously, if your laptop is on its last legs, you’ll want to use the latter. Most laptops use a Balanced power plan that splits the difference, however, and some gaming-focused laptops default to the Performance mode even when you’re not plugged in.

It’s easy to switch between power profiles. Simply click the battery icon in your laptop’s system tray, at the bottom-right edge of your screen. You’ll see a slider of various power profiles appear: The leftmost side prioritizes power, while the rightmost side prioritizes performance.
To help your laptop last longer, simply drag the slider all the way to the left. Note that doing so puts Windows into power saver mode, which might prevent some background tasks—such as uploading files to OneDrive—from occurring until you switch back to a more balanced profile.

Lower your screen brightnessNothing chews through battery lifefaster than a bright screen. Your laptop’s display should automatically become dimmer when you change the Windows power profile to battery saver, but it doesn’t become as dark as possible. Enabling battery saver mode on my HP Envy 15 laptop, for example, drops the screen brightness to 20 percent, but when I’m inside I can see the screen just fine even at lower levels.

Search for “Display settings” or navigate to Start button > Settings > System > Display. At the very top, you’ll see yet another slider that manages your screen brightness. Reduce it as much as possible to squeeze out as much battery life as possible.
Airplane ModeThis is a more drastic measure, but one that helps a ton if you’re able to work offline—in a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, say, or if you’ve configured your email client to be available with no Internet connection. default, your laptop is constantly pinging for Wi-Fi (and likely Bluetooth) signals to connect to other devices, and that scanning can use a surprising amount of power. Activating Airplane Mode shuts it all down and prolongs your battery life.

Turning on Airplane Mode is easy-peasy. Click the Notifications button all the way on the right edge of your taskbar. It looks like a text bubble from a comic book. A pop-out screen with some options will appear. “Expand” text to reveal even more. Airplane Mode will be one of them. Click that button to turn on Airplane Mode and shut down your wireless signals.

Note that besides Airplane Mode, the Quick Actions portion of the Notifications interface includes individual options to turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth separately. If you can’t work without Wi-Fi active, at least disable Bluetooth (assuming yourlaptop supports Bluetooth) This near-range wireless technology can use a surprising amount of battery by constantly pinging for other Bluetooth devices to connect to.

Does your laptop battery give out a lot sooner than it used to ? Are you lucky to get an hour or two of work done before you need to start searching for an AC outlet? Sounds like it’s time to think about replacing the battery.Get reader for sticker shock: laptop batteries are expensive.

Prices vary from one model to another, but it’s not uncommon for new power packs to sell for $100 or more. I’ve seen some as high as $150. new laptops now sell for as low as $300, that can be a tough pill to swallow.

Whether you’re already in the market for a replacement battery or just concerned about the inevitable day when you will be, here are three things you should know:

1. Most laptop batteries start to fail in 1-2 years.This varies depending on your usage, of course, but the average laptop battery is good for around 400 recharges (aka cycles).After that, it starts to lose its capacity to hold a charge.
That’s why the battery that once gave you, say, 3-4 hours’ worth of runtime now peters out after just 1-2 hours.

2. You can extend the life of your current battery. If you use your laptop as your primary desktop PC, you may be wasting battery cycles by leaving it plugged in all the time.
The solution: pop the battery out until you actually need to go somewhere with your laptop. As long as the latter is plugged into an AC outlet, it doesn’t actually need the battery.Trust me on this: I’ve seen fairly new batteries that could barely last half an hour, even though the laptop rarely went anywhere.

3. Investigate third-party alternatives. When you do end up needing a replacement battery, you don’t necessarily have to buy one from the laptop manufacturer–paying top dollar in the process.
Instead, search the Web for the laptop make/model and “battery” to see if there are less-expensive third-party options. If your system is a popular model, there almost certainly will be.

Also, be sure to check out Dr. Battery’s Advanced Pro Series. These replacement batteries–available for a huge range of laptop models–promise 800 recharge cycles (meaning they should last twice as long as your current battery) and come with a two- Plus, they’re priced fairly competitively at $88 and up.

By the way, you should always, always, always recycle old laptop batteries. Stores like Best Buy, Lowe’s, and Staples have bins or kiosks where you can drop them off.
Okay, your turn: Have you shopped for a replacement laptop battery? If so, how much did you pay? Were you able to find any cheaper alternatives?

If you have a cell phone, you’ve probably noticed it’s sometimes hot to the touch. There are many reasons why this happens— we’ve put together a guide to why phones get hot and how to protect it.
Cell phones  heat up when the battery is working too hard. So if you find yourself constantly asking yourself, “why does my phone get so hot?” you might actually be doing long-term damage to your smartphone. 

If you’ve been using your cell phone for a long time, a little heat coming from the device is normal, but it shouldn’t be too hot for too long. Learning why phones overheat and how to protect it can help you avoid sustained damage to your cell phone.   
We’ve put together a guide to what makes phones overheat and how you can be on the lookout. Why does your phone get hot?common reasons phones overheat
Phones usually get hot because of an overworked battery. A little heat coming from the back of your phone is normal because modern phone batteries emit heat while in use. But prolonged or extreme heat can signal something more serious, like outdated software or apps that cybercriminals can exploit.  

Phones can get hot for a variety of reasons—most of which stem from overuse or prolonged use. A few common reasons for phones overheating include:         
Streaming video content for prolonged periods of timeGaming High screen brightness Outdated apps or softwareExposure to hot conditions or direct sunlightAndroid vs. iPhone overheatingAndroid devices have an additional factor to consider: overheating due to viruses or malware. iPhones are rarely susceptible to malware or viruses, because Apple doesn’t allow any non-Apple software on their devices. virus that causes the phone to overheat.  
To help keep your Android from overheating, consider installing a reliable antivirus software on your device. 

How to keep your phone from overheating

Tips to avoid overheating your device
Keeping your phone from overheating means you’re protecting your it from damage. The following tips can help you keep your phone cool, safe, and secure. 
Keep your apps up to dateBugs or older software may result in apps taking more energy to run and, therefore, making your phone overheat. Frequently updating your apps helps fix any of those bugs and keeps them from using extensive energy. 
Avoid direct sunlight exposureLeaving your phone in hot conditions or direct sunlight for a significant amount of time can heat up the inside of the phone to extreme levels. If you’re outdoors with your cell phone, leave it in a dark, cooler place like a bag or loose pocket.  
Charge your phone on a cool, flat surface If you charge your phone on a bed, blanket, pillow, or other cushioned surface, it may be trapping heat. Heat needs to be able to escape the phone while it’s charging. So, when you plug your phone in to charge, be sure you place it on a cool, flat, hard surface. 
Close apps you aren’t using Background apps can still take up energy while not in use. If you don’t close an app, it will remain open in the background and continue to consume your phone’s energy—making it work harder than necessary. the app—ensure it’s fully closed.  

If you want to go the extra mile, you can even delete apps that you don’t use. 
Leave your screen brightness on low Though it might not seem significant, your phone’s brightness can have an impact on your energy usage. 
Install antivirus softwareFor Androids, viruses can cause issues with your phone’s software that can result in overheating. 
Turn on airplane modeIf you only need limited functionality like checking the time or setting an alarm, turn your phone on its airplane mode setting. 
How to cool down your phoneHow to cool down a hot phoneAn occasionally overheated phone is inevitable.

 If your phone ever feels too hot to the touch or you get an error message that it’s too hot to use, you should know the steps to cool it down. 
Get the phone out of sunlight or heat If your phone has overheated from exposure to sunlight, remove it from the heat and store it in a dry, cooler place. bag, under a beach towel, or in another shady area. 
Fan or blow on your phonePlacing your phone near moving air can help it cool down quicker. If you can’t place it near an actual fan, you can mimic its effects by using your hands or blowing on your phone. 
Separate your phone from other devicesAll devices may get hot or release hot air. So if you have multiple devices like phones, tablets, or computers inthe same bag, they are more likely to overheat. 

Take the phone out of its case Phone cases can trap heat in your already-overheated phone. If you notice your phone is hot when you touch it—especially through the case—or if you’ve received a temperature warning message, remove the case until your phone returns to a normal temperature. 
Turn the phone offTurning your phone completely off can help stop the software from running while the phone cools down. Leave it off until your phone stops feeling hot to the touch. 
Close your appsAs overuse often heats up your phone, closing running apps can help bring the temperature back down to normal. Don’t just exit out of your apps—make sure they’re closed.         

To close apps on an iPhone, depending on your iPhone model, push the home screen button twice or swipe up from the bottom of your home screen, then swipe up on each app you want to close. To close apps on an Android, swipe up from the bottom of your screen, hold your finger down, then let go.  Like any other mobile device security or functionality issue, an overheated phone can be overwhelming. But with the proper care, it should be an uncommon occurrence with an easy solution. iPhone and Android users can keep their phones from overheating by regularly updating the phone, closing unused apps, deleting apps you don’t use, and making sure to charge and store it properly. 

Phone overheating FAQsIf you’re wondering “why does my smartphone get hot,” you may have more questions surrounding overheating phones.

Is it bad if your phone gets hot? Yes, a phone that is hot to the touch could become a problem down the line. Phones will naturally emit heat—so if your phone feels mildly hot, there’s no need to sound the alarm. could signify a deeper problem with your phone that needs to be addressed.  
What happens when a phone overheats? Excessive temperatures can have a long-term impact on your phone.        
Battery degradation Slower softwareinternal meltingDecreased lifespan of the device  How hot is too hot for a phone? You shouldn’t use your phone if it’s over 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It is recommended that your phone temperature stays between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit—or 0 and 35 degrees Celsius. You should also take care not to store it anywhere that is hotter than 113 degrees Fahrenheit.