Live forever: TOP 5 laptops with excellent battery life

In addition to the high-performance but expensive ThinkPad and Legion series, Lenovo has a series of low-cost Ideapad laptops. And it was in this series that replenishment took place - Lenovo introduced an inexpensive Ideapad 5 laptop. The fact of using Ryzen mobile processors aroused the greatest interest among the public, but a more familiar model with an Intel chip came to our test.

Our modification has a 512 GB SSD, 16 GB of RAM and a tenth generation low-voltage 8-thread Core i5 chip with operating frequencies in the range from 1 GHz to 3.6 GHz. In the first case, we are talking about the basic mode, in the second about automatic overclocking (or turbo boost). The integrated video core of the new generation UHD Graphics G1 is responsible for processing 3D graphics, which significantly bypasses the Intel UHD 620 video chip, which was in every second low-cost laptop. How do you like this trick, in the third Witcher at minimum and HD resolution, this crumb gives out about 29 FPS? It is clear that it is very far from a gaming laptop, but now there is a feeling that this is not just a gag for processing animation in Windows. A simple IPS-matrix with Full HD resolution, a good margin of brightness and so-so color reproduction (56% sRGB) is responsible for displaying the picture. In general, the screen is not bad, but there are not enough stars from the sky. Lenovo correctly judged that this is a work laptop, so an expensive and colorful display that will eat up the battery faster is useless.

The IdeaPad 5 15IIL05 is equipped with all modern ports, including USB-C 3.2 gen1 with Power Delivery support, a fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi 6, a comfortable backlit keyboard and a mechanical cover to hide the webcam. From the battery, the device can work up to 11 hours, and fast charging in an hour will power the battery by 80%. To be honest, you don’t expect this from a simple laptop with a price tag of around $700, they usually save on USB ports, wireless modules and additional features. Even more pleased was the fact that it is quite difficult to find fault with a laptop. It's comfortable, quiet, cool, and not at all buggy. And it looks more like stylish ultrabooks with interesting finishes and thin bezels than boring ever-gray laptops for office work. Only the backlighting of the screen with a strange gradation turned out to be unsuccessful. At 80 - 90% of the brightness, the image on the display is rather dim, and at 100%, on the contrary, it is too bright and overexposed. We hope this was a test sample problem.

It's no secret that Dell's laptop division is focused on the corporate segment, as well as small and medium businesses. Yes, they have gaming and multimedia series, but they are more associated with strong and reliable business laptops. Take the new Dell Latitude 15 5500 for example. It's a pretty interesting work laptop with a long-lasting battery, optimal hardware, enhanced security, and an unusual carbon fiber composite chassis. This fiber was partly made from recycled materials and has a stronger structure than regular plastic. How much stronger is the question, Dell did not mention anything about durability tests.

In terms of build quality, this is a reliable and durable laptop with no frills. The screen is fixed on strong hinges, the keyboard and the central places of the case are practically not pressed through, it will be difficult to accidentally damage it in a bag. The design has been modernized, the side edges have become smoother, the frames around the screen have narrowed, and the body has become a little narrower. This is a definite step forward, laptops of the past generation like 5501 resembled antediluvian penny laptops, with which you ran back for 5 years for couples, and then gave it to your grandmother. They didn’t bother with the display, it performs a purely utilitarian function here. The 15-inch WVA-matrix boasts excellent viewing angles and high contrast, but it lacks a bit of brightness (220 total cd / m2), and the color reproduction is far from perfect (the colorimeter showed only 53% sRGB). Apparently, this one will do for work, you can see the letters, but what else is needed?

Naturally, it was upgraded in terms of security, on board there is a kensington / noble lock, a TPM security module and a camera shutter. Traditionally, there are a lot of connection options, there are regular USB, and newfangled USB-C 3.2 gen2, and even a rare beast in the form of a LAN port. Of the unusual, we note the optional Smart Card reader, a waterproof keyboard and an additional trackpad that sticks out right in the center of the keyboard. Also, you can not ignore the very tenacious battery, in a normal test with a browser at a brightness of 110 nits, the laptop worked for 17.5 hours! Next up is fast charging. This is a very cool result, which is difficult to justify even with an energy-efficient filling. After all, we've tested multiple models with similar specs (Core i5 8265U + 8 GB DDR4 + 256 GB SSD + integrated video), but few of them pulled more than 10 hours.

Until recently, Acer's Swift family has been a mixed bag, with conventional 15-inch laptops side by side with premium laptops and miniature convertible ultrabooks. In 2019, the manufacturer found the desired direction and the right audience who are looking for a good ultrabook for a reasonable price. In this case, we are talking about an excellent touch screen with good color reproduction (coverage of 95% of the sRGB space), a miniature and strong body, a capacious battery (lasts 10 - 12 hours) and a powerful engine, which consists of a Core i5 processor, 16 GB of RAM, a fast 512 GB SSD and integrated UHD Graphics G1. And all this for a price just over a thousand evergreens.

If we talk about the form factor, then we have an interesting and somewhat unusual sample. It weighs a little less than a kilogram, and the thickness of the case is only 15 mm, thanks to which it asks to be included in the ranks of ultrabooks. On the other hand, the 14-inch screen and body width make it similar to traditional 15-inch laptops. Acer designers pulled off an interesting trick by using magnesium-lithium alloy for the lids, and magnesium-aluminium for the work surface, which made it possible to achieve a weight of 0.99 kg. The material turned out to be an interesting texture, reminiscent of matte back covers in iPhones of recent years. Especially in golden blue. True, she collects fingerprints bless you, so you will have to wipe the laptop regularly. For sure, the minimized bezels around the display played a role in lightening the laptop, thanks to which it looks as modern as possible.

Despite the miniature size, Acer engineers did not look for simple ways and stuffed it well. The laptop is equipped with a very good set of connectors, including audio output, HDMI and a trinity of USB ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt. Of the connection modules, the Wi-Fi 6 receiver catches the eye, which may not be useful now, but will definitely play a role in the future. I was also pleased with the cooling system: at a minimum load, the fan did not seem to turn on, and the rest of the time the laptop worked absolutely quietly. The keyboard with a two-level stand and a classic touchpad turned out to be normal. They don't excite, but they don't annoy either. But the fingerprint scanner periodically freezes and requires a second touch. With all the pluses, it's easy to turn a blind eye to this.

As part of the EliteBook line, HP engineers yearly strive to invent the perfect business laptop with the right balance between business features, price and performance. The new model of 2020 HP 850 G6, on the one hand, adheres to the established traditions, on the other hand, it gallops towards progress. One of the laptop's key features is the HP Sure Sense software suite, which uses deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) to detect malware in real time. According to HP representatives, the main difference from conventional antiviruses is the minimum load on the system and self-learning, thanks to which it will be able to catch fresh samples of malware even before they are added to the antivirus database.

The design of the model combines the severity of business laptops with the elegance of ultrabooks: a light and thin body made of brushed aluminium, strict colors, a minimum of decorative elements. The only pity is that the frames around the display are quite plump, with thin ones it would look even more modern. Let's just say that the display leaves a slightly ambiguous impression. First of all, due to faded colors (only 45% in NTSC) and a modest margin of brightness (250 cd/m2). Apparently, all the forces were thrown into a lot of useful things that can persuade you to buy. And this is a capacious battery with impressive autonomy (about 15 hours on a single charge) and fast charging, a universal USB-C port with Thunderbolt support, a Wi-Fi 6 receiver and a dedicated LAN port, a fingerprint scanner and branded speakers from Bang & Olufsen. The aluminium body is not only stylish and thin, but also damn strong. It would be different - and he would not see certification according to the military standard MIL-STD-810G. And there is also a comfortable waterproof backlit keyboard and trackpad, which has recently become increasingly common as an alternative to the touchpad and mouse.

The HP EliteBook 850 G6 is powered by an eighth-generation quad-core Core i5 processor with a maximum clock speed of 3.9 GHz. Paired with it are 8 GB of RAM and a fast 256 GB NVMe SSD. For a business laptop, a configuration for four: everything is fine with a processor, a more powerful Core i7 would not give any special advantages in everyday work, but it would consume battery power faster, you can add another bar of the required volume to 8 GB of RAM (the slots are not soldered), but 256 GB of memory may not be enough. Moreover, many competitors offer 512 and even 1024 GB for the same money. HP has a ready answer for this: in 2019, they conducted a massive survey of key customers and the “powerful hardware” item was almost at the very bottom of the list.

In recent years, Asus has not ceased to please with interesting experimental laptops, which subsequently go to the masses. For example, recently the ZenBook family has acquired a proprietary ScreenPad touchpad, which used to be the prerogative of ZenBook Pro models. In fact, this is not just a touchpad, but an additional touch screen that can be used in two modes: a touchpad and an additional display on which you can display anything. For example, a numeric keypad, macros, a transport bar, or shortcuts to your favorite programs. Thanks to this versatility of the touchpad, Asus engineers were able to abandon the additional block with numbers on the keyboard in favor of a full-fledged layout.

But not a single touchpad. Before us is one of the thinnest and lightest 15-inch ruggedized laptops. Only 19mm thin, 1.65kg weight, solid billet aluminium body, built to last and certified to military standard MIL-STD-810G. The 15-inch display is surrounded by a very thin bezel on the top and sides, and there is a wider strip at the bottom with the Asus logo. Because of this, the sleek ZenBook is often compared to the MacBook in reviews. The following components are hidden inside the sophisticated case: a 4-core Core i5, a fast 512 GB NVMe SSD and one 8 GB DDR3 bar. The RAM is soldered on the motherboard and, alas, it will not work in the future. By the standards of 2020, this combination will not set performance records, but for toys, everyday tasks and professional activities, in most cases it is enough. The best thing for a business laptop.

The 15-inch IPS display also left a pleasant impression - it has high detail, a decent level of contrast and maximum viewing angles. The branded ErgoLift hinge has not gone anywhere, which, when open, slightly raises the case above the table, in some way replacing the laptop stand. Among other features of the model, modern connection ports, a soft keyboard backlight system, a face scanner, Wi-Fi 6 and a tenacious battery that can last about 16 hours in a gentle mode stand out. Given the class of the device, you can only regret the lack of fast charging and Thunderbolt support.