In this case, you’ve gone through about 1 1/2 battery cycles. The following day, you work until the laptop battery hits 40 percent. In another example, you begin your day with the laptop battery at 100%, then use your laptop until the battery reaches 10%. Those two charges count as one complete cycle, not one as you might have expected. The next day, you work with a full charge until the battery reaches 40% remaining. It all depends on where the battery percentage stood when the charging began.įor example, let’s say you start working on a full charge, then begin recharging when the battery percentage stands at 60%. Plugging in your laptop and completely recharging the battery doesn’t necessarily count as a full cycle. When those cycles are exhausted, the time comes to replace the battery. Batteries are only useful for a limited number of cycles.
One measure of battery life is a cycle count. As long as you keep the laptop plugged in, you can continue to use it until the battery gets replaced. When the battery does die, it’s not the end of the world. Long before the battery officially calls it quits, you’ll notice there’s increasingly less time between a full and empty charge. A laptop battery should last three to four years during regular use.
