Laptop battery capacity redution - is the end near?

Hi,
Using the battery bar app with my newly purchased but preowned (refurbished) windows 10 laptop it is showing that my battery has wear of about 25%, the original capacity being 55Wh with current capacity reduced to of about 41Wh - as the capacity has reduced by this much does it mean its failing and capacity will continue to reduce sooner rather than later and soon it will not hold any charge at all? - or could it still deliver the 41Wh capacity for a while longer (months or years!?)

Thanks
Adam

 

Depends on how you use it. More than likely; it will not only hold that 41Wh for a while longer (even into the year(s) range...), but may even improve if you recalibrate and don't abuse it from now on.

What model notebook do you have? How do you normally use the system? Plugged in all day? Mobile use? These all make a difference in battery life and health.

 

Hi
Thanks for the reply - the laptop is a Dell Latitude E7270 - I will mostly use the device at home. I have only had it a couple of days (pre-owned and refurbished from an ebay Dell registered partner) So far I have charged the battery to 100% then used it until it was down to about 10% and then plugged it in again and fully charged it while using it.

My pattern for using it will generally be to charge to 100%, remove charger and use it on and off throughout the day (the length of time of periods using will vary) until it has only about 10% left, then plug in and charge back to 100% sometimes using it while it charges. I will generally use it to search websites / read emails use MS word and stream tv channels.

Thanks

 

could be that the battery readout hasnt been properly calibrated yet. try and do a full charge cycle: start at 100%, let it run until it switches off on its own, then recharge to 100% and let your battery tool monitor the whole progress. then check again what your indicated capacity is.

if it is still around 75%, id be looking around for a battery replacement and be sure to only use the battery as a UPS to avoid any data loss from sudden switch offs

 

adamchrissy,

Your usage seems proper. The only thing I could add is what jaybee83 and I have suggested above; calibrate the battery.

To do so: Charge the battery to ~90 to 95% with the notebook on (not sleeping) and then turn off the notebook and let it charge for another 60 to 90 minutes (minimum). At this point is where the battery is fully charged. Unplug power from the notebook.

Now; turn on the system and enter the BIOS menu. Leave the computer in the BIOS until it turns off on its own. When it turns off, make sure you plug it in within 15 to 20 minutes and let it charge while the computer is on and idle. The screen can be allowed to turn off, but disable sleep and hibernation during this charge cycle.

You may have to repeat the above a couple of more times to get the most capacity back from the battery.

I must emphasis; don't leave it uncharged for longer than 15 minutes or so after it is fully discharged.

After doing the above a maximum of 4 times; the battery should be properly conditioned once again and it will be delivering the most runtime it can.

To keep it at its peak; after reaching an indicated 100% charge, leave the system charging for at least another 60 minutes. Preferably with the system off, if you're not planning to use it within that timeframe.

Also, don't leave it fully depleted (less than 10%). Charge it within half an hour and with the system on and idle, if possible, for at least an hour after it hits 100%.

Hope this helps.

 

I've seen it argued that the best thing for batteries is to keep the charge between roughly 70-80% and no lower than 30-40%. I use Flexi Charge on my Clevo to make sure it never charges above 60%, and my battery wear is at 3% after 8 months. If you need the battery though then maybe try charging to 90% and then draining to 20% instead, as it will wear the battery more slowly. The only issue with this is you lose battery calibration over time, but its not an issue if you calibrate it once a month or so.

 

The issue with that method is that you're self-limiting yourself to an effective battery capacity of ~30 - ~50%.

If you're storing a battery; charge it to 40% and keep it cool and dry and check the charge a few times a year to bring it back up to that 40% mark.

If you're using the battery frequently; the best I've seen over many hundreds of systems is to charge it as close to 100% while the system is on; turn it off, then charge it an additional 60 to 90 minutes or until the battery/charger is cool to the touch/room temperature (that's when charging has actually stopped).

Now; within a few hours of this type of charge; use the battery until the system shuts down. Just make sure when it does that you're able to charge it fully as outlined above within ~15 minutes or so (if you can't charge it fully; you'll be damaging the cells when you leave them fully exhausted).