No matter how stacked its specs are, a laptop is useless if
it can't hold a charge. Fortunately, there are plenty of notebooks that go the
distance. Using our Laptop Mag Battery Test, which involves continuous Web
surfing over Wi-Fi at 100 nits of brightness, we've identified the
longest-lasting notebooks on the market. We're talking more than 10 hours of
endurance, which should more than suffice for that cross-country fight, a long
day of meetings or multiple, back-to-back classes.
Lenovo ThinkPad X260 (17:14)
The ThinkPad X260's 17 hours of endurance are enough to fly
from New York to Taiwan or spend every waking hour of the day online, before
going for a short night's sleep. If you need even more endurance, the 12.5-inch
laptop has Lenovo's Power Bridge technology, which lets you swap out the
battery while the system remains on. At 3.6 pounds (with the extended battery),
the X260 is light enough to go anywhere and slim enough to fit in small spaces.
Even better, Lenovo's laptop offers a comfortable keyboard, accurate touchpad
and plenty for performance for getting work done.
From $764.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T460 (17:04)
If you want a truly fantastic keyboard, durable chassis and
strong performance, look no further than the ThinkPad T460. Unlike its slim
sibling, the T460s, the T460 makes room for an optional extended battery that
gives this 14-inch laptop up to 17 hours of endurance (with its non-touch
display). A durable, MIL-SPEC-tested chassis helps this long-lasting business
notebook stand up to the rigors of all-day business travel.
From $809.00
Acer Aspire One Cloudbook (14:43)
When it comes to price per hour of battery life, Acer's
$199, 14-inch Aspire One Cloudbook has every other system beat. On Laptop Mag's
Battery Test, the Cloudbook lasted a staggering 14 hours and 43 minutes on a
single charge, 2.5 hours more than the next-closest budget machine, the Asus
X205. You also get a big 14-inch screen, a sturdy body, a full-sized keyboard
and Windows 10 instead of Chrome OS. So if you're looking for an affordable
system that doesn't need to be tethered to an outlet, this is the laptop for
you.
From $236.00
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (14:00)
The latest MacBook Air keeps the same sleek design as its
predecessor and adds a 5th-gen Intel Core i5 processor and even faster flash
storage. And, with a 14-hour runtime, it lasts nearly 2 hours longer than
before. Add in OS X and its useful Continuity features, and it's easy to see
why the $999 Air is one of our favorite ultraportable values.
From $949.99
Dell Chromebook 13 (13:25)
With its soft-touch carbon fiber lid, magnesium alloy deck
and full HD display, this 13-inch system certainly doesn’t look like a
Chromebook. It also boasts a backlit keyboard, Intel Celeron processor and 16GB
of storage, making it powerful enough for all cloud-related tasks. But its best
attribute is its 13-plus hour endurance, better than any Chromebook we’ve
tested.
From $429.00
Microsoft Surface Book (12:29)
When coupled with its keyboard dock, Microsoft’s first
notebook will last up to 12.5 hours. But this “ultimate laptop” also comes with
a clever fulcrum hinge, 13.5-inch, 3000 x 2000-pixel display, and a
magnetically attached stylus. All this in a minimalist magnesium chassis that
will probably end up in MoMA.
From $1899.00
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina Display (12:04)
Not only does the 2015 MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina
display last more than an hour longer than the 2014 model — 12:04 versus an
already-excellent 10:44 — but it's also a lot more powerful. Plus, a new Force
Touch trackpad can sense pressure, letting you do more things with fewer
clicks.
From $1409.97
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