Our experts used the PerfectRec decision engine to comb through our laptop database and find the laptops with best battery life available in 2024. Here are our top picks.
Our criteria for the laptops with best battery life:
Battery: We placed large emphasis on battery.
To consider others factors, try the PerfectRec decision engine to get your personalized laptop recommendation
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) comes with an appealing combination of features for those who prioritize a blend of performance and portability. It has a larger 15-inch display and a powerful Apple M2 chip with ample memory for smooth multitasking and everyday tasks. However, note that it's priced in the upper midrange spectrum. While it has a very slim design and light weight, enhancing its portability, it may not be the first choice for those seeking the utmost in gaming or intensive engineering due to its display limited to a standard refresh rate and integrated GPU. It offers fanless operation for a silent experience and a backlit keyboard. Although excellent for general use, performance may be fair for more demanding 3D and machine learning applications, and good for engineering tasks. Battery life is solid, allowing for extended use between charges. The MacBook Air has a top-tier build quality, excellent keyboard, and great speakers, making it a strong all-around laptop, but the premium price reflects its status as a high-end Apple product.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is positioned at a premium price point with powerful performance thanks to its Apple M2 Pro processor. It boasts a large 16.2-inch Mini LED display with high resolution, making it an excellent choice for professionals who need accurate colors and clear visuals for tasks such as video editing or graphic design. Its battery is robust, providing long hours of typical usage, which is ideal for those who need to work on the go. Weighing 4.7 pounds, it is heavier than some laptops, which may affect its portability. This MacBook Pro also comes with a large touchpad, a high-quality backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader for added security, and multiple USB-C/Thunderbolt ports for connectivity, but it lacks an HDMI port and an Ethernet connection. It doesn't come with a number pad on the keyboard, so for tasks that require numerical data entry, this could be a limitation. It’s not primarily designed for gaming, but it can handle general and engineering tasks very well. Overall, if you value top-notch build quality, excellent screen performance, and are not constrained by budget, the MacBook Pro 16 (2023) would be a strong choice, albeit with some trade-offs in portability and gaming capabilities.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is a premium, lightweight laptop, making it highly portable and suitable for on-the-go use, especially with its long battery life. With a midrange price, you're getting solid build quality, a vivid OLED touchscreen, and excellent heat management. It has an Intel i7-1355U processor paired with 32GB RAM, which will handle general use very efficiently. Its Intel Iris Xe graphics are fine for casual gaming and moderate creative tasks, but might fall short for intensive 3D rendering or engineering software. The laptop offers a good selection of ports, including Thunderbolt 4, and a comfortable backlit keyboard, although it lacks an Ethernet port and an option for hardware upgrades due to having no available RAM or storage slots.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is considered an upper midrange-priced laptop, well-regarded for its build quality, keyboard, webcam, and speaker performance. It boasts 512GB storage, 16GB RAM, and Apple's M2 Pro chip with a 10-core CPU and a 16-core GPU, making it powerful for general use and engineering tasks but fair for 3D and machine learning applications. With a Mini LED display, a high resolution, and 120 Hz refresh rate it offers a premium viewing experience, though it is not a touchscreen. This model has a solid battery life, offering 13.5 hours of typical usage and is moderately portable at 3.5 pounds. It includes features such as a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and USB-C charging, yet lacks an ethernet port and the performance for intensive gaming. Suitable for professionals and creatives needing high performance and excellent screen quality, this MacBook might not be the first choice for gamers or those requiring machine learning capabilities.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is positioned at a premium price point and is equipped with a large 512 GB storage capacity and 18 GB of RAM to handle demanding tasks efficiently. Featuring Apple's M3 Pro processor and an integrated 18-core GPU, it's well-suited for professionals in creative fields needing high performance for tasks like video editing and design. It boasts a 16.2-inch Mini LED display with high brightness and wide color coverage, making it excellent for color-sensitive work. With a weight of 4.7 pounds and a battery life that can last for an extended period, it balances portability with endurance. The machine includes multiple USB-C and Thunderbolt ports for connectivity, though it lacks a built-in Ethernet port. Its backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and high-quality speakers add to a premium user experience; however, its heft and cost may be less appealing for those seeking a budget-friendly or highly portable option.
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 is set at a lower midrange price and targets business users with its premium features. Its 14-inch IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and above HD resolution is crisp and offers good color coverage, making it suitable for general work and some image editing. The combination of a capable AMD Ryzen 5 processor and AMD Radeon graphics can handle everyday tasks easily and even provide fair performance for 3D rendering and light engineering work. However, for tasks that require high-end graphics processing like intensive gaming or advanced machine learning, the performance may not be optimal. The 512 GB storage and 16 GB RAM are sufficient for most users, but if you require more space, there is an available storage slot for upgrades. With its backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and a good selection of ports including USB-C, this laptop has modern connectivity options.
This laptop is relatively lightweight at just over 3 pounds, making it very portable for on-the-go professionals. Its battery life is solid, allowing for up to around 12 hours of typical use, which is beneficial for long workdays away from the charger. Overall, the HP EliteBook 845 G9 is an excellent choice for business and general use, offering a balance of performance, portability, and features, though it's not the best choice for high-end gaming or the most demanding engineering simulations.