Laptops with the Longest Battery Life

If you want a truly fantastic keyboard, durable chassis and strong performance, look no further than the ThinkPad T470. The T470 makes room for an optional extended battery that gives this 14-inch laptop over 17 hours of endurance (with its non-touch display). You can charge the laptop over a proprietary ThinkPad connector or via its Thunderbolt 3 port, which allows you to juice the laptop and output to multiple monitors over a single wire. A durable, MIL-SPEC-tested chassis helps this long-lasting business notebook stand up to the rigors of all-day business travel.

Pros: Best-in-class keyboard; Speedy PCIe SSD; Durable design; Thunderbolt 3 charging; 
Cons: Relatively-dim screen; Tinny sound

Key Specs: 14.1-inch display; Up to 1920 x 1080 screen resolution; Up to Core i7 CPU; 3.48 pounds / 3.88 pounds (6-cell battery)

Weighing 3 pounds (3.4 with extended battery), the 12.5-inch ThinkPad X270 is light enough to carry anywhere and small enough to fit easily on most airplane tray tables. Its 12.5-inch display outputs a vibrant 88 percent of the sRGB color gamut while a snappy keyboard and accurate pointing stick make editing documents a pleasure. Unlike many Ultrabooks, the X270 has plenty of ports, including a USB Type-C connector, multiple USB 3.0 connectors, an SD card reader and an Ethernet connector.

With its extended battery on board, this powerful laptop lasts nearly 14 hours on a charge. If that's not enough endurance for you, you can carry a spare battery and swap it in, without even turning off the computer.

Pros: Great keyboard; Colorful screen; Hot-swappable battery; Light weight
Cons: No Thunderbolt 3 port; Mediocre battery life with 3-cell battery

Key Specs: 12.5-inch screen; Up to 1920 x 1080 resolution; Up to Core i7 CPU; 3 pounds / 3.4 pounds (with 6-cell battery)

Our favorite laptop overall, the Dell XPS 13 uses a nearly-bezel-free Infinity display to pack a 13-inch panel into a chassis that might otherwise hold an 11-inch laptop. Despite its slim, 0.6-inch thick dimensions and 2.7-pound weight, Dell's laptop offers nearly 14 hours of battery life with its standard, 1080p screen.  The touch version, which has a 3200 x 1800 display, lasts over 9 hours on a charge.

Add to that an Intel 7th Gen Core i3, i5 or i7 CPU, a speedy PCIe SSD and plenty of ports and you have the best consumer Ultrabook around. A Killer Wi-Fi card and Thunderbolt 3 charging round out this impressive package.

Pros: Very light; Great port selection; Gorgeous, nearly-bezel-free display/ Strong Wi-Fi
Cons: Awkward webcam placement

Key Specs: 13.3-inch screen; Up to 3200 x 1800 resolution; Up to Core i7 CPU; 2.7 pounds

Starting at just $199, Dell's lightweight laptop proves that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get truly epic battery life. This Celeron-powered, 11.6-inch laptop offers just enough performance for web surfing and light productivity. At just 2.4 pounds, the Inspiron 11 3000 is light enough to carry anywhere and, with over 13 hours of endurance, you can leave the plug at home.

The Inspiron 11 3000 is also one of our top choices for kids, because of its small size, low-price and attractive blue and red color options. For better multitasking, we recommended spending $50 over the base price to get a configuration with 4GB of RAM. 

Pros: Colorful design; Light weight; Inexpensive; Good audio
Cons: Dim screen

Key Specs: 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 screen; Intel Celeron N3060 CPU; Up to 4GB of RAM; 32GB  eMMC Storage; 2.4 pounds

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of ThinkPad, Lenovo has taken a T470, dialed up its components to 11 and added a few cool retro design elements. In place of the standard island-style keyboard, Lenovo has put the classic 7-row keyboard, which offers a superior user experience thanks to its dedicated media controls, enlarged Esc and Delete keys and page forward / page back buttons. A soft-touch palmrest is more comfortable against your wrists than the hard, coarse plastic of the T470.

With its optional 6-cell battery on-board, the ThinkPad 25 lasted a strong 13 hours and 14 minutes on our  battery test. However, that time is 4 hours less than the T470 we tested, because the ThinkPad 25 comes standard with a touch screen and an Nvidia GPU, both of which use more power than the parts in our T470. 

Pros: Attractive retro design; Superior typing experience; Strong performance
Cons: Only one configuration; Expensive

Key Specs: 14-inch, 1920 x 1080 screen; Core i7-7500U CPU; Nvidia 940MX GPU; 16GB of RAM; 512GB SSD; 4G Modem

When coupled with its keyboard dock, Microsoft’s detachable notebook will last up to 12.5 hours, provided you buy it with integrated graphics. A 13.5-inch, 3000 x 2000-pixel display is gorgeous to look at and a magnetically attached stylus makes writing a pleasure. Starting at $1,499, the Surface Book is an expensive system, but worth every penny.

Pros: Brilliant screen; great performance; Highly-functional design
Cons: Uses last-generation CPU; Expensive; Detached tablet battery life is short

Key Specs: 13.5-inch, 3000 x 2000 screen; Up to Core i7 CPU; Up to Nvidia GeForce 960M graphics; 3.34 pounds

With its extended battery on board, the Dell Latitude 7280 lasts for 12 hours and 29 minutes on a charge. This 12-inch laptop has a really light starting weight of 2.8 pounds and a durable MIL-SPEC-tested chassis that can survive drops from up to 30 inches, along with extreme temperatures and pressure.

A luxurious soft-touch deck and deep key travel provide an excellent typing experience while an optional infrared camera lets you log into Windows 10 using facial recognition.

Pros: Speedy performance; Durable chassis; Strong typing experience
Cons: Scratchy audio; Warm underside

Key Specs: 12.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 screen; Up to Core i7-7600U CPU; 2.8 pounds

Lenovo's flagship consumer 2-in-1 has great performance and even better aesthetics. Thanks to a quad-core, 8th Gen Core i7 CPU and a speedy PCIe SSD, the Yoga 920 can handle productivity tasks with aplomb. However, you may be distracted from your tasks when you spend time staring at its gorgeous bronze-colored chassis, super-thin bezel and colorful display. Best of all, it lasts over 12 hours on a charge.

Pros: Attractive bronze chassis; Powerful 8th Gen Core i7 performance; Rich audio playback
Cons: Somewhat shallow keyboard

Key Specs: 13.9-inch, up to 4K display; NVMe PCIe SSD; 16GB of RAM; 3 pounds

Made for serious productivity, the 12-inch Latitude 5280 features a snappy keyboard, durable chassis and plenty of ports, including an old-fashioned VGA connector and a modern USB Type-C port. Best of all, with its extended battery, the Latitude 5280 lasts over 12 hours on a charge.

Pros: Great performance; Comfortable keyboard; Plenty of ports
Cons: Dull display; Warm temperatures

Key Specs: 12.5-inch, 1366 x 768 screen; Up to Core i7 CPU; 3.2 pounds

The 2017 (aka 5th Generation) model of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the longest-lasting unit yet, enduring for a full 12 hours and 21 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test. Even better, the X1 Carbon slimmed down to a feather-light, 2.49 pounds while adding an Intel 7th Gen Core Series processor, a soft-touch chassis and a Thunderbolt 3 port for charging and data.

Pros: Luxurious soft-touch design; Colorful display; Fantastic keyboard; Very light
Cons: Expensive; Tinny audio

Key Specs: 14-inch screen; Up to 2560 x 1440 display;  Up to Core i7 CPU; Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports; 2.49 pounds

The best business 2-in-1 you can buy (and one of the best 2-in-1s of any type), the ThinkPad X1 Yoga combines a gorgeous screen, comfortable keyboard and soft-touch design with strong performance and over 12 hours of battery life. The 3.2-pound X1 Yoga bends back seamlessly into tent, tablet or stand modes while the included active stylus makes it easy to write or draw. The 14-inch display is extremely colorful and even comes with an optional OLED panel which makes it even more vibrant.

Pros: Durable design; Comfortable keyboard; Thunderbolt 3; Colorful screen
Cons: Expensive; Hinge is a little stiff

Key Specs: 14-inch screen; Up to 2560 x 1440 display; Up to Core i7 processor; 3.2 pounds

Dell's 14-inch business laptop lasts over 11 and a half hours on a charge, while offering a comfortable typing experience and a durable design. The optional 1080p screen is colorful, but we wish it were a little brighter.

Pros: Strong performance; Good audio output; Durable design
Cons: Dim, dull display; Slow SSD

Key Specs: 14-inch screen; Up to 1920 x 1080 resolution; Up to Core i7 CPU; 4 pounds

The Inspiron 15 7000 lasts 11 hours and 23 minutes on a charge, much longer than any other gaming rig we've ever tested. Starting at $799, this affordable 15-inch laptop features a speedy quad core processor with an Nvidia 1050 or 1050 Ti graphics card that's good enough to play high-end games at medium settings. The black and red chassis has a unique and compelling look.

Pros: Attractive red and black chassis; Solid graphics performance; Comfortable keyboard
Cons: Dull display; Warm bottom

Key Specs: 15.6-inch screen; Up to 3840 x 2160 resolution; Quad-core Core i5 / i7 CPU; Up to Nvidia 1050Ti GPU; 5.8 pounds

This 11.6-inch, education-focused Chromebook can endure 3.9-foot drops onto concrete and over 11 hours of continuous use. This indestructible 2-in-1 also features a fantastic, tactile keyboard and the ability to run Android apps within Google's browser-centric OS.

Pros: Extremely durable; Runs Android apps; Great keyboard
Cons: Modest performance; Weak cameras

Key Specs: 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 screen; Intel Celeron N3350 CPU; 4GB of RAM; 32GB of eMMC Storage; 2.8 pounds

This Chromebook 2-in-1 features a sharp, 1080p display and a premium aluminum design. The bendback chassis and touch screen make it ideal for running Android apps on top of Google's browser-centric OS. You'll also have 11 hours to enjoy the Acer R 13 between charges.

Pros: Runs Android apps; Comfortable keyboard; Premium design
Cons: Mediocre performance; Flat audio

Key Specs: 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 screen; 4GB of RAM; 32GB eMMC memory; 3.2 pounds

One of the best bargains in tech, the Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575-57D4 (say that three times fast) has really strong specs for the money and even stronger battery life. For just $579, this 15.6-inch laptop gives you a 1080p screen, a Core i5 processor, a 256GB SSD and Nvidia 940M graphics.

At 4.97 pounds and 1.2-inches thick, the E 15 isn't a laptop you'll want to lug around in a bag all day, but its 10 hours and 59 minutes of battery life make it a great choice for carrying around the house. A built-in DVD burner and a wide selection of ports, including a USB Type-C connector, make this a very versatile computer.

Pros: Colorful display; Plenty of ports; Great value
Cons: Heavy; Dim screen

Key Specs: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 screen; Core i5-7200U CPU; 8GB of RAM; 256GB SSD; Nvidia 940M graphics; 4.97 pounds

Apple's high-end laptop packs a speedy, Intel 7th Generation quad-core processor, discrete AMD Radeon graphics and a sharp, 2800x1800 display. Even better, while you're enjoying all that power and functionality, you can stay unplugged for 10 hours and 59 minutes.

Pros: Light weight; Gorgeous Retina display; Snappy keyboard
Cons: No regular USB Type-A ports; Runs a bit warm

Key Specs: 15.4-inch / 2800 x 1800 screen; Quad-core Core i5 / i7 CPU; AMD Radeon graphics; 4 pounds

Asus's 13-inch ZenBook UX330UA offers great battery life and an even better value. For $699, this lightweight laptop features an aluminum lid, a 1080p screen, a 7th Gen Core i5 CPU and a 256GB SSD. With the UX330UA's 10 hours and 17 minutes of endurance, you can leave the power plug at home.

Pros: Affordable Price; Attractive design; Bright, colorful display
Cons: Stiff touchpad; Can't charge over USB Type-C

Key Specs: 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 screen; Core i5-7200U CPU; 8GB of RAM; 256GB SSD; 2.7 pounds

One of our favorite consumer 2-in-1s is also one of the longest lasting. The 13-inch Spectre x360 lasts a full 10 hours and 6 minutes on a charge while providing a speedy PCIe SSD, premium aluminum design and snappy keyboard. A vibrant display shows 102 percent of the sRGB color gamut while a combination of USB Type-C and Type-A ports provides a lot of flexibility.

Pros: Attractive, slim design; Strong performance; Vibrant display; Comfortable keyboard
Cons: No SD card slot

Key Specs: 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 screen; Up to Core i7 CPU; Thunderbolt 3 port; 2.85 pounds