Upload YOUR Battery Report -- compare with others
Windows users:
Open the Command Prompt (CMD) or PowerShell and run:
powercfg /batteryreport
This will generate a file named BatteryReport.html in C:\Users\<User name>.
Please select it below. Upload and compare!
Battery User Data
| # | System Manufacturer | Battery Name | Design Capacity (mWh) | Full Charge Capacity (mWh) | Battery Life Score (%) | Wear Rate (%) | Estimated Battery Runtime (HH:MM) | Uploaded By |
|---|
Understanding the Typical Aging Curve of a Laptop Battery
A laptop battery, typically based on lithium-ion (Li-ion) chemistry, undergoes battery degradation that isn’t purely linear or exponential. Instead, most battery aging processes follow three distinct phases, affecting battery life and overall battery health:
1. Initial Phase (“Formation Loss”)
A modest but quicker capacity drop typically happens during the first few charge cycles or months. This drop partially results from manufacturing nuances and the initial burn-in process.
2. Long Midlife (Near-Linear Decline)
After the early phase, the battery tends to lose capacity at a relatively steady rate, often hovering between about 90% and 80% of its original battery capacity. Wear occurs from both calendar aging (time passing) and cycling aging (charging/discharging), yet overall battery life often remains predictable.
3. Accelerated End-of-Life
Once the battery health sinks closer to or below ~80% of its initial capacity, internal degradation speeds up significantly. Chemical changes, like increased internal resistance, trigger a steep drop in battery performance. The battery may lose large amounts of capacity in just a few months, impacting laptop performance and overall battery longevity.
Key Factors Affecting Battery Aging
- Temperature: High heat accelerates both calendar and cycle aging, while extremely cold conditions can also degrade capacity.
- Charge Level: Remaining at 100% state of charge continuously speeds up battery wear, as do frequent deep discharges.
- Usage Patterns: Frequent heavy discharge, heat, and poor charging habits accelerate loss of capacity, reducing battery life more quickly.
Practical Impact on Battery Longevity
- First year: Many laptop batteries drop to about 90–95% of their original capacity.
- 2–3 years (~300–500 cycles): The battery may hover around 80–85%.
- 4–5 years: Often below 70–80%, but depends heavily on usage, cycles, and environment.
In short, the laptop battery aging curve starts with a modest drop, continues with a relatively steady decline, then accelerates once the battery dips near or below 80% capacity. Understanding these phases helps you extend battery lifespan by avoiding extreme temperatures, high charge states, and frequent deep discharges.