Only the laptops with best battery life can deliver all-day endurance, and even the most powerful of cutting-edge specs are rendered useless if your need-it-now notebook can’t hold a charge. Nowadays, you can eke out 13+ hours of endurance from the best laptops on our short list, which should more than suffice for that cross-country flight, a long day of meetings or multiple, back-to-back classes.
Fortunately, there are plenty of notable notebooks that go the distance. In February 2018, we upgraded our testing process from Laptop Battery Test 1.0 to Laptop Mag Battery Test 2.0, which involves continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. After putting dozens of tip-top machines through the ringer this year, we’ve narrowed down our favorite laptops with best battery life on the market.
Note: Laptop Battery Test 1.0 was conducted at 100 nits of brightness, and newer test scores have declined somewhat to reflect the more aggressive (and realistic) test.
What are the laptops with best battery life in 2023?
Why you can trust Laptop Mag Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
From affordable budget laptops to elite business laptops, there are plenty of all-day-strong notebooks to choose from these days. Even gaming laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which achieved more battery life than the 16-inch MacBook Pro thanks to its AMD Ryzen CPU, have come a long way in terms of balancing raw power with general mobility. Read on for our top picks!
BEST MACBOOK PRO (16-INCH)
1. MacBook Pro 16-inch (M2 Max, 2023)
The MacBook Pro 16 brings beauty, beastly performance and the longest battery life we’ve seen, but the price could be a dealbreaker.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: M2 Pro
GPU: M2 Pro
RAM: 16GB to 96GB
Storage: 512GB to 8TB
Display: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964 pixels, 254ppi)
Size: 14 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 4.8 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Powerful overall and gaming performance+
First-in-class battery life+
Excellent audio+
Beautiful display
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Really expensive
The new king of the MacBooks is here. Long be its reign (which should be about a year). Apple’s coming out of the gate swinging, outfitting the laptop with the company’s proprietary M2 Max chip. It puts competitors to shame while putting a clear gulf between its predecessors. And yes, it is possible to game on this system thanks to the chip. I had a hell of a good time being terrified during Resident Evil Village.
In addition to the powerful chipset, you get a captivating 16-inch display, powerful audio and a super comfy keyboard. But the cherry on the top is the battery life, which lasted nearly 19 hours. In short, the MacBook Pro 16 is an unmitigated beast. But not so fast — there’s always a price. And in the case of MacBook Pro 16 M2 Max, the price is the actual cost ($2,699 starting, $5,299 as reviewed). It’s par for the course with Apple, but it still will give most people, including this reviewer, pause.
But if you want the crème de la crème of Macs, the MacBook Pro 16 sits at the top of the heap.
BEST MACBOOK PRO (16-INCH, M3 MAX)
2. Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Max)
Faster and more powerful, Apple has once again lived up to its hype and created a system that outpaces everything else on the market with the MacBook Pro 16.
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR (3456 x 2234 pixels, 254ppi)
CPU: M3 (14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 16-core Neural engine or 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 16-core Neural engine)
Weight: 4.8 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Excellent overall performance+
Good gaming performance+
Bright colorful display+
Great battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Expensive for a base model
How is it that the MacBook Pro 16 gets better every year? It didn’t make any changes to the design outside of a funky, more fingerprint resistant new color, which is a cool trick in itself. The display, keyboard and speakers and hell even the port offering remains the same. But let’s be real, this is really an Apple silicon party and the M3 Max is deserving of all the praise. In terms of overall performance, it has no peers, not even from its fellow MacBooks.
The next chapter in Apple computing continues and the company’s bet on custom silicon continues to hit the jackpot. M3 Max is more powerful than its ancestor with an 16-core CPU. M3 is also bringing a new 40-core GPU, beating out the previous 16-core GPU. And if that isn’t enough to get you excited, Apple has found a way to improve on the laptop’s power efficiency, delivering over 18 hours of battery life. Read on to learn more about Apple’s latest home run.
BEST MACBOOK PRO 14 (M3, 2023)
3. MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)
The MacBook Pro 14 has only gotten better with the addition of Apple’s new M3 chip, which delivers better overall and gaming performance than its predecessor with even longer battery life.
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964 pixels, 254ppi)
CPU: Apple M3 CPU
Weight: 3.4 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Excellent overall performance+
Solid gaming performance+
Stunning design+
Comfortable keyboard
REASONS TO AVOID
–
No Face ID
It’s amazing what a new heart can do for a laptop. The latest MacBook Air ushers in a new era for Apple with its custom-made M3 chip. This time Apple claim is that its new chip is bringing a generational leap as opposed to an incremental step.
It’s hard to look for flaws in a notebook that’s consistently rated 4.5 stars, especially when not much has changed. Those bold claims Apple made about the M3? They weren’t exaggerations. This MacBook Pro out-muscles every laptop in its class while lasting a full day on a charge. And it does so with a compact 3.4-pound, 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6-inch design.
The design, while a bit staid, is still beautiful, the display is bright and colorful, even the speakers and keyboard are great. The new MacBook Pro may have a few faults, but it yet again brings Apple closer to crafting the perfect laptop.
See our full MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) review.
BEST LENOVO LAPTOP (16-INCH)
4. Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is less than $2,000 and delivers competition-beating power, nearly 15 hours of battery life, and rival-surpassing graphics.
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 16-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel IPS display
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650H Processor
Weight: 4 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
15-hour battery life+
Competition-beating performance+
Rival-surpassing graphics+
Attractive, yet minimalist design
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Mushy keyboard
I’ve been on the hunt for a really good business laptop, and with the ThinkPad Z16 in my hands, I can finally end my search. It’s got a slick, dual-tone design: silver on the outside and dusky on the inside. And to Lenovo loyalists’ delight, the keyboard features the beloved, striking-red TrackPoint that will catch your eye every time you open the lid.
It’s also the perfect size for a business laptop. It’s not too small (like the compact machines on our best 13-inch laptops page), but it’s not ridiculously unwieldy like the 18-inch laptops that are gaining popularity nowadays — it’s juuuust right.
However, I will admit that the ThinkPad Z16 is a bit heavier than I expected. But to be fair, Lenovo never marketed this laptop as a thin-and-light ultraportable. It’s a business laptop, which means it will likely be sitting on a desk for hours on end before it’s picked up and thrown inside a laptop bag.
The ThinkPad Z16 definitely earned a spot on our best business laptops page, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect.
BEST CHROMEBOOK
5. Acer Chromebook 514
The Acer Chromebook 514’s battery life is staggering when coupled with its inexpensive cost and decent performance, causing its flaws to fade into thin air. (
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: MediaTek Kompanio 828 ARM Cortex A76
GPU: Mali-G57 MC5
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 64GB
Display: 14-inch, 1920 x 1080
Size: 12.7 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 2.9 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Record-breaking battery life+
Simple but pleasant aesthetic+
Inexpensive+
Decent performance
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Dim, shallow display
The Acer Chromebook 514 is outfitted with an MediaTek Kompanio 828 ARM Cortex A76 processor, Mali-G57 MC5 integrated graphics, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, 64GB of flash memory storage, and a 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS touchscreen all for just $460.
This Chromebook, like most, fulfills a simple aesthetic with a silver chassis that comes in at 12.7 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches and 2.9 pounds. Packed within that build is a pair of top-firing speakers and performed surprisingly well. We listened to several hit songs that translated voices crisply and clearly.
You’re not going to be breaking down any digital doors with its processor, but you’ll get some decent performance from the Acer Chromebook 514, as it managed to compete with an 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU.
What you’ll be happy about the most to see is its incredibly long battery life. The Acer Chromebook 514 lasted 14 hours and 8 minutes on our Laptop Mag battery test. That’s way more than the 9:03 Chromebook average. If you’re using this for work or school, you’ll get more than a day’s work out of this.
BEST MACBOOK PRO (14-INCH)
6. MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023)
Powered by the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, the new MacBook Pro 14-inch is faster and more powerful than any 14-inch on the market. Throw in over 14 hours of battery life in you’ve got a nearly perfect laptop on your hands.
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024×1964 pixels, 254ppi)
CPU: M2 Pro (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU or 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU), with optional M2 Max with up to 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU
Weight: 3.5 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Impressive performance+
Over 14 hours of battery life+
Great port selection+
Beautifully vibrant display with crisp detail
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Expensive
No matter what your configuration, the MacBook Pro 14 is in a class of its own. The laptop retains its stunning good looks, powerful speakers, high-resolution camera, and comfortable keyboard. But the real stars of this story are the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, which bring even more power and efficiency to the table.
True to its word, the M2 Pro and Max MacBooks consistently outperform their predecessors as well as the Intel-powered competition. Seriously, look at those benchmarks, outside of the display section, the MacBook Pro 14 was rarely not on the winning edge of the spectrum.
And if that wasn’t enough Apple is finally addressing the gaming issue, teaming with Capcom to make its case with a port of Resident Evil Village that played just as well as if it were PC or console. All the company has to do now is to get more AAA titles into its roster, and we’re having a seriously interesting conversation on just what a Mac can and can’t do.
BEST LENOVO LAPTOP (14-INCH)
7. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11)
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 has many great aspects, including a compact form factor, featherweight heft and decent speakers, but its other highly praised features are arguably overhyped. (Image credit: Future)
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 14-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel IPS (16:10)
CPU: Intel Core i7-1355U
Weight: 2.5 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Shocklingly lightweight+
Fast SSD+
Great battery life+
Decent speakers
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Overhyped
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11) is a refinement of the best ultraportable laptop for business users. The newest X1 Carbon now flaunts a 14-inch, 16:10, 1920 x 1200-pixel touch display, which means it offers 120 more vertical pixels than your typical 1920 x 1080-pixel screen. Also improving productivity are a wider touchpad and a human presence detection sensor for convenient login and enhanced security.
Swapping the engine for 13th Gen Intel chips adds considerably faster performance, but the battery life upgrade is even more enticing; the Gen 11 model lasts for nearly 14 hours on a charge. These perks are packaged in a familiar matte-black design with an aerospace space grade carbon fiber lid. It’s super lightweight at 2.5 pounds, and it’s even incredibly thin at 0.6 inches.
BEST DELL LAPTOP
8. Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (7620)
The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (7620) offers you a big display that’ll last you a good while thanks to its amazing battery life.
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 16-inch, 1920 x 1200
CPU: Intel Core i7-1260P
Weight: 4.6 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Premium design (BUY DARK GREEN)+
Bright display for price+
Strong performance+
Amazing battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Keyboard and touchpad could be better
You don’t typically get good battery life on a laptop with a large display — more screen space means more battery drain — but the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (7620) says “bump that.”
For $1,249, you’re buying a premium chassis (please get Dark Green), packed with a bright 16-inch touchscreen display, strong performance, and a long-lasting battery. It’s not perfect — I didn’t like the keyboard and touchpad experience, and the audio wasn’t up to par. But it’s also not exorbitantly expensive.
If you want a big laptop with a big battery, the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (7620) is easily one of the best laptops you can buy.
BEST ASUS LAPTOP
9. Asus ExpertBook B9450
The Asus ExpertBook B9450 is exceptionally light and thin with resplendent audio, long-lasting battery life, a solid display and swift SSD speeds.
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 14-inch, 1920 x 1080
CPU: Intel Core i7-1255U
Weight: 2.23 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Great battery life+
Sturdy and durable+
Decently vivid and bright+
Swift SSD speeds
REASONS TO AVOID
Some performance mishaps
The Asus ExpertBook B9450 doesn’t meet the 13+ hour mark, but what’s two minutes when you’re looking at a sea of laptops that die before you even have your morning coffee? This machine clocks in at 12 hours and 58 minutes, so we’re going to give it its time to shine.
The Asus ExpertBook B9450 is crafted for business people on the move — it’s simultaneously light and thin yet as hard as a rock. Its 14-inch, 1080p display scored 80.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 354 nits of brightness, which means it’s hella colorful and hella bright.
If you’re looking for bumpin’ speakers, look no further than the Asus’ speaker system. The audio comes through clear, loud and impactful. Overall, the ExpertBook B9 is great for those in need of a thin and light yet sturdy business laptop.
HOW WE TEST LAPTOPS WITH BEST BATTERY LIFE
We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.
In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop’s display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.
To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Dirt 3 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.
We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.
These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop’s materials to the feel of its touchpad.
WHY TRUST LAPTOP MAG
Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We’re not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.
We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.
Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.
Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world’s largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we’re the group’s specialist for all things mobile tech.
