Question

I am looking in the upcoming months to buy a new laptop (around september normally).

I have 2 major criteria that would make it the best.

• Battery life
• Weight

My actual laptop ( a sony vaio VGN-FZ140E ) can go up to something like 1h30~ not exactly the best fit. I was looking for the intel atom processors or something like that.

I would like a laptop that can last long but that would still permit me to program in visual studio (so nah a 9" screen and linux are no options for me ). 13"-15" would be fine I guess.

I don't plan really to play on this laptop (or maybe 1-2 little games but not really). It will definitely be work "everywhere" oriented.

I have a budget for up to 2 000-2 500 $CAD

I don't know yet for the best one to look for really for now and the upcoming months, any suggestion ?

Answer 1

I have an old macbook G5 and it still goes for +five hours after using it frequently for years.
Not sure about the new ones, but i guess Apple batteries are just better. And as you can install vista or win7 on them nowadays, I think they would fit for you (not sure about the 2K-2.5K $CAD though).

Answer 2

My recommandation is Lenovo X series with 6 Cell Li-Ion Battery.

Answer 3

The new MacBook Pros with the lithium polymer batteries are pretty much tops in the battery category.

Answer 4

Battery life will depend on what you do with the laptop. FPS gaming sessions heavy on the 3d graphics will drain it quite quickly, while just browsing the internet probably wont.

As you know the life of a fully charged battery with your current usage you can use any comparison charts you can find to estimate how long a candidate machine might last.

Answer 5

I have a Dell XPS M1330 (13") that I used as my every-day computer for awhile. Was used mostly for browsing & web development. I've been pleased with the battery life on a 9cell battery (although the 9cell is a little heavier than the 6 and). If I'm worried about running out of battery after being on it for a long time I'll turn the brightness down a notch or two (if i can) and it will always gain me an extra 20-30mins.

Somethign to note: the 9cell battery makes the bottom of the laptop (on the back side) sit up about an inch. Initially I thought this was stupid & annoying but since have learned to like it because it allows for much easier airflow under the unit.

starting weight for this machine is 3.97lbs

Answer 6

The Asus EEE PC's have up to 11hrs battery life with some of their new models.

Mind you, the biggest screen size is 11.6", but this only makes them lighter as well. The heaviest is only 1.4 kg or so.

EEE PC Homepage

Answer 7

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad T400 and it gets excellent battery life, the newer models supposedly get up to 12 hours usage.

Answer 8

Rather than skimping on the processor, I'd suggest choosing a laptop that fits your needs and then adding the expanded battery and replacing the optical drive with a battery.

I am a big fan of the Dell Laptops. I personally have a Latitude D630. I also have the extended 9 cell battery and a drive bay battery. This gives me upward of 9 hours of battery life with WiFi and an editor open. Does make the laptop a little heavy (maybe 5lbs total) but it means I have a full core2 duo at my disposal. Also means when I am sitting at a desk I don't have to switch computers to get something that is powerful enough to run all my other apps.

Answer 9

Acer Timeline 3810T is a 13" laptop with an 8 hour (6 cell) battery. It uses a CULV processor which is better than an Atom but not nearly as good as a 'normal' notebook processor.

It ranges from around $600-$900 depending on if you get a single core or dual core processor.

Answer 10

Why don't you buy a normal laptop and the second battery? I think you do like this.Your problem will be solved.