CNET: Laptops and hybrids with the best battery life

The most important feature for many laptop shoppers is battery life, and rightly so. There’s not a lot that’s more frustrating than having your computer die in the middle of a marathon meeting or an intercontinental flight. Based on the extensive battery testing conducted in the CNET Labs, these are the four laptops with the longest battery-life scores that we’ve seen over the previous 12 months.

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Acer Chromebook R13

Product Review: https://www.cnet.com/products/acer-chromebook-r13/review/#ftag=CAD187281f

Battery life (hours:minutes): 13:02

CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: The Acer Chromebook R13 has a long-lasting battery and a variety of ports. Its 360-degree hinge allows it to be used as a tablet.

The bad: It’s heavy. The Chrome OS is limited in what it can do. Its keyboard isn’t backlit.

The cost: $375.00 to $464.99

The bottom line: The Acer Chromebook R13 is a capable Chromebook that won’t break the bank, but if your needs are simple there are many other, more affordable laptops worth scoping out.

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Lenovo Yoga 920

Product Review: https://www.cnet.com/products/lenovo-yoga-920/review/#ftag=CAD187281f

Battery life (hours:minutes): 12:50

CNET rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: The Lenovo Yoga 920 improves on the company’s premium two-in-one ultraportable by adding active pen support and Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, making a couple of design refinements and throwing in an eighth-gen Intel Core i-series processor for better performance and a very long battery life.

The bad: Base configuration starts around $1,300, the pen holder blocks its only full-size USB port as well as the power button when the pen is stowed and the overall design hasn’t changed much. At 3 pounds (1.4 kg) it’s weighty for its size.

The cost: $1,299.99

The bottom line: The Lenovo Yoga 920 gets a handful of improvements and added features including a pen-enabled display and eighth-gen Intel processors to make it one of the best premium two-in-ones you can find.

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Samsung Notebook 9 (15-inch, 2017)

Product Review: https://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-notebook-9-15-inch-2017/review/#ftag=CAD187281f

Battery life (hours:minutes): 12:16

CNET rating: 4.0 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: The Samsung Notebook 9 is one of the lightest 15-inch notebooks available. It has excellent battery life as well as fast charging and can be charged via its USB Type-C port. Add a discrete graphics, spill-resistant backlit keyboard and a smooth glass Windows Precision touchpad, a fingerprint reader with Windows Hello support and a handful of cool and helpful utilities and settings.

The bad: If you’re concerned with looks, this one is uninteresting. The screen moves a touch too freely. There’s no touchscreen option and although its graphics are boosted above the norm, the overall performance is nothing special.

The cost: $1,249.00 to $1,588.39

The bottom line: It might look like a simple laptop, but Samsung’s lightweight 15-inch Notebook 9 has several features that help it stand out from its ultraportable competition.

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Dell XPS 13 (late 2017)

Product Review: https://www.cnet.com/products/dell-xps-13-late-2017/review/#ftag=CAD187281f

Battery life (hours:minutes): 12:16

CNET rating: 4.0 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: The Dell XPS 13 keeps everything that was great about the previous model — including its nearly edge-to-edge-display, Thunderbolt 3 USB-C and fantastic keyboard — and adds eighth-gen Intel processors paired with Dell technologies for a big performance boost and longer battery life.

The bad: The thin frame around the display means the webcam is placed at the bottom of the display. Though the QHD-resolution touchscreen is beautiful, it adds a lot to the price and hurts battery life. Gold version will cost you $50 more.

The cost: $1,149.99 to $1,199.99

The bottom line: With increased performance and battery life, Dell’s premium ultraportable XPS 13 remains easy to recommend.

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The following CNET staff contributed to this story: Section Editor Dan Ackerman, Associate Editor Xiomara Blanco, Senior Editor Joshua Goldman, Senior Associate Technology Editor Joseph Kaminski and Senior Editor Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews of personal technology products, please visit www.cnet.com.

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