Technology company has launched a new laptop whose battery life could be as long as 27 hours.
Panasonic’s Toughbook 31 can run for up to 18 hours depending on the use case, or 27 hours with an optional second battery installed. It has a tough briefcase-type exterior so it can withstand a fall and will go on sale next month starting at US$3,699.
The Toughbook beats out two other recently introduced laptops for battery life — though it’s also a lot heavier. Dell claims 15 hours for its XPS 13, or 22 hours with a second battery. And the two batteries in Lenovo’s ThinkPad X250 can power it along for up to 20 hours. The latter two were both were announced at this month’s CES.
The Toughbook might be difficult to lug around for hours on end, but as the name implies it’s designed for harsh environments. With a 13.1-inch touchscreen, it weighs 3.58 kilograms with one battery and 3.7 kilograms with two.
According to CIO, Panasonic’s claim of 18 hours is for a power-saving mode, with the wireless off and screen brightness reduced. That’s probably not a typical use case for most people. And while Dell claims up to 15 hours for the XPS 13, Intel’s measured only 11 hours for the same laptop. Dell hasn’t provided benchmarks to prove its claims, but says it’s confident in its dense battery and unique chemical formula.
Battery technology itself hasn’t improved much lately, but laptops are getting smarter, more sophisticated circuitry to help them run longer, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64.
