Better battery life for Windows 11 laptops

When was the last time you ended a hectic workday with your laptop still having plenty of battery life?

Seems like wishful thinking, doesn't it?

Microsoft is aware of this, which is why it's testing a new feature for Windows 11 that could significantly improve your laptop's battery life.

As someone who deals with business technology daily, I believe this could be a significant advancement for businesses everywhere.

The feature is called adaptive energy saver.

Typically, Windows only activates its energy-saving mode when your battery level is low, and you can define what "low" means in your settings. However, adaptive energy saver takes a much more intelligent approach.

Instead of waiting for the battery to deplete, your laptop monitors your activities. If you're performing light tasks like web browsing, reading emails, or working in Word, it quietly activates energy saver in the background.

According to Microsoft's information so far, this doesn't affect your screen brightness, which is great because no one wants their screen constantly dimming and brightening.

Instead, it seems to gently slow down components like your processor and graphics chip when they're not heavily utilized. These are two of the biggest power consumers in a laptop. Easing off on them could mean significantly more time before needing to find a charger.

It's not enabled by default. You'd need to activate it in your laptop's settings. And of course, not every test feature makes it to the final version of Windows 11, but this one seems like an obvious choice to me.

The advantages for businesses are clear. Employees can work longer between charges, whether in meetings, visiting clients, or working from a coffee shop in the afternoon.

Fewer urgent searches for a power outlet mean fewer interruptions and less stress.

Over time, improved battery efficiency could even help extend the lifespan of your laptops by reducing the frequency of complete discharges and recharges.

Currently, adaptive energy saver is being tested in the Canary channel, where Microsoft experiments with ideas before a wider release.

I spend a lot of time seeking small changes that cumulatively enhance productivity. This is precisely the type of improvement that achieves that. It's still early, but if Microsoft implements this, Windows 11 laptops could soon feel like they've received a major upgrade without any new purchases.

If you're considering upgrading your devices and need expert advice, feel free to reach out.