0

In this this page of the Ubuntu help it says that using Ubuntu reduces battery life than compared to using Mac/Windows. What does that exactly mean? Does "battery life" mean here the number of hours that you can use the laptop on battery, or the battery's lifetime and thus the number of years you can use your laptop?

Also, in terms of battery maintenance, is it better to use the laptop while plugged in on Ubuntu?. Does Ubuntu detach battery when it is fully charged, or when the battery was fully charged does it use the battery so that it falls to 99% and then charges that again?

Zanna
  • 70,465
mrghofrani
  • 145
  • 1
    Using Ubuntu does not reduce battery life; the link tells you that the windows/mac that comes pre-installed with many machines contains drivers optimized to maximize life for that specific hardware. Ubuntu comes with generic configuration that requires you to do the optimization yourself. Ubuntu by default gives performance, windows/mac give less performance and thus provide longer life on laptops by default. You can configure it as you prefer it, but Ubuntu or GNU/Linux requires you to do it. – guiverc Dec 07 '19 at 14:21
  • The link you have mentioned answers half of my question. – mrghofrani Dec 07 '19 at 15:43
  • The second part of your question is yes, use it while it is plugged in. Letting a Lithium Ion battery drop to zero can really shorten the life of the battery. Also, letting the laptop get too hot can also shorten the life span. Batteries over time will wear out as that is inevitable, but keeping the charge up on the battery and keeping it cool can help extend it even more. – Terrance Dec 07 '19 at 16:06

1 Answers1

0

I have been using Ubuntu on laptops for about 10 years, and my laptop has the same kind of battery life (duration when running on battery, or lifespan of the battery) than my colleagues with the same exact hardware running on Windows.

Of course you may need proper hardware drivers, and while my laptop is from a manufacturer that cares about Linux, if the manufacturer doesn't, finding the proper drivers can be difficult.

TLDR; it's not a problem of Linux/Ubuntu, but a problem of manufacturer...

xenoid
  • 5,504
  • Is your laptop model shipped with Windows? Does your laptop is on the list you have mentioned? – mrghofrani Dec 07 '19 at 16:28
  • Yes, my laptop is a Lenovo (actual got at least 3 different Lenovo models on Uuntu over the years). They are also sold with Windows, and I actually get them with Windows pre-installed (but I don't remember ever booting that on mine, I installLinux right after unboxing). – xenoid Dec 07 '19 at 18:55