Laptop Battery Maxes Out at 80-85% Available

[TheGardener]

I have an HP Envy Laptop that is almost 5 years old. I am running Windows 7. The only upgrade that I've done to the laptop is replacing the hard disk with an SSD 1-1/2 yrs ago. The OS was reinstalled at the same time.

About a week back I noticed that the icon locate on the taskbar read that the power was 83% available, plugged in and NOT charging. Prior to this, the battery always completed a charge to 100%. I most often leave the cord plugged, as I never have gotten better than 1.5 hours on a charge.

I fiddled with the cord, but eventually realized that this is not the source of the problem. So for the last week, the battery charge maxes out between 80 to 85% of the battery capacity, according the the icon.

Is the battery dying? The HP diagnostics are useless, as it only tells me what I read on the taskbar.

 

[JeffMD]

It is 5 years old and you think it might be dying? That is pretty much the life cycle of batteries today, and you are usually lucky if you reach it.

 

[LTC8K6]

Battery capacity reduces with age.

You are doing well to have it still that high.

 

[boomerang]

Some Toshiba models have a utility that limits battery charge to 80% when on the charger purportedly to extend battery life. Right now I'm showing; 80% available (plugged in, not charging).

I don't know if HP has that same feature or not. Obviously this is new behavior so, have you installed any HP updates recently?

 

[Ketchup]

Some Toshiba models have a utility that limits battery charge to 80% when on the charger purportedly to extend battery life. Right now I'm showing; 80% available (plugged in, not charging).

I don't know if HP has that same feature or not. Obviously this is new behavior so, have you installed any HP updates recently?

I was thinking this as well. I have my 5-year-old Lenovo set for battery life-span, and it stops at 80-percent. Still had a decent life on the battery.

 

[JeffMD]

%85 seems like a pretty low hold. Asus laptops will stop charging at full and won't charge again until under %95.

 

[corkyg]

A 5 year old battery still at 85%? That is really quite good. Battery capacity decreases with age and use. If you want more battery, get a new one.

 

[TheGardener]

I use the Windows Power Plan of Balanced, which is recommended. I haven't installed any new HP utilities since January. Now that I've noticed this, I've downloaded the latest Support Assistant. Better UI, but not sure it really does anything to enlighten me about this issue.

I was thinking this weekend that almost 5 years is pretty good for 100% battery life. I just would have thought that I'd see a more gradual reduction.

So now I have to decide if I want to invest in a new battery. I guess I will, if I think I can get another another 2-3 years out of this laptop. Thanks for the input.

 

[TheGardener]

I checked the HP site, and I believe that they no longer support battery replacement for old models. On Amazon I see a few re-sellers. They include: Powersmart, BTEexpert.

Having shopped for cell phone batteries, I know that the buying replacement batteries is tricky. I am leery of buying a 4 year old "brand new" battery. Also prices vary from $45 to $90. Suggestions? There are re-sellers who sell original HP batteries, but I have to believe that they were manufactured 4 years ago, even if sold as new.

Also the replacements are either 3600mAh or 4000mAh. The original is 3760mAh. Would you go low or high?

 

[corkyg]

Those are good questions. I would say it depends on how you use your laptop. My T510 is past its 4th birthday, but I only use the battery when I travel - maybe 2-3 times a year. The rest of the time I run on the A/C adapter with the battery stored at about 50% charge. If you are a real mobile user on a daily basis, I would take the higher option. Otherwise, the best deal.

 

[TheGardener]

I am not a mobile user, except at a coffee shop. I only use the battery when there are no direct a/c outlets available. Because the laptop has only gotten a little more than an hour on the battery, the time is limited.

Curious, since I wrote my original post, the battery charge has slowly crept up to the fully charged 100% level before maxing out.

I'll hold off buying a replacement battery, since it is not critical, given how I actually use it. Don't know how long I'll be able to continue use this computer. Though excluding this battery issue, it is in excellent condition. It is my only computer, so I guess I got a good one. And it continues to meet all my needs.