How to improve battery runtime on your XPS computer

Some Simple, First Steps

Manufacturers make battery runtime claims based on specific tests in controlled environments. For example, on our XPS 13 Plus with an OLED screen, we download and run Netflix from the Microsoft Store to see how long the battery lasts. That length of time can vary based on the panel and configuration of your laptop.

The first tip to improve battery runtime then is to adjust your screen brightness. The panel in a laptop is one of the biggest power draws in the system and clicking it down a few notches can get you significant battery savings. Also, if you are using an OLED screen consider switching to dark mode in apps or applying a dark theme to Windows.


Windows 11 offers a battery saver mode that is one of the easiest ways to improve your battery runtime. To enable it, click the battery icon in the System Tray and click the option for "Battery saver."

For more details on how to enable this, check out How to Improve the Performance of a Dell Laptop Battery for more information.


If you are still looking to maximize your battery, consider closing applications that use a lot of power. To look at "Battery usage per app" click the Windows logo and select "Power Options." Then scroll down to "Battery usage" and expand that menu. This reveals a "Battery usage per app" ranked list of applications by estimated power consumption.
 
If you are still looking to maximize your battery, consider closing unused applications. If you are still trying to gain the maximum amount of battery from your system you can switch Airplane Mode to further stretch your usage (but be aware that you cannot access the Internet or online files in Airplane Mode!) You can find a few other battery-saving tips in the How to Improve the Performance of a Dell Laptop Battery article.

Battery-Saving Tips for Advanced Users

If you have exhausted your options in the integrated Windows settings, there are several advanced tools and changes you can use to extend the battery runtime in your XPS.


First, to further understand how different applications are using your battery open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Escape. Make sure the "More details" dropdown is selected and scroll to the right of the screen to see "Power usage." This column of data can show you what apps are consuming the most power on your system. Knowing which applications are consuming your battery most can help you decide which power-hungry apps to close. Closing applications without understanding what the app can be risky, so be sure that you are aware of what any app is doing before you click close.


Disabling Intel’s "Turbo Boost" functionality can also increase your system’s battery runtime, at the cost of some performance. First enter Dell’s BIOS settings (here is a How to Access UEFI (BIOS) System Setup from Microsoft Windows on your Dell Computer to help get to BIOS settings) and under the "Performance" tab scroll down to "Intel Turbo Boost Technology" and change the selection to "Off." This reduces your system’s maximum performance, but it will also positively affect your system’s battery runtime.

Another advanced tool that you can use to understand how your system is consuming energy is Intel’s SoC Watch. Intel SoC Watch analyzes the energy used by the CPU to identify any specific system behaviors that are using too much energy. You can learn more about Intel SoC Watch and download the tool directly from the Intel Website.