Chrome's Memory Saver and Energy Saver settings helped one tester gain about two hours of laptop battery life, with a few trade-offs to know about.
A laptop that seems to run out of power too fast may not have a battery problem. A tech writer at Android Police says two built-in Chrome settings, Memory Saver and Energy Saver, can add about two hours of battery life together. Both are free and already part of the browser.
The writer switched to a MacBook Neo and found battery life well below what was advertised. Because the laptop was used only for work in Chrome, the browser seemed the likely cause. After adjusting the memory settings, battery life reached the expected 11 hours. A typical workday involved at least 20 open tabs, many with embedded media that drains power when active.
Memory Saver puts tabs you have not opened in a while into an inactive state. That saves battery, frees up memory and can improve speed. Chrome sets it to Balanced by default. The writer tested each level for two normal workdays and saw roughly an hour more battery life from Moderate to Balanced, and another hour from Balanced to Maximum.
Results depend on the computer. Memory Saver watches memory use (RAM) rather than running on a timer, so on a powerful laptop with few tabs it may never kick in. On an aging Chromebook, going from Balanced to Maximum gained two hours.
Energy Saver limits background activity and visual effects such as smooth scrolling, page animations and high frame rates. By default it starts when the battery hits 20% or lower. The writer sets it to turn on whenever the laptop is unplugged, which added about another hour on an average workday. Tabs playing audio or running video calls are not stopped.
The writer keeps Memory Saver on Maximum and Energy Saver on for travel, and expects about a two-hour gain in regular work sessions. At a desk with the laptop plugged in, Energy Saver matters less. Gains will vary, and the writer saw little difference between Moderate and having Memory Saver off on a newer machine. The Chrome app on Android has no performance tab, so these settings are not available there.
If your laptop battery drains fast, try Chrome's Memory Saver on Maximum and Energy Saver when unplugged, but expect delayed chat alerts from sleeping tabs.
A browser that Android Authority calls the best on Android is not in the Play Store, but it can still be installed with a few extra steps.
Read more: A top Android browser is not in the Play Store, but you can still install itA Tom's Guide poll found only 5 of 200 readers shop for AI in earbuds and headphones. Sound quality won easily, so check AI claims before you pay extra.
Read more: Few shoppers want AI in headphones, but brands keep adding itA leaker says the iPhone 20 could fold the Action Button into Camera Control, leaving one button for both jobs. It is an early, unverified rumor.
Read more: Next year's iPhone may merge its two extra buttons into one
