Latest Intel processors prolong laptop battery life

The latest generation of processors from U.S. chip giant Intel are performing as expected, especially in providing laptops with longer battery life, tests show. The fourth-generation of chips, dubbed Haswell, have been found to prolong battery life even in power-hungry gaming systems, Consumer Reports said Tuesday. The organization tested a number of laptops with the new Core processors, including models from Apple and Sony. The 11-inch MacBook Air got 12 hours of battery life while the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air achieved the most of all Haswell models tested at 15 hours, Consumer Reports said. Sony laptops were only a little behind those numbers; the 11-inch Vaio Pro Ultrabook squeezed 9.25 hours out of its battery, while its its 13-inch counterpart managed 10 hours. A high-powered gaming laptop was also put to the test: Lenovo's 15.6-inch IdeaPad Y510p equipped with a fourth-generation Core i7 chip, two graphics chips, and 2GB of video memory -- all requiring massive amounts of battery power -- managed 3 hours of intense game playing, Consumer reports said, calling that a respectable outcome for a pure gaming rig.