Chapter 9 of 10All chapters
Chapter 9 of 10
Laptops and phones
Everything traded for battery.
The constraints
Portable devices are limited by heat and battery rather than by silicon. Sustained performance is often far below the headline figure because there is nowhere for the heat to go.
- Components are increasingly soldered, so upgrades and repairs are limited.
- Systems on a chip integrate processor, graphics and memory controller in one package.
Battery
Lithium batteries age with charge cycles and heat. Keeping a device cool and avoiding constant full discharge extends life more than any charging ritual.