Laptop: battery draining far too fast

A cell past its rated cycle life, which is most cases. A background app or a failed update holding the device awake

Battery Replacement starts from €80 depending on the model. No fix, no fee, so if we cannot repair it you pay nothing.

That is usually the battery, sometimes the charging circuit and occasionally just the charger. All three are worth checking before buying anything, and the diagnostic is free.

The usual signs are a charge that drops in steps, shutting down above 20 percent, only working while plugged in, or the back of the case lifting. If the device is also slow and hot, bring it in for a free diagnostic rather than guessing, because a failing charging port looks similar from the outside.

Treat it as urgent. Stop charging it, stop using it, and do not press on the back. A swollen cell can split. Bring it in and we will remove and dispose of it safely the same day.

A new cell should hold a normal day of use and stay above 80 percent of its rated capacity for several hundred charge cycles. The 360-day warranty covers a cell that fails early.

The usual signs are a phone that dies well before the end of the day, one that jumps from 30% to nothing, or one that shuts down in the cold. If it is instead getting hot and draining while idle, that can be software, and we check that first rather than selling you a battery.

With a genuine part, yes, exactly as before. With other tiers some iPhone models show a service message next to the battery figure. It does not affect how the phone works and we tell you which you are getting before we start.

It needs dealing with rather than panicking about. Stop charging it, do not press on it, and bring it in the same day if you can. A swollen cell pushes the screen up from behind and will crack it eventually, which turns one repair into two.

Two to three years of ordinary use before you would think about it again, which is what the original managed. Heat is what shortens that more than charge cycles, so a phone that lives on a car dashboard has a harder life than one that does not.

No. The diagnostic is free whether you go ahead with the repair or not, and that is true for the quick check at the counter and the longer one on the bench.

Walk in. We are at 4 Richmond Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 3, open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm. Closed Sunday. You can also book online and we will confirm a slot, or ask us to collect the device anywhere in Dublin, Monday to Friday.