Impressive stuff, yes. But consider this: I traversed the event — taking notes, checking email, editing photos and posting on social media — without a laptop charger.

Quite simply, I was able to go power-commando through CES. Not once, through four 14-hour days full of press conferences, meetings, cocktail receptions and coffee breaks — 66,326 steps in all — did I find myself pining for an outlet.

Each day, I stuffed into my backpack one of two laptops. They’re both among the first in a new generation of Windows systems built for all-day use on a single charge. They’re light, sleek, zippy and responsive. And they’re power-stingy enough to convince you to leave the wall anchor behind. Which, once you begin to trust the all-day promise, can be positively freeing.

MacBook Air for Windows?

I call them MacBook-Air-for-Windows systems because they’re the PC world’s first legitimate counterpunch to the game-changing laptops Apple built around its own M-series processors. Apple set a new standard for portability in late 2020, when it introduced the first MacBook Air that was built around the first-gen M-series chip, the M1, and never looked back. At least, not until now.

This new generation of all-day Windows systems are based on either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X-series — which, like the M-series, is Arm compatible — or Intel’s latest Core Ultra 7 processors, codenamed Lunar Lake. Most major PC makers offer systems built around both processors, with even more selection on the way after a slew of CES announcements last week.

For my experiment, each day I brought one of two similarly-configured laptops from Lenovo, the Yoga Slim 7i (Core Ultra 7) and the Yoga Slim 7x (Snapdragon X Elite). They both have identical-capacity batteries. The Slim 7i (starting at $1,049.99) is a little larger and a little heavier than the Slim 7x (starting at $799.99). The Slim 7x sports a 15.3-inch display, while the Slim 7x features a smaller, 14.5-inch display.

To help level the playing field, I set both displays to 60pct brightness. At that brightness, I found that the Snapdragon-based Slim 7x burned through its power allotment at a rate of about 10 percent per hour, which suggests that it will support 10 hours of uninterrupted work, give or take. On average, the Intel-based 7i burned through about 12 percent of the battery per hour, which translates into a little less than 8.5 hours of uninterrupted work on a charge.

Larger displays typically draw more power, which could help explain much if not all the difference in battery life I experienced. In any event, both systems were powered and ready any time I needed during my extra-long days at CES.

All-day power at its best

CES was a great place to put the all-day battery promise to the test due to the extra-long days and constant venue changes. But I was already carrying a backpack and I could have just tossed a charger into the bag.

The real magic, I’ve found, happens when you head out with a MacBook Air for Windows machine — and nothing else. No backpack. No charger. And no "where’s-an-outlet?" anxiety.

Tuck it under your arm when you leave a meeting and head for a coffee shop, or when you’re walking across campus to another class. I even sat through a few all-day meetings without a power adapter late last year.

I’m now at the point where I don’t even miss the charger. And when I leave it behind, these portables feel more portable than ever.