Is my battery going bad?

Question

I am wondering if my battery is bad, or if I could improve on it. Basically, I am wondering why this image shows Energy when full: 11.9 and Energy (design): 48.9 Why doesn't my battery get around 48.9? Is there any way I can get more information? Can I improve this without getting a new battery?

Answer 1

If correct, that is the sign of a bad battery. You can try to fully charge the battery, then discharge ( computer should shut down at around 3% left ), then recharge it to recalibrate the measurement. The time it takes to do so will also confirm how accurate the reading is.

Answer 2

Yes, it seems your battery has reached the end of its life. If it's in warranty, return it.

Is there any way I can get more information?

Try upower -d in a terminal. It's just a little bit more verbose.

Can I improve this without getting a new battery?

Not really. These numbers are reported by the embedded controller of your PC. It's not something you can do about in software.

Recalibration

You can try recalibration by completely depleting it first. Ignore warnings about shutdown in a safe environment such as a Live CD and make sure the laptop turns off by itself. Then recharge it fully again.

Some laptop manufacturers have a calibration tool for this. Not really of any help in most cases, I can tell you from past experience.