Depending on the brand and make of the battery, a 4-cell can last from 1.5 to even 3 hours, but that will vary due to specific details like screen brightness, battery power settings (running on low-usage or maximum-efficiency), playing games or watching DVDs/Blu-ray.
Also question is, how long does a 3 cell battery last on a laptop?
Many netbook manufacturers, including Dell, HP, and Lenovo, seem reluctant to ship devices with extended batteries, saddling users with 3-cell systems that last just over two hours. Currently, Dell only offers its Mini 9 and 10 with a 4-cell battery.
How long is the average battery life of a laptop?
This varies depending on your usage, of course, but the average laptop battery is good for around 400 recharges (a.k.a. cycles). After that, it starts to lose its capacity to hold a charge. That's why the battery that once gave you, say, 3-4 hours' worth of runtime now peters out after just 1-2 hours.