It really depends on your load. I run Safari, a terminal, VS Code, and I turn off Docker and Slack unless I actively need them. Runaway node processes are the b

It really depends on your load. I run Safari, a terminal, VS Code, and I turn off Docker and Slack unless I actively need them. Runaway node processes are the biggest battery offender, so those I kill off if I notice them in Activity Monitor. I find 2/5 brightness to be the most comfortable in my space -- I'm surprised to hear others run max brightness which is eye-scorching! It all depends on ambient light I guess. Also, 6-8 hours is a full work day of laptop time for me. If you have more hours in the day you probably will get less days out of the laptop than me.