The battery life of Ubuntu is horrible compared to windows, 1 hour vs 5 hours. I am sure it is because the Nvidia drivers and the hardware running full speed all the time (yes, I know you can switch to Intel graphics, but the CPU would still run full speed while the GPU would be off).
On Ubuntu I can go from 40% to 20% in less than 20 minutes. Doesn't fast draining batteries like this damage them?
I'm using Ubuntu 18.04 on a Lenovo Y720.
No. If the current draw exceeded safe limits, the notebook would shut down.
Please take a look at accepted methods to reduce power draw at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PowerManagement/ReducedPower
Not exactly damaged but in theory your battery lifespan will be 5 times shorter.
Assume a battery can be charged from empty to full 1,000 times. Because you only get 1 hour out of Ubuntu vs. 5 hours out of Windows on a single charge you will be charging 5 times more often in Ubuntu. Therefore your battery might only last 1 year in Ubuntu vs. 5 years under Windows.
Take the formula with a grain of salt because there are other factors involved and I've simplified the situation. But it's probably safe to say the battery lifespan would be twice as long in Windows.
