Do newer laptop batteries still need to be drained before recharging?

Solution 1:

NiCd and Nickel Hydride batteries need occasional deep discharging. Lithium batteries do not suffer from the same issue - and deep discharging can damage them. This article discusses the subject in more depth.

Solution 2:

For lithium-ion, it is actually now considered bad practice to completely drain the battery before recharging. NiCd and NiMH batteries need this to be done to minimize their so called "memory effect" - not so for Lithium Ion. In fact, it will actually be harmful for Li-Ion batteries.

I quote you this paragraph from this link

A lithium-ion battery provides 300-500 discharge/charge cycles. The battery prefers a partial rather than a full discharge. Frequent full discharges should be avoided when possible. Instead, charge the battery more often or use a larger battery. There is no concern of memory when applying unscheduled charges.

There are many other sources online that support this statement, but I know this from my long-time exposure to battery conditioning due to certain hobbies (e.g flashlights).

From Wikipedia's entry of Lithium Ion batteries :

Lithium-ion batteries should never be depleted below their minimum voltage (2.4 to 2.8 V/cell, depending on chemistry). If a lithium-ion battery is stored with too low a charge, there is a risk that the charge will drop below the low-voltage threshold, resulting in an unrecoverable dead battery.