My laptop wakes up slower after a long idle timeSolved

That’s because your device can enter different system power states depending on how long it’s inactive. Windows uses six power states, S0 through S5, to manage power and performance.

Think of it like this:

• S0 is when everything is on and running, normal usage.
• S1 to S4 are various sleep states. The deeper the state, the less power used, but also the longer it takes to resume.
• S5 is full shutdown. Your system is completely off, and it has to boot up from scratch.

Each state is characterized by the following:

• Power consumption: How much energy the computer uses in that state?
• Software resumption: At what point the operating system resumes or restarts?
• Hardware latency: How long it takes for the computer to return to a fully working state?
• System hardware context: How much of the system’s hardware information (like processor registers, memory caches, and RAM) is preserved. Does the operating system need to reboot to resume work?

Okay, so sleep isn’t just sleep? There are levels?

Exactly. For example, S3 powers down most components but keeps memory active. So, when you wake it, your apps are still right where you left them. 

But say your device enters S4, also called hibernation. That’s deeper. Your current session is saved to disk, so you can resume it later, but it takes longer to wake. Useful for conserving more battery, like overnight or during travel. 

And S5 is just off?

Yep. Nothing is retained. Your device starts clean, just like powering on after a shutdown.