SP4 i7 256 GB, 16 RAM - is 100% FULL battery life @ 5h 56 min normal?

[Windows Central Question]

Just got a new SP4 and was wondering if a fully charged battery with 5h 56 minutes is normal?

No programs running, normal brightness (mid), nothing taxing the system... With this being 30% below what's stated at 9 hours I was curious if this was normal or a potential defect.

Thanks!

 

[JK8man]

Very interested in an answer to this one. My 100% batt charge is about the same, barely 6 hours... Would have been willing to accept 8 hours or a little less given the "9 hour tech spec", but with brand new machines getting 60% out of the box, I too question whether this is a defect.

 

[JK8man]

Figured I'd reply to this since no one else has... Over the past week, I've found the variability is in the prediction itself. It seems to vary widely as you move through different operating conditions... Have yet to run an official test, but 6 hours is about "typical" over this past week.

This + a SP4 Power Cover would be about perfect for those of us on the road. Here's to MS considering that accessory!

 

[sjaduae]

I agree the standard battery status on the taskbar changes far too rapidly depending on current tasks, it jumps around +/- 3 hours depending on what you are doing even within few mins, it seems far too sensitive

 

[xandros9]

The following is best read assuming the device is in prime working condition:

The current battery life estimate changes almost live depending on current system load which can and likely will vary drastically depending on usage.

For example, I have a ThinkPad Yoga. It's a hybrid similar in performance to the Core i7 Surface Pro 3.
If I'm gaming on battery power, it'll say a couple hours.

If I'm doing some heavier web browsing and other work, it'll say something like 4 hours.

If I have it open to light web pages and/or it's just idling, it'll say something like 6+ hours. If the display goes to sleep/turns off, that number can go up dramatically.

It's supposed to have something like 7 hours of battery life IIRC. (it's not new anymore so)
but ultimately I'm served well since load fluctuates over normal use.

Also there can be background activity that is nothing to sneeze at. There can be updates being worked on, search indexing, etc that contribute to the total power consumption.

I would try to use it normally and see what actual usage feels like, i think the live status is a good indicator of life at that usage level.

 

[onlysublime]

I believe the 9 hour claim is with low brightness and aggressive power settings with video playback only.

 

[ioaniro]

The 9 hour claim is based on a set scenario, the exact settings are mentioned in the fine print on the microsoft website. That being said one should not trust the battery estimate of windows, it fluctuates so much is no use. Instead, after a few days/weeks of normal usage on and off battery (you need a bit of usage for some accurate statistics) open a command prompt and run powercfg /batteryreport. After that scroll down to the bottom and you will get a more accurate estimate, in my case it's:

Since OS install: 7:25:22
Connected standby: 21:42:56

This is estimated usage over slightly more than 1 month and I am using a custom power plan with full CPU/GPU while plugged in and maximized battery life/CPU on 50% while on battery (unless I need more power and then I switch to the default windows profile).

 

[Rattso2005]

I have the same unit and I am seeing similar battery life. I have had some bugs I've dealt with like everyone else. Overall, I like the machine and I knew I would be sacrificing some battery life but this seems like something is off. Hopefully some future software/firmware updates will fix it.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Migi2015]

Considering how thin the device is, they couldn't stuff a huge battery so 6 hours would be good. Remember that Apple puts a 99 watt-hour battery in their 15" Macbook Pro which is why it gets 12 hours in addition to not having a touch screen.

I bet if MS came out with a 'normal' non-touch laptop and stuffed a 99 watt-hour battery in there they could bet 12 hours too. I wish Panos Panay would emphasize how much these devices do compared to Apple's and temper people's expectations on battery life.

 

[krabby]

I agree with the thought that Microsoft is doing itself no favors by using best case scenarios for battery life, it's a recipe for disappointed people who will fail to get the same results. I get about 4 hours but do absolutely nothing to save battery and in fact a number of things that reduce it like 5 minute screen timeouts, no sleep, high brightness, etc. I'm not disappointed because I expected no better.
Realistically this device is not comparable to an android/ios tablet despite the moniker being applied to it, it would be better IMO to consider it a small form factor PC that can be used in a tablet mode. Looking at it as a PC with its performance envelope and battery size gives the actual reported usage people are posting a more positive spin and the numbers in that light appear to be decent to me.

 

[sjaduae]

Considering how thin the device is, they couldn't stuff a huge battery so 6 hours would be good. Remember that Apple puts a 99 watt-hour battery in their 15" Macbook Pro which is why it gets 12 hours in addition to not having a touch screen.

I bet if MS came out with a 'normal' non-touch laptop and stuffed a 99 watt-hour battery in there they could bet 12 hours too. I wish Panos Panay would emphasize how much these devices do compared to Apple's and temper people's expectations on battery life.

My little 2015 Retina MacBook 12" running windows 10 gets similar battery life to my SP4 I7 with 80% CPU and 45% screen brightness, maybe under straight OSX you may get 30 mins more on the Macbook

 

[right_mr1]

(My device is a Surface pro 4, core 17, 16gb ram, 256gb hard drive)
I think most of the other guys have posted everything worth posting on this, for example:

a. the remaining battery predictor is way way too sensitive and is based on current usage. It swings all over the place for me.
b. 6 hours battery life is pretty decent for the device given how much horsepower it has and how small the battery is in comparison. I would say an intel core M3 could potentially last 9 hours but the i7 is a beast and 6 hours would be quite a result.
c. there are some power issues with the device hogging battery in its sleep. I sugges you either keep the device off or at worst in hibernation when not in use and not plugged in as precious battery power will continue to be drained when it is in "sleep" mode if you can call it that.
d. Definitely use the power save setting when the device is on battery and not on charge as this will help.
d. keep brightness on the darker settings as well to extend battery power use.
e. keep a close eye on the task manager for apps that could be draining power that shouldn't. Either uninstall them or reboot the device. It only takes a minute to reboot.

But overall I don't normally get more than 4 to 6 hours