Terrible battery life of surface pro 4 - do you agree?

[Grimmric]

So.
Now i have tried the Surface pro 4 to see how long time the battery holds.
I have used edge and done youtube until battery i dead.
Full screen gave me 4h30m.
Not as much as i have hoped but not bad for a laptop.
None of my other laptops have longer battey time.

 

[zkyevolved]

So.
Now i have tried the Surface pro 4 to see how long time the battery holds.
I have used edge and done youtube until battery i dead.
Full screen gave me 4h30m.
Not as much as i have hoped but not bad for a laptop.
None of my other laptops have longer battey time.

You could also test streaming via Chrome, since I hear Edge isn't the best ATM.
Another good test could be wifi off, bluetooth off, and watch local video on loop to see how long it would last (1080p or 720p). These would also be interesting.

Wifi signal also affects battery life, especially since streaming Youtube. There are a lot of factors.

 

[WildKarrde]

Yes

Why type of usage is it undergoing? I ask, because if some people are getting about 7 hours normal use out of their SP4, then I wonder if it's really a firmware/software issue.

 

[MCube74]

I have been surfing the web, watching shows on Hulu and downloading apps and games the last 2 to 3 days

 

[GatsbyGlen]

I'm sure it would be too much of a hassle, but the way to back up a driver is to search on google for an app that backups up drivers! Personally, I've always used dd driver, How To Backup Windows Drivers | Ubergizmo, it's free.

Sure, I know I can use Google but shouldn't have to do all the work You can grab it from the link below. I take no responsibility if it blows up your SP4.

http://1drv.ms/1kVf0hL

 

[zkyevolved]

Sure, I know I can use Google but shouldn't have to do all the work You can grab it from the link below. I take no responsibility if it blows up your SP4.

http://1drv.ms/1kVf0hL

You're the boss... Haha.

 

[ryland Johnson]

I have yet to read a forum dedicated to any modern uber device that is not full of battery life complaints. This problem can only get worse until the technology of battery engineering catches up with what they have to power.

If we take all the technical parameters and specifications of this hybrid its rather unrealistic to hold great expectations regarding battery life. The specs are simply too much for the battery same for EVERY such flag ship device on the market.

Having written that the battery life on this little devil is better than my Asus ROG that weighs nearly 3kgs!

No confrontation on my part, this situation also gets to me. My 10 year old Nokia could run for a week. Then again its specifications are incomparable.

Ryland

 

[GatsbyGlen]

You're the boss... Haha.

Did it work for you?

 

[zkyevolved]

Did it work for you?

It loaded the driver just fine. It didn't explode or anything haha. Now I'm going to test it today and see.

 

[Jan777]

I have yet to read a forum dedicated to any modern uber device that is not full of battery life complaints. This problem can only get worse until the technology of battery engineering catches up with what they have to power.

If we take all the technical parameters and specifications of this hybrid its rather unrealistic to hold great expectations regarding battery life. The specs are simply too much for the battery same for EVERY such flag ship device on the market.

Having written that the battery life on this little devil is better than my Asus ROG that weighs nearly 3kgs!

No confrontation on my part, this situation also gets to me. My 10 year old Nokia could run for a week. Then again its specifications are incomparable.

Ryland

Microsoft loves to compare the Surface Pro line with Macbook Air. They also promise all-day battery life (or more than 9 hours). I bought this device expecting the level of battery life we have come to take for granted with iPad and Macbook Air (or whatever it is called nowaday).

I understand that all-day battery life is marketing speak. But with about 4 hours of maximum use, a fan spinning up now and then and sounding like my vacuum cleaner, the over-promise and under-delivery is just too much for me and I guess many others, and I don't think MS can be excused for being untruthful when the difference is this big.

 

[Grimmric]

Now i have done a new test with some new settings.
I have looped a movie in win 10 program called "Movies&TV". I guess thats their player.
No bluetooth, no wifi and 50% brightness.
Played it in fullscreeen.
The battery died after 7h45m.
I guess you can get more time from it if you just have 25% brightness.

 

[ryland Johnson]

Microsoft loves to compare the Surface Pro line with Macbook Air. They also promise all-day battery life (or more than 9 hours). I bought this device expecting the level of battery life we have come to take for granted with iPad and Macbook Air (or whatever it is called nowaday).

I understand that all-day battery life is marketing speak. But with about 4 hours of maximum use, a fan spinning up now and then and sounding like my vacuum cleaner, the over-promise and under-delivery is just too much for me and I guess many others, and I don't think MS can be excused for being untruthful when the difference is this big.

You will find if you read the small print that MS make no false claims at all. Again if you read the small print you will see the claim of up to 9 hours is not only possible but a certainty given the circumstances made in that also overlooked small print.
In terms of small print all manufacturers do this.

To be honest if you look at the size and thickness of the Surface Pro 4 and understand the specifications its obvious to any one with the smallest technological understanding and experience that 9 hours of running heavy software is never going to happen and, I may add, good look in finding any hybrid with even similar spec's that can run for 9 hours regardless of what's running.

Please also understand you are comparing 'apples with oranges'. The Apple devices you mention are one dimentional tablets running highly limited tablet software. Considering that I think on this occasion Apple is the brand who should look at its battery life? Very nice tablets, expensive as always but very nice, just not compareable with a full blown PC system. running PC software.
Your comment regarding the fan....You must have heard a lemon, the fan noise on mine is no better nor worse than any other portable I have owned running these spec's. If you want a silent option the M3 variant of the Surface 4 would be your way to go BUT, of course, there will be a pay off in performance. Can't have all things all ways.

Regards, Ryland

 

[zkyevolved]

Now i have done a new test with some new settings.
I have looped a movie in win 10 program called "Movies&TV". I guess thats their player.
No bluetooth, no wifi and 50% brightness.
Played it in fullscreeen.
The battery died after 7h45m.
I guess you can get more time from it if you just have 25% brightness.

Nearly 8 hours is very close to the 9 hours they claim. So I guess it's safe to say that the device performs (battery wise in actual usage) as they claim. ANOTHER story is the standby time! Ironically, today I got my second SP4, so I'm going to see how that one does completely stock, no installed apps apart from those that came with the tablet after running the updates. I'm going to leave it at home in sleep mode and we'll see....

On the other hand, it seems that the graphics driver has improved sleep! I'll post more details tonight .

 

[GatsbyGlen]

Nearly 8 hours is very close to the 9 hours they claim. So I guess it's safe to say that the device performs (battery wise in actual usage) as they claim. ANOTHER story is the standby time! Ironically, today I got my second SP4, so I'm going to see how that one does completely stock, no installed apps apart from those that came with the tablet after running the updates. I'm going to leave it at home in sleep mode and we'll see....

On the other hand, it seems that the graphics driver has improved sleep! I'll post more details tonight .

Which driver? The most recent or that September one?

 

[Jan777]

You will find if you read the small print that MS make no false claims at all. Again if you read the small print you will see the claim of up to 9 hours is not only possible but a certainty given the circumstances made in that also overlooked small print.
In terms of small print all manufacturers do this.

To be honest if you look at the size and thickness of the Surface Pro 4 and understand the specifications its obvious to any one with the smallest technological understanding and experience that 9 hours of running heavy software is never going to happen and, I may add, good look in finding any hybrid with even similar spec's that can run for 9 hours regardless of what's running.

Please also understand you are comparing 'apples with oranges'. The Apple devices you mention are one dimentional tablets running highly limited tablet software. Considering that I think on this occasion Apple is the brand who should look at its battery life? Very nice tablets, expensive as always but very nice, just not compareable with a full blown PC system. running PC software.
Your comment regarding the fan....You must have heard a lemon, the fan noise on mine is no better nor worse than any other portable I have owned running these spec's. If you want a silent option the M3 variant of the Surface 4 would be your way to go BUT, of course, there will be a pay off in performance. Can't have all things all ways.

Regards, Ryland

4 hours with heavy use would be ok. Let me phrase it this way: since I have not yet recieved the keyboard, I have been using my device as I would have an Ipad: shopping online, reading news, reading e-mail, watching youtube, watching occational shows from tv-broadcaster, facebook app, twitter app, insta app. Tasks that could easily be accomplished on an iPad (or with Macbook with full iOs). For these tasks, iPad would give 9+ hours of usage time, the surface gives me about 4 hours including high volume fan noise and a flickering screen at low light. Therefore, I conclude that this device is not a good choice for this kind of usage pattern. Maybe as a business machine for meetings (unless of course you want to show videos in a conference room in which case the fan noise would be pretty disturbing).

 

[zkyevolved]

Which driver? The most recent or that September one?

The September one. Start at post 88, and then in post 105 of this thread there is a link to that specific driver.

 

[badMojo69]

Again you have to view their claim from your average joe/jane consumer. Those people will not jump though these hoops hence the batter life claim is a lie and failure. They just need to come put with a power cover and call it a day.

 

[GatsbyGlen]

The September one. Start at post 88, and then in post 105 of this thread there is a link to that specific driver.

Haha, I know - I posted it!

 

[ryland Johnson]

4 hours with heavy use would be ok. Let me phrase it this way: since I have not yet recieved the keyboard, I have been using my device as I would have an Ipad: shopping online, reading news, reading e-mail, watching youtube, watching occational shows from tv-broadcaster, facebook app, twitter app, insta app. Tasks that could easily be accomplished on an iPad (or with Macbook with full iOs). For these tasks, iPad would give 9+ hours of usage time, the surface gives me about 4 hours including high volume fan noise and a flickering screen at low light. Therefore, I conclude that this device is not a good choice for this kind of usage pattern. Maybe as a business machine for meetings (unless of course you want to show videos in a conference room in which case the fan noise would be pretty disturbing).

Sorry to learn you are unhappy with your MS pro 4. I have no idea why your fan makes such a noise. I would return it with a complaint. The fan on mine has only worked once and that was while installing the latest version of Windows 10. In no way could I write the noise made by the fan was high, I heard it humming away but.........

Maybe the Apple would be more to your liking and that has to be accepted. Apple make some very nice devices. In your shoes I would return the Surface and purchase the Apple.

I hope you resolve your situation, nothing worse than buyers remorse! Ryland

 

[ryland Johnson]

Again you have to view their claim from your average joe/jane consumer. Those people will not jump though these hoops hence the batter life claim is a lie and failure. They just need to come put with a power cover and call it a day.

May I respectfully request you to back that statement up with written facts. Please read the small print where MS claim up to 9 hours of use. This 9 hours of use has a clear disclaimer. I am not going to do your research for you. You go research this subject and you will find MS have made no such false claim.

Ryland