battery life for surface pro a concern?

[J515OP]

HP hasbthis Chromebook thing with 16GB of memory and 4 hours battery life for $340. Do we hear complaints?

For some reason people feel if the shape is a tablet the battery should be 8+ hours. There is an unfortunate disconnect between shape and performance

 

[chatterbot]

A full PC in the form factor of a tablet that only gets 5 hrs doesn't make much sense to me. You might as well just get an ultrabook with a bigger screen if you are going to use it like a laptop. I think u need at least 8 hrs to be fully mobile with a tablet. With this device u will be tethered by the power cord.

 

[J515OP]

A full PC in the form factor of a tablet that only gets 5 hrs doesn't make much sense to me. You might as well just get an ultrabook with a bigger screen if you are going to use it like a laptop. I think u need at least 8 hrs to be fully mobile with a tablet. With this device u will be tethered by the power cord.

But you will be tether free for 5 hours, have a touch screen device, will not always need a keyboard and can more easily take it with you than you could a laptop. That is different than purely having an ultrabook. Form factor certainly matters but the form doesn't necessarily dictate the need for a longer battery. If a laptop or ultra book was good before, the Surface Pro brings that plus additional benefits.

More battery is always a nice thing but realistically many phones don't even last an entire day on a charge. People don't like this but they also don't demand that a phone run for one week on battery alone simply because it is small and highly portable. Eventually we will hopefully reach a point when battery life is a non-factor but until then we are at a high point for this sort of performance at 5 hours of battery and that should still be impressive and amazing rather than a detriment.

 

[cafutter]

The points about the battery life for the processor power are very good. My situation is that I will be walking around our ICU doing rounds for several hours and then I have to charge it. I am concerned about keeping a charger at home, a charger in the ICU and then a charger in my office. Those chargers are not cheap. I can' t use the surface RT because I need VPN access. My son has an ASUS transformer Infinity (Android OS) which has an extra battery in the keyboard. It gives his tablet an extra 5-6 hours of battery life. Wouldn't it be cool to have a keyboard for the Surface to give a few extra hours?

 

[J515OP]

In the future we may see alternative accessories for the Surface. It is a tough sell though because MS partners already have such Windows 8 devices. The Surface is what it is and isn't what it isn't. It will not be the right device for all people. If you are more interested in battery dock keyboards there are other options.

HP Envy x2 review | The Verge

Asus Vivo Tab RT review | The Verge

I think it is great that MS has captured people's attention with the Surface design and that they want 10 hour battery life out of an Intel Core i5 or a true keyboard doc that also functions as an additional battery. At some point though by turning the Surface into an XYZ docking tablet then you no longer have a Surface. If you want one of the other devices they are available to suit a variety of needs.

Don't forget MS has also done something unique offering a fast charger. This is something worth noting and taking into consideration as it is also a unique and innovative approach to battery management.

You can take Surface from completely empty to fully charged in a little over 3 hours hours. You can also get Surface up to 50% power, while using the device, after just over an hour of being plugged in. Microsoft wanted to prioritize real world productivity scenarios where you had a limited amount of time to charge but also needed to use the device. The larger power adapter and not gigantic battery were the right balance to meet those needs.

AnandTech - Microsoft Surface Review

 

[souldier]

I will definitely be getting a surface. I will try it out for 2 weeks while doing my usual day to day things, then see how it performs. If it doesn't get me by, my only other option is the Acer W700 which is known for its excellent battery life

 

[ArnoldC]

My Acer S3 has a claimed 8 hours battery life. It doesn't happen, not close.

I wouldn't bet on the W700 claims, based on experience.

We have dozens of Acer notebooks here.
Sent from my Windows Phone 8S by HTC using Board Express

 

[BennyDBowser]

Check this out: Microsoft Addresseses Surface Pro Storage, Battery Life In Reddit AMA | Ubergizmo

 

[cafutter]

Q: Does Microsoft have any plans for an external battery or for a thicker keyboard cover that has an extra battery?
A: "That would require extending the design of the accessory spine to include some way to transfer higher current between the peripheral and the main battery. Which we did..."

 

[xterrapro]

Upgrade my friend -- 90% of the flights I'm on I have a power seat adapter. It does not charge my MBP worth a &*AP but I'm counting on being able to charge the pro. In my case the Pro will not replace my MBP, or Air for that matter. It will be taken along on business travel to supplement - 1st leg of trip is usually used for pure business via gogo then 2nd leg 3 to 4 hours to get to other coast will be Pro connected again to gogo.