I was on with a MS rep earlier. Seems that there is no "spec" on how many time I can charge and recharge prior to experiencing significant battery degradation. On my last Asus notebook, I think it was at least 300, on the iPad I think it's 800 or 1000? Would be good information to have. Also not apparent - does the battery stop charging when it's at 100%? Many laptop computers do stop at 100% so it's ok to keep plugged to charger all the time; important information for me as well (and I'm sure for many others) as I am in the office 90% of the time and it's easiest to just keep attached to the charger except when I travel. Any factual information would be appreciated. Thank you!
Surface Pro - how many recharge cycles prior to significant battery degradation?
- Thread starter steveashe
- Start date
Not so sure about that. I find it the most amazing piece of technology I've seen in years. I get it. OneNote is incredible (no more physical paper notebooks - I have dozens if not hundreds of notebooks - no mas - and it recognizes my crappy handwriting), I can run Quicken (and keep a backup on the MiniSD card as drive D), and I can use as remote control for my 2 audio systems (teamviewer), and I can hook it up to a monitor and get rid of that big desktop by my right knee in my cramped home office, and its fast as hell, it makes the case for Windows 8 (touchscreen - how cool), can listen remotely to my thousands of WAV files, can use as my kindle ereader in a pinch (as I did on a trip home from Dallas last week) etc. I feel like it's the first generation of a game changer
bosamar
Well-Known Member
But - btw - I'm sure I'll sell it and get the next gen when it comes out. All I'm saying is that this platform is a game changer. But I do wish MS would post factual specs on the battery / charging system.
You and I think the same. I'm getting RTv2 upon release. Just run the battery down to ≈ 10% once a month and you will be fine.
J515OP
Super Moderator
You have already heard it from the others, the battery life isn't going to be an issue. It will be in line with other modern devices and you have already looked up the cycles on those. Everybody is essentially using the same battery technology these days. Same for the charging. There are no devices (unregulated Chinese knock off notwithstanding) that will let you over charge the batteries. Once it hits 100% it stops charging and you can leave it plugged in and use it.
Not looking to foment dissent. I simply remember the Asus and ipad specs because they are published. And I understand your point about modern devices. My point is that is that it would be reasonable for MS to publish these specs as do other mfrs; I'm sure others have wondered. Not the end of the world . But thank you for taking the time to respond.
. But thank you for taking the time to respond.
Arizona Willie
Active Member
I agree that the Surface Pro is one of the neatest things I've gotten my hands on since the first time I got to second base.
J515OP
Super Moderator
Not looking to foment dissent. I simply remember the Asus and ipad specs because they are published. And I understand your point about modern devices. My point is that is that it would be reasonable for MS to publish these specs as do other mfrs; I'm sure others have wondered. Not the end of the world
Yes they could publish this information and the "specs" page of the Surface isn't the most detailed. The cycles are just an estimate anyway and really don't mean much form any manufacturer. Here is a good resource if you want to explore the idea more Laptop Battery Guide - Mac Guides.
It has been said many times... just use it and don't worry about the battery. Don't abuse it either though since that could significantly shorten battery life but the Surface is going to have anywhere from 300 to 1000 (this is more likely since this the standard since 2009 from the link) cycles or between 2-5 years of use at which time the battery is expected to retain about 80% of its original charge (still not bad).
One thing to note from that link is that under the definition of cycle it says "The battery electronics monitor the status of the cells during use, and not cycling the battery at least once a week may cause the electronics to get false recordings. It is best to fully drain the battery before you charge it up again." This is not correct. MS recommends draining the battery and fully charging only about once per month to calibrate the battery not once per week. Generally it is considered bad for Lithium Ion batteries to be fully discharged and recharged (deep cycling) on a regular basis.
Can't be said enough just use it, regularly plug it in to recharge it and don't worry about it
Last edited:
Similar threads
