Surface Pro 3 battery degradation

Anonymous

I've been using Microsoft Surface Pro 3 for a year, and shortly after the warranty expired I noticed my Surface Pro 3 can only last about 1-2 hours after a full charge. At first I thought this was a problem with background process draining the battery so I disabled everything running in the background. It didn't helped. Then I found out about the powercfg utility and run powercfg /batteryreport on it, and this was the result:

A full charge capacity has degraded by over 80% in just few weeks and continue degrading. I tried to "recalibrate" the battery by doing full charge then full drain multiple times, and it didn't helped. Talk with Microsoft via chat support and they insist this was a software problem and reinstalled the driver and asked me to wait few days to see if things improve. Not only it didn't improved, but now my Surface can only last 30 minutes.

Few days after chat (today), I called Microsoft support and they were being extremely unhelpful. Insist that this was a software problem (which the chat support person already did) and it's "perfectly normal" for battery capacity to degrade. I insist that I've already done the software "fixes" and it didn't work and tell them this is definitely hardware problem, but the person on the phone tell me there's nothing I could do except to order the out of warranty exchange (which cost about $560 in my local currency).

Is there anything else I should do? My country has no Microsoft Store which I could take the machine for them to take a look. Phone/online support were the only option, and none of them could understand the issue.

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Anonymous

Hello everyone,

Thanks for your continued patience here. We have now completed our testing of the update and it has passed our quality assurance process.

The update, “System Firmware Update - 8/29/2016”, is now available to install from Windows Update.

Before installing this update, ensure that your Surface Pro 3 is plugged directly in to AC power using the standard AC power adapter (do not use the Surface Docking Station), disconnect any USB devices or external monitors, and check that Windows shows a 40% charge or greater when you hover over the icon in the taskbar before you begin.

Once you install the update, please select Restart now (do not shutdown). After your Surface restarts, please manually restart it a second time to complete the process. For more information, please see our Surface Pro 3 Battery FAQ article.

If you’re having trouble charging your Surface, you get a low-battery error, or your Surface turns off when you unplug it, the steps in our Surface battery won’t charge article can help you pinpoint the problem. Should you need any further assistance, please contact us.

Thanks again.

Greg

Updated 8/29/16.

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1,459 additional answers

Anonymous

2016-08-05T22:36:34+00:00

Is anyone aware of a way to provide more power through the connector, perhaps by wiring it to a larger power supply that can supply more than one amp at five volts and more than 2.58 amps at twelve volts?

I am wondering if it is the voltage of the battery that is shutting the SP3 down and bricking it or if a more capable supply would allow me to use it as a wired-to-the-wall computer.

Not looking for opinion on this. No offense, but I could care less about your guess.

I am looking for someone who can discuss the battery circuitry and tell me that at as long as the battery is cooked, it won't start no matter how much power is available. Or, in the alternative, yeah, maybe providing more power would allow it to boot.
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Anonymous

2016-08-05T22:07:28+00:00

UPDATE - I just went to Best Buy to purchase a new laptop to replace my SP3. Best Buy is recalling these and is giving me a store credit for what I paid for my SP3. For those of you who purchased from Best Buy you might want to check it out.
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Anonymous

2016-08-05T21:45:03+00:00

Unfortunately we are having exactly the same issue.

Surface Pro 3, i7.

The battery lasts about 30 seconds. Even when charging, the battery can deplete and drain faster than it stays charged when the CPU is being taxed.

This problem has rendered my $1700 device completely useless.

We either need a software fix or a replacement for the battery.
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Anonymous

2016-08-05T19:40:33+00:00

Add me please to this growing list of unhappy consumers.

My SP3 i7 battery life is unbelievable and of course I am out of my warranty.

Don't know if the Surface is a laptop replacement or MS should advertise it as a new expensive ultra thin desktop ?!......casue I need to have the power adapter plugged in ?! Anyway, I guess I am lucky cause I read about other consumers having issues even the SP3 is connected to the power adapter.

We've paid lots a money for a product from a well know company .....but here I am with a "Toys R Us" device ..... that is getting broke after 18 months of usage....

Hope Microsoft is listening to our voices and at least they can keep us updated with where are they with fixing this "SIMPLO" battery nightmare....

Microsoft ..... is your turn to respond to us, please.......

Add me please to this growing list of unhappy consumers.

Purchased the Surface Pro 3, 19 months ago, and I can only use it when plugged in to power. I tried all the resets, trouble-shooting steps, refresh of Windows 10 but the battery issue has not been corrected.
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