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

2016-07-27T13:02:26+00:00

Same problem

SP3 with SIMPLO batteries. Purchased December 2014

Since May 2016 full charge capacity has declined steadily from 42,583 mWh to current level of 1,005 mWh and will no longer run unless connected to mains AC power.

Love my SP, but this is likely to turn into a PR disaster for Microsoft unless rapid resolution is forthcoming.

Microsoft - please do not let us down.
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Anonymous

2016-07-27T12:59:55+00:00

they say it is a firmware thing. so I don't think resetting to 8.1 would fix this. David Verheyen is (or was) the Rockingham Mall store manager. Contact him and refer him to this thread. I doubt Microsoft has gotten the info out to the stores yet but you did go before this info was posted by Greg. See if you can get Dave to exchange for a refurb.
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Anonymous

2016-07-27T12:55:34+00:00

is this a retail or enterprise/education version of Windows?

you should be at 10586.494

check windows updates.

>>OS BUILD 10586.212.amd64fre.th2_release_sec.160328-1908

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Barb

MVP-Windows and Devices for IT

My Blog - http://digitalmediaphile.com/

Please mark as answered if this answers your question
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Anonymous

2016-07-27T12:42:54+00:00

Hello everyone,

We are aware of some customers reporting a scenario with their Surface Pro 3 batteries in which the system is reporting lower battery capacity than expected. We’ve isolated this to a limited number of customers experiencing this issue.

Based on our investigations we can confirm that it is not an issue with the battery cells, and we believe this is something that can be addressed via software.

We’re working through the details of how we deliver that.

Thank you all for the details you've shared here,

Greg

Hi Greg,

Interesting response, but I took by Surface Pro 3 to the Rockingham Mall Microsoft Store in NH on Monday, 7/25/2016, where the tech recommended a full reset. Full reset to Windows 8 failed to address the Simplo Battery issue on my machine. Battery does not charge, and SurfacePro must be connected to A/C power to operate. Pull the A/C cord, and Surface Pro dies.

The warranty expired 4/6/2016. I have filed a claim for extended warranty with AMEX, but apparently I still need to pay $99 dollars to ship it to MS for a repair estimate, which is completely unsatisfactory. I do not believe this is a software issue, but a serious hardware/battery defect. Pretty sad performance of a machine I paid $1,415 for in Feb 2015. My 2009 Apple Macbook Pro is still going strong, even with an original battery with 572 cycles.

What say ye?

What is the expected response for the "suggested" software fix?

Will affected users still be able to download Win 10 after the 7/29/2016 deadline?

Awaiting your community wide response.

Margaret Bernier
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