Surface Pro 3 battery degradation

Anonymous
2016-05-11T07:37:37+00:00

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.

Surface | Surface Pro | Power and battery

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Anonymous
2016-07-26T21:31:16+00:00

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. Anonymous
    2016-08-22T20:39:36+00:00

    My SP3 was purchased on 11/27/14, noticed the battery issue in July only because I rarely use the battery since the computer sits on my desk plugged in...  I still get the 99%, Not Charging but it will not boot unless the AC power cord is plugged in.  Best Buy did nothing since the warranty was up.  Geek Squad recommended I take it to the Microsoft Store since I did not have the Geek Squad extended warranty. The Geek Squad does not offer a battery replacement even if you are willing to pay... 

    The Microsoft Store agreed to run tests to determine the issues without charge, then they would offer an estimate for the cost to fix the issue.  When I arrived at the MS Store, I was offered an Xbox and 1 game; if I bought an SP4 or I could pay $450 for a refurbished SP3.  I inquired about the warranty that comes with the SP3 refurbished computer and to my surprise, he told me 60 days.  I asked about the purchase of an extended warranty and he said that was not an option.  I explained that I was told over the phone that MS would run tests to determine the issue and provide the estimate to fix the issue.  So MS agreed to run the tests.  They keep my device for 5 days.  I called 3 times but was put off from any diagnosis. On day five, I told them I wanted to pick up my device so they agreed to make the appointment.  We did verify that my charger was not the issue.

    When I arrived, they told me they lost the data and I could pay $1479.00 for them to recover the data and transfer it to another device.  I asked if it was normal to pick up a device in worse condition than when it was dropped off, they said it happens...  (Really........) 

    I was able get the device to boot eventually on power and was able to reset the device back to a standard Win 10 install state. I found several batteries for sale between $29 and $129 with a google search...

    I have decided to wait for a fix, before I do any more with my SP3...  It still boots eventually after several attempts and perhaps after saving the BIOS settings and an Auto restore...

    Hope the fix is released while my device will boot...

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-08-22T22:11:55+00:00

    Hello everyone,

    Thanks for your patience as we’ve worked though the details here. We can now confirm that this Surface Pro 3 battery capacity question is not a hardware issue, but one that can be addressed with a software update. Our team has been working on, and is now testing, an update that will address this. We’ll publish the update as soon as it has passed our quality assurance process. For now, you should not consider replacing your device as an update is pending.

    Thanks again for your input on this. We appreciate it and we’ll share more when the update is ready.

    Greg

      

    I'm glad you didn't get canned for actually providing customer service and information. That said, until I see the fix applied, I won't be holding my breath.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-08-22T22:28:24+00:00

    I too have found the batteries on line and bought one.  then watched several utubes & videos on trying to install them.  IT AIN'T HAPPENING!!!  U GOTTA BREAK into the screen to replace them!!!  Than means buy a screen...and who knows what else. 

    On another note, I've noticed on a few Surface's for sale on AMAZON, ALL THE REVIEWS ARE FROM 2015.  They won't publish my review and it simply stated ALL batteries are DEAD within 2 years-

    m

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-08-23T01:20:27+00:00

    I too have found the batteries on line and bought one.  then watched several utubes & videos on trying to install them.  IT AIN'T HAPPENING!!!  U GOTTA BREAK into the screen to replace them!!!  Than means buy a screen...and who knows what else. 

    On another note, I've noticed on a few Surface's for sale on AMAZON, ALL THE REVIEWS ARE FROM 2015.  They won't publish my review and it simply stated ALL batteries are DEAD within 2 years-

    m

    I found a YouTube video for a Surface RT and Surface Pro 4; which showed how to remove the battery from the rear of the case without touching the screen.  A heat gun, a few tools, and some careful determination would get the job done...  But, I will wait for the fix before I invest more $$$.

    I have never tried this, but it seems possible... use at your own risk...

    How to Replace Your Microsoft Surface RT Battery

    YouTube

    · 88,000+ views

    · 1/5/2014

    · HD

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrDPOkFoyXI (Surface Pro 4 battery Replacement)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuW6UhFVwQM  (Surface RT battery Replacement)

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