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
    2016-06-05T20:01:19+00:00

    Simon,

    Thanks for the kind words. I have also found someone with the same problem. Accidentally, the person's battery also start degrading a little bit after a year of usage (same as mine). Both me and him are using battery manufactured by "SIMPLO" as reported from powercfg.

    Anyway, no way I'd pay $560 for a replacement. So here's my current battery capacity:

    This lasts about 5 seconds. I unplug the charger by mistake, and the machine is already shutting itself down.

    Thanks

    Kridsada

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-06-05T16:05:57+00:00

    Kridsada,

    You are not the only person with this issue, I have found a growing number - either the battery manufacturer made a mistake or a firmware update has caused the issue (such as frying the battery by staying turned on in a bag).

    I believe that you are simply one of the first to get the problem, once there are a few thousand people with the same problem the Bad PR will stop the surface book sales dead.

    So carry on posting, this is not your fault, and should not be your cost.

    Simon

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-05-20T01:56:32+00:00

    I have attempted all suggestions as well as all others I could track down in various blogs and posts. Sadly it is apparent that the battery is no longer functional and able to hold a charge. Even when the indicator shows 100%, once unplugged, the Surface Pro 3 turns itself off in a matter of minutes. And even more sadly, the machine design, while extraordinary in many ways, is hugely flawed in the power arena. Specifically, the battery can simply not be replaced at any price. A replacement machine is not am appealing solution as it is refurbished and brings all of its own risks while putting me through the rigors and pain of having to set up everything anew.

    My hope is that I can continue to use the Surface Pro 3 while in the docking station or plugged in to a standard outlet. However, there are times when work and life require me to be untethered. Can anyone recommend a portable power supply solution that I could purchase to use during those times? Most of what I am seeing is directed toward re-charging the battery (which is a fool's errand in my situation). What I need is something portable enough and powerful enough to plug in to the USB port or into which I can plug the standard wall charger that will allow me to work and read for a couple of hours. 

    Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-05-19T10:37:43+00:00
    1. just to be sure, the replacement cord was not for the docking station.
    2. you can order another replacement cord to see if in fact it makes a

    difference

    1. if you are in the US, you can go to the nearest physical retail store and

    they will test your Surface and power adapter.

    __________________________________________________________________________________________________

    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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