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Microsoft Investigating Surface Pro 3 Battery Problems

Update: "We believe this is something that can be addressed via software," according to Microsoft.

By Tom Brant
July 26, 2016
Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Update 7/28:
A fix is on the way. Microsoft on Tuesday said a "limited number" of Surface Pro 3 users are experiencing this problem, which does not affect the battery itself.

"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," according to a Microsoft Support Engineer. "We're working through the details of how we deliver that."

Original Story 7/26:
Microsoft is investigating several reports of Surface Pro 3 owners who are experiencing issues charging their devices' batteries.

Beginning in May, multiple posters on Microsoft's customer support forum said their Surface Pro 3 batteries' capacity to hold a charge had degraded significantly. One wrote that her battery's full charge capacity "has degraded by over 80 percent in just few weeks."

Another posted a screenshot showing that his battery's maximum capacity degraded from more than 42,000 mWh to just under 6,000 mWh in a period of four months, starting in February and ending in May.

Other posters said that when they contacted Microsoft support via phone, they were told that they would have to pay to have the batteries replaced. Microsoft has not addressed any of the specific posts, but said that it is aware of the issue and that customers experiencing it should contact customer support.

"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," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. "This is a top priority for our team, and we are working quickly to understand the root cause."

Because the Surface Pro 3 ($889.00 at Amazon) has been sold since 2014, the recent spate of battery issues suggest a temporary manufacturing defect or perhaps a flaw in a system software update.

In his review, PCMag analyst Joel Santo Domingo found the Surface Pro 3's battery life to be very good, lasting 8 hours 55 minutes on our standard battery test, an improvement over the Surface Pro 2's score of 7:19.

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About Tom Brant

Deputy Managing Editor

I’m the deputy managing editor of the hardware team at PCMag.com. Reading this during the day? Then you've caught me testing gear and editing reviews of laptops, desktop PCs, and tons of other personal tech. (Reading this at night? Then I’m probably dreaming about all those cool products.) I’ve covered the consumer tech world as an editor, reporter, and analyst since 2015.

I’ve evaluated the performance, value, and features of hundreds of personal tech devices and services, from laptops to Wi-Fi hotspots and everything in between. I’ve also covered the launches of dozens of groundbreaking technologies, from hyperloop test tracks in the desert to the latest silicon from Apple and Intel.

I've appeared on CBS News, in USA Today, and at many other outlets to offer analysis on breaking technology news.

Before I joined the tech-journalism ranks, I wrote on topics as diverse as Borneo's rain forests, Middle Eastern airlines, and Big Data's role in presidential elections. A graduate of Middlebury College, I also have a master's degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University.

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