14" pro vs max battery life for "normal" users

[robo456]

Hey all,

I know there are a bunch of posts and articles out on the web for battery life stats, but I'm looking for for "realistic" numbers and not pegging the CPU/GPU at 100%... I was looking at the 14" Pro (16gb/1tb) and Max (32gb/1tb); this is more of my 'fun' computer, so youtube, some music recording with garageband/ableton, video editing some light drone usage, some astrophotography, virtualization, and gaming.

My main thoughts for the Max over Pro were running other OS's via Parallels and some gaming such as Lord of the Rings Online and maybe Conan Exiles if they could run it.

Anyone able to comment on the battery life for that kind of usage?


Thanks!
--rob

 

[dmccloud]

Other that the first week (where I was charging my M2 Max nightly), I seem to be able to get by with only topping up my battery every 2-3 days. While that's not as good as my M1 system, it's still excellent battery life compared to Intel and AMD-based systems with similar specs.

 

[robo456]

Other that the first week (where I was charging my M2 Max nightly), I seem to be able to get by with only topping up my battery every 2-3 days. While that's not as good as my M1 system, it's still excellent battery life compared to Intel and AMD-based systems with similar specs.

Thanks cloud!

 

[richard371]

I hear the pro 2 max runs hotter than the pro just doing simple tasks such as web browsing and has significantly shorter batter life. Is this true?

 

[TSE]

My M1 Max 32-Core 14" MacBook Pro ran hotter and with less battery life doing the same amount of work as the baseline 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

 

[robo456]

Thanks TSE! Appreciate the response! The more I read, it seems the results are similar with the M2 models as well.

 

[dmccloud]

I hear the pro 2 max runs hotter than the pro just doing simple tasks such as web browsing and has significantly shorter batter life. Is this true?

If you're running a game or doing some heavy work while connected to an external monitor, the battery can drain noticeably faster than when just doing basic tasks. As far as heat goes, I've never noticed more than a slight warming of the machine under load - the laptop is literally cold to the touch while web browsing, video conferencing, etc. I'm still only charging my M2 Max every 2-3 days though, and the charger has not moved from the outlet I originally plugged it into when I bought the machine.

 

[flybass]

As a 14" max owner, I do have some regrets I didn't get the Pro given the battery life doesn't quite get me through the day. My usage is light - computer mostly for internet browsing, listening to albums on Apple Music, and MS Remote Desktop.

 

[DisraeliGears]

On a 14" Base M1 Pro, presuming no dark wake battery drain, I can get through 2 or 3 days of light usage between charges, or easily a full day of non-intensive usage. I'd say 10-12 hours of surfing/streaming/doc workflow no problem, extending up to 14 hours. That's also with some battery saving options (no keyboard backlight, 50% brightness, BT off unless in use).

As dmccloud said, when you start ramping up battery declines proportionally. Usually if I'm gaming or editing I plug in, but I seem to recall seeing battery declines near 20%/hour when making the chip really work. I have noticed pretty significant heat gaming (Crusader Kings 3, which I believe is running through Rosetta) but otherwise it's consistently cool. I do think the fan curves are a little wacky, letting it get hotter than my tastes before spinning up.

 

[alphahuskie]

Does anybody use Parallels on M1 Max Pro 14? Wondering how many hours can be achieved...

 

[alphahuskie]

reporting on my own here. 2nd day of owning the M2 Max 32GB/1TB

running parallels in the background always (outlook and excel open, occasionally one note)
10-20 Safari tabs including WhatsApp web
music via AirPlay to external speakers
background: OneDrive, Alfred, BetterTouchTool

machine:
screen half brightness
lower power mode on
no keyboard backlight
wifi/bluetooth on

almost 4 hours in and I have 65% battery left