Battery life for 13" and 15" Macbook Pro

[badlydrawnboy]

Funny, I would think the same thing, especially since it charges so fast. I will rarely be away from power that long, if ever, but more battery is always better. For most, I think it's more about the principle and Apple's claims. But, many of us do get 9 hours with some minor setup and/or adjustments.

It does happen (not often) that I'm on a cross-country flight and am not able to plug in both at the airport prior to the flight, and on the flight itself. My 2013 MBA was great in this situation, as on a full charge I could use it in the boarding area as well as on the 6+ hour flight and it would have power to spare.

At this point, it's more common that I will be able to plug in either on the plane, in the boarding area, or both, so admittedly I don't require more than 7 hours in most situations.

After the OS Sierra install I've used my 13" TB for about a half hour, and it has slept for about 2 hours. It is still showing 99% charge, which is way better than before. However, the time remaining estimate has dropped to 7:57, and the power usage seems to be a bit higher now (540 mAH) despite using the same apps as before. I'll track exactly how much I get on this cycle and report back.

Looking forward to seeing if I will actually get more than 8 hours on this. If so, I'll keep it.
[doublepost=1479961084][/doublepost]One thing I forgot to mention, I've noticed the same thing as some others in the thread: web browsers are energy hogs. If I quit Safari and Chrome, mAH stays around 250-350. When I open Chrome and start using it, current goes up to 800-900. I just opened Safari to write this message, and it's at 560 mAH (from 270 before Safari was opened).

On my iMac 5k I have a habit of leaving all of those apps open. Guess I won't be doing that on this machine.

 

[justinf77]

After the OS Sierra install I've used my 13" TB for about a half hour, and it has slept for about 2 hours. It is still showing 99% charge, which is way better than before. However, the time remaining estimate has dropped to 7:57, and the power usage seems to be a bit higher now (540 mAH) despite using the same apps as before. I'll track exactly how much I get on this cycle and report back.

The time remaining estimate is so outrageously off on this MBP that I think it should just be turned off completely. I've seen mine fluctuate between 14 hours and 5 hours within a span of minutes. At this point I'm just ignoring it completely as a variable and just going by the percentage indicator.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

I'm at 80% charge and I've been using it for 2 hours. That would suggest close to 10 hours! Much better than before I reinstalled Sierra. Hopefully it continues...

 

[sevoman]

I would love to hear some real-world reports as well.

I read that the battery for the 13" TB version is horrible—6-7 hours.

The 15" TB seems to be a lot better at 10-11 hours. I could definitely live with that, and I like that it has the same dimensions as my 2013 MBA. However, it is a pound heavier, and that's significant.

The 13" non-TB seems to be closer to 12 hours with light usage. This probably makes the most sense for me given how I will use this machine, but the one thing about the TB version I'm drawn to is TouchID. I am a heavy 1Password user and they've already released an update that allows using TouchID to access the vault and passwords, which would be a major time saver for me.

laptop mag tests the non touchbar versions lasting exactly 1 hour MORE than the touchbar versions for each respective size. That's a big difference. Not worth the TB

 

[tjleonard]

I'm at 80% charge and I've been using it for 2 hours. That would suggest close to 10 hours! Much better than before I reinstalled Sierra. Hopefully it continues...

Awesome to hear! My battery is still fantastic and I also hope it continues!

 

[thesaint024]

Awesome to hear! My battery is still fantastic and I also hope it continues!

*applause* tjleonard - i think you might have killed the battery controversy for those that data migrated.
[doublepost=1479968254][/doublepost]

laptop mag tests the non touchbar versions lasting exactly 1 hour MORE than the touchbar versions for each respective size. That's a big difference. Not worth the TB

Confused about this comment. There is no non-touch in the 15 inch respective size. And one hour better for non-touch on the 13 inch sounds like an argument FOR touchbar? Most TB users will gladly accept within 10% of non-touch battery life. Anecdotal evidence suggests it's more like >20%, but I'd be thrilled if laptop mag were right.

 

[lobo1978]

Buy a MBP TB and then u are welcome to the conversation until then stay out of it.

Don't be so harsh - Christmas are coming! Be gentle

BTW: This thread is on battery life of 13" and 15" late 2016 both nonTB and TB - please read the title or ask admin to change it if it is confusing for you.

Again, I'm sorry that positive information upset you.

diluting the conversation

Did you actually read this thread? There is no way to dilute it more. Bunch of people OCD over battery life machine they supposed to USE. Instead they are constantly resetting SMC, sharing their "scientific" observation of system battery meter (usually just after turning computer on).

Will wait for TB version to arrive though - I will not "spam" this thread with positive information. Negative is consumed sooo much better.

 

[Jens1983]

So I am downloading, watching youtube and obviously writing in this Forum. I have this device for 2 hours now so I was expecting a rather moderate estimate. I have 12 hours left though... (pulled the charger 10 minutes ago)

From the battery monitor, I typically only get 5 hours or less. There seems to be a software problem with these devices.

How do I do this SMC reset?

 

[Time Less]

Has anyone used miniBatteryLogger? It's a good way to keep track of on screen usage. The timer even pauses when the laptop is closed/sleeping. It's kind of glitchy cause it's an old app but the timer still work.

After about 4 cycles and a week of use, I logged 6hrs at 19% on tbMBP 13". Photoshop, Indesign, safari, and installing stuff. Standby time was 23 hours.

http://download.cnet.com/MiniBatteryLogger/3000-2094_4-99432.html

 

[JohnnyGo]

Has anyone used miniBatteryLogger? It's a good way to keep track of on screen usage. The timer even pauses when the laptop is closed/sleeping. It's kind of glitchy cause it's an old app but the timer still work.

After about 4 cycles and a week of use, I logged 6hrs at 19% on tbMBP 13". Photoshop, Indesign, safari, and installing stuff. Standby time was 23 hours.

http://download.cnet.com/MiniBatteryLogger/3000-2094_4-99432.html

I will take that battery life any day. Photoshop AND Indesign ? Actual use or just installing and testing?

 

[agazoo]

What sad is, i made a decision to go with MBP and not razer blade pro based upon, primarily, the battery life promise apple made;
I don't need full day all that often truth to be told. Transatlantic flights are all equipped with AC (at least Delta business / comfort flights are); National flights within US I am taking are usually less tn 5 hours; European flights are less the three;

I have decided that it is better to have an ability to work more hours AC-free, then to have convenience of USB ports, card readers, ethernet, real graphics card, more RAM and all other things that apple decided to pass on;

And now, on the fourth cycle, I am still getting under 6 hours doing nothing, its Safari only;

Under such conditions I would rather have Razer with its 3 hours and carry portable generator with me;

Yet to try clean install though; Sitting on whatever it came with at the moment;

 

[monkeydax]

What sad is, i made a decision to go with MBP and not razer blade pro based upon, primarily, the battery life promise apple made;
I don't need full day all that often truth to be told. Transatlantic flights are all equipped with AC (at least Delta business / comfort flights are); National flights within US I am taking are usually less tn 5 hours; European flights are less the three;

I have decided that it is better to have an ability to work more hours AC-free, then to have convenience of USB ports, card readers, ethernet, real graphics card, more RAM and all other things that apple decided to pass on;

And now, on the fourth cycle, I am still getting under 6 hours doing nothing, its Safari only;

Under such conditions I would rather have Razer with its 3 hours and carry portable generator with me;

Yet to try clean install though; Sitting on whatever it came with at the moment;

Give it a try if you can, would like to establish more conclusively if it truly works!

 

[Jens1983]

What sad is, i made a decision to go with MBP and not razer blade pro based upon, primarily, the battery life promise apple made;
I don't need full day all that often truth to be told. Transatlantic flights are all equipped with AC (at least Delta business / comfort flights are); National flights within US I am taking are usually less tn 5 hours; European flights are less the three;

I have decided that it is better to have an ability to work more hours AC-free, then to have convenience of USB ports, card readers, ethernet, real graphics card, more RAM and all other things that apple decided to pass on;

And now, on the fourth cycle, I am still getting under 6 hours doing nothing, its Safari only;

Under such conditions I would rather have Razer with its 3 hours and carry portable generator with me;

Yet to try clean install though; Sitting on whatever it came with at the moment;

Please, state the result of the clean install... Thanks.

 

[Time Less]

I will take that battery life any day. Photoshop AND Indesign ? Actual use or just installing and testing?

Actual usage but time spent on Adobe CC is around 25-35%. Also, Mail, Dropbox, and notes, running in the background. Brightness anywhere from 40-75%.

 

[agazoo]

I guess i'll have to now, after last drain, finger print reader stopped working entirely;
And now after restart, it won't boot at all; Stuck on apple logo :-( This is getting ridiculous

 

[PalacePlayers]

Just wanted to chime and share my experience, I've had my 2016 MacBook TB 13" for less then one day and the battery has been fantastic. So far I've been getting solid 9 hours consistently with PDF-editing, web browsing and listening to music in Apple Music. Screen bright set to auto - approximately 75% during my work. Don't know why I seem to be getting more juice, but just wanted to share. 2,7 Ghz i5, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB.

 

[Izis]

Awesome to hear! My battery is still fantastic and I also hope it continues!

Could you explain in details the procedure you did to reinstall Sierra without having to clear all your data ?

 

[zhenya]

[doublepost=1479961084][/doublepost]One thing I forgot to mention, I've noticed the same thing as some others in the thread: web browsers are energy hogs. If I quit Safari and Chrome, mAH stays around 250-350. When I open Chrome and start using it, current goes up to 800-900. I just opened Safari to write this message, and it's at 560 mAH (from 270 before Safari was opened).

On my iMac 5k I have a habit of leaving all of those apps open. Guess I won't be doing that on this machine.

Once the apps are open the power usage should go to near zero if they are not in use. I typically have Safari open with 10+ tabs and so long as I'm not actively using it, the power use drops quickly. It even shuts down running scripts on open tabs if they are not the actively used one.

 

[CookieInYaFace]

I used my Macbook Pro TB 13 inch now since 5 hours without stop for study like PDF, Word, Browsing, Videos, some coding in Parallels 12 Windows VM, Spotify, downloaded 20gb software,...
And I have still 51% left.
Have I done something before? Only NVRAM Reset and SMC Reset after I set up my Mac. That was a fresh OS X installation out of the box as it came.

I love so far my Keyboard, the Screen, Battery life, Touchbar!, and that awesome speakers...

Edit: Screen about 75%

 

[jlaumans]

13in i7 16GB

I've gone through one full cycle, and so far the battery life has been pretty disappointing.
The estimates are around 4-5 hours at 100%. After about 1 hour of use I'm at 80%...

Fresh install. Done backing up & indexing. No processor intensive apps running. Really hope it gets better after a couple of cycles.

 

[Ma2k5]

13in i7 16GB

I've gone through one full cycle, and so far the battery life has been pretty disappointing.
The estimates are around 4-5 hours at 100%. After about 1 hour of use I'm at 80%...

Fresh install. Done backing up & indexing. No processor intensive apps running. Really hope it gets better after a couple of cycles.

I wonder if the i7 is to blame?

I remember some benchmarks of identical tests done for the Air a while ago, with i5 and i7 processors - ranging from light use, to medium use, to heavy use - and in all 3 scenario's, the i5 battery life was superior.
[doublepost=1479994878][/doublepost]

I used my Macbook Pro TB 13 inch now since 5 hours without stop for study like PDF, Word, Browsing, Videos, some coding in Parallels 12 Windows VM, Spotify, downloaded 20gb software,...
And I have still 51% left.
Have I done something before? Only NVRAM Reset and SMC Reset after I set up my Mac. That was a fresh OS X installation out of the box as it came.

I love so far my Keyboard, the Screen, Battery life, Touchbar!, and that awesome speakers...

Edit: Screen about 75%

What processor/RAM configuration are you using out of curiosity?

 

[agazoo]

I guess i'll have to now, after last drain, finger print reader stopped working entirely

13in i7 16GB

I've gone through one full cycle, and so far the battery life has been pretty disappointing.
The estimates are around 4-5 hours at 100%. After about 1 hour of use I'm at 80%...

Fresh install. Done backing up & indexing. No processor intensive apps running. Really hope it gets better after a couple of cycles.

I reinstalled the system also; Had to wipe the drive first;

One thing I noticed, activity monitor now says that system using Integrated Graphics, not radeon; Before, it has always been reading performance / dgpu;

Still getting similar discharging rate (of about 9-10 watts) though

 

[badlydrawnboy]

13in i7 16GB

I've gone through one full cycle, and so far the battery life has been pretty disappointing.
The estimates are around 4-5 hours at 100%. After about 1 hour of use I'm at 80%...

Fresh install. Done backing up & indexing. No processor intensive apps running. Really hope it gets better after a couple of cycles.

I reinstalled the system also; Had to wipe the drive first;

One thing I noticed, activity monitor now says that system using Integrated Graphics, not radeon; Before, it has always been reading performance / dgpu;

Still getting similar discharging rate (of about 9-10 watts) though

I'm still on my first battery cycle after reinstalling Sierra. After a little over 2 hours on battery and 16+ hours sleeping it is at 77%. That would suggest close to 10 hours for this cycle, if it keeps up.

However, the improvement I first noticed in power consumption doesn't seem consistent now. For example, as I type this, I have one tab open in Safari (this one). The only other apps that are open are Fantastical 2, 2Do, Messages, and Slack. None of them are active, and I know from previous experience with Activity Monitor that they don't consume much energy or CPU.

Yet Battery Health 2 is showing 480-650 mAH in power consumption. Why? Brightness is only at 35% because I'm in a fairly dark room.

 

[CookieInYaFace]

What processor/RAM configuration are you using out of curiosity?

I've a i5 with 3,1 GHz, 8gb ram and 256gb ssd

 

[badlydrawnboy]

I've a i5 with 3,1 GHz, 8gb ram and 256gb ssd

I have an i5 2.0 Ghz 13" TB with 512 SSD and 16 RAM.

I am seeing 750 mAH just using 1-2 tabs in Safari at 30% brightness with only a few idle apps open in the background.

I thought reinstalling Sierra helped, and it still seems like it may have, but the drop from 80% charge to 70% went faster than from 100-90 and 90-80, so I'm worried that the effect was temporary.

Obviously if consumption stays at 600-700 mAH there's no way it can get 10 hours. At 650 average it would get a little less than 7 hours, which is what I got for the first 6 cycles before the Sierra reinstall.