Battery life for 13" and 15" Macbook Pro

[Dukat]

I guess I am going to do the Sierra reinstall....

Here are my numbers for the keyboard at 50% and the screen at 12 ticks (the same settings as Apple claims 10 hours) from Coconut. During these tests I was running 0 Apps in the background, no iMessage, nothing.

Youtube 1080p ~10 watts (~13/14% hour)

Hopefully the reinstall will do something...

I ran a Youtube 1080p video in Safari with another tab for Gmail and Slack. Messenger running in the background along with Fantastical, dropbox and a handful of other apps in the background. Coconut reporting 7.82 Watts max, Average is around 6.7 watts.

Do you have the i5 or i7 processor?

 

[kwandrews]

Ok, I did the fresh install on the 2016 15" base model. It's been 2 days since then. Battery seems about the same. 45 minutes ago I disconnected from power and have been running on battery. Apps in use: (during a lunch break) Outlook 2016, Skype for Business (no meetings, just presence during this time) and Safari watching about 25 min worth of video). Battery reading 74%!!!! 26% down in less than an hour. Estimated time is 2:13??? We're talking 3 hour battery life without much going on. Screen at 65% brightness, backlight off.

UPDATE: 15 minutes later....same things running, except no YouTube. Battery now at 66% and 2:22 remaining. A full hour of battery and have lost 34% of battery with a very light load. Argh.

 

[Apple_Robert]

@tjleonard if I do a reinstall of Sierra, do I lose my data/apps/etc.? How do I do it properly as you did?

Do a backup first. Then reboot your Mac and hold down the Command + R keys until you see the Apple logo. Once it finishes booting pick the "Install new copy of OS" option. Doing that will download the OS from Apple servers and start the install process on your machine. Your personal files will be left intact.

 

[malikkamran]

I am experiencing 16 watts by just running YouTube on 15 inch I reinstalled seirra and it is telling 3 hours remaining

 

[CookieFlow]

I ran a Youtube 1080p video in Safari with another tab for Gmail and Slack. Messenger running in the background along with Fantastical, dropbox and a handful of other apps in the background. Coconut reporting 7.82 Watts max, Average is around 6.7 watts.

Do you have the i5 or i7 processor?

I am on the 15" i7 2.7
I just finished the reinstall, hopefully I can get close to your numbers !

 

[kwandrews]

Ok, I did the fresh install on the 2016 15" base model. It's been 2 days since then. Battery seems about the same. 45 minutes ago I disconnected from power and have been running on battery. Apps in use: (during a lunch break) Outlook 2016, Skype for Business (no meetings, just presence during this time) and Safari watching about 25 min worth of video). Battery reading 74%!!!! 26% down in less than an hour. Estimated time is 2:13??? We're talking 3 hour battery life without much going on. Screen at 65% brightness, backlight off.

UPDATE: 15 minutes later....same things running, except no YouTube. Battery now at 66% and 2:22 remaining. A full hour of battery and have lost 34% of battery with a very light load. Argh.

UPDATE: 15 min later...54% 1:54.....WTF?

 

[lympero]

I am experiencing 16 watts by just running YouTube on 15 inch I reinstalled seirra and it is telling 3 hours remaining

Keep reinstalling Sierra until they launch a mbp with decent battery capacity and problem solved.

This reminds me the madness when people get a new phone. The solution to bad battery is always to reinstall the os.
Of course you'll get better battery on a fresh with nothing running in the background and no apps installed. But then you'll start using Dropbox and one drive and iCloud Drive and start uploading to photos and listen to music and leave the simulator of Xcode running in the background because you'll forget to close it etc etc etc.

The truth is that a small battery can't keep up with normal to heavy use. If you want good battery life then I suppose you should reinstall Sierra and don't add any programs.

 

[kwandrews]

UPDATE: 15 min later...54% 1:54.....WTF?

UPDATE: I still have my 2016 MacBook 12" m5 sitting right next to the 15". It's also running Outlook 2016, safari, messages, VPN and running an active screen sharing/audio meeting (41 minutes so far) in Skype for Business for the past hour on battery life. So a VERY similar load compared to the 15"...except that the 12" has the active meeting. The battery on the 12" shows 86% / 5:07 with the meeting running. When that meeting stops (which is a battery drain), will probably jump back up to around 8 hours estimated with that load gone. Screen brightness at 80% and backlight off.

UPDATE: 15" MBP, running now for about 1:45 minutes on battery. Nothing going except Safari (this site only, Outlook and Skype for Business for presence (not a meeting now). Down to 43% and 1:11?

 

[CookieFlow]

So quick update, I finished the reinstall and after 1 hour of Spotlight taking some resources, I restarted and nothing seems to be running.

It is exactly the same as before (if not worse...), Netflix is drawing 13+ watts, YouTube 17+ watts (1400+ mAh) and just having the MBP at idle with nothing running it is showing 6-7 watts and around 450-550 mAh.

15" i7 2.7 GHz

I am going to run the battery down and do a couple of cycles with the reinstall but so far it seems it did nothing for me.

ps : I think I did the SMC reset, but I am not sure it worked correctly, how can I tell that it worked?

I just followed these steps, but not sure it went through :

1. Using the built-in keyboard, press Shift-Control-Option on the left side of the keyboard, then press the power button at the same time.
2. Release all keys, then press the power button again to turn on your Mac
   
   

 

[Grolubao]

We can try all the mambo jumbo that we want, the reality is that this battery sucks and is nowhere near 10h, period. I suppose it could be fixed by software, but at this point we're not getting 10h in any real case scenario

 

[kwandrews]

We can try all the mambo jumbo that we want, the reality is that this battery sucks and is nowhere near 10h, period. I suppose it could be fixed by software, but at this point we're not getting 10h in any real case scenario

I'd be happy to get 7-8!

 

[Apple_Robert]

So quick update, I finished the reinstall and after 1 hour of Spotlight taking some resources, I restarted and nothing seems to be running.

It is exactly the same as before (if not worse...), Netflix is drawing 13+ watts, YouTube 17+ watts (1400+ mAh) and just having the MBP at idle with nothing running it is showing 6-7 watts and around 450-550 mAh.

15" i7 2.7 GHz

I am going to run the battery down and do a couple of cycles with the reinstall but so far it seems it did nothing for me.

ps : I think I did the SMC reset, but I am not sure it worked correctly, how can I tell that it worked?

I just followed these steps, but not sure it went through :

1. Using the built-in keyboard, press Shift-Control-Option on the left side of the keyboard, then press the power button at the same time.
2. Release all keys, then press the power button again to turn on your Mac
   

Don't worry about SMC reset. It does nothing for what people are trying to do here.

I think a lot of the problem lies somewhere inside Sierra, and will need to be addressed by Apple. People need to contact about Apple this and let them know. Otherwise, the wheels on the bus will keep going round and round.

 

[Dukat]

There have been numerous posts whether Safari or Chrome is running more efficiently.
My results:
Safari appears to use ~1-2 watt less power than Chrome when doing the same thing.

Browser Tab 1: Gmail
Browser Tab 2: Slack
Browser Tab 3 (active tab): Youtube, 1080p movie
Background: Dropbox, Fantastical, Avast, Messenger, Coconut, 1Password and the usual system services

Average consumption over 10 minutes:
Safari: 5.66-6.73 watts
Chrome: 6.93 - 7.4

Battery level dropped to 90% after 90 minutes of being on battery power and running these various tests according to activity monitor.

 

[Grolubao]

I'd be happy to get 7-8!

I'm getting 4h... so I don't know what to think. I mean, portability is not super important since in most cases I'll always be near a power outlet, anyways is wrong publicity. I would like to know how Apple reached this 10h, at least compared with the 9h announced for previous models
[doublepost=1480370860][/doublepost]Anyway, reported this issue to Apple, and I advise everyone to do the same.

 

[malikkamran]

My 300 dollar hp pavilion x2 gives solid 10 hours

 

[wawa21394]

My 300 dollar hp pavilion x2 gives solid 10 hours

You want an applause?

 

[malikkamran]

You want an applause?

I want MacBook Pro to last its advertised 10 hours

 

[Apple_Robert]

I want MacBook Pro to last its advertised 10 hours

Apple doesn't guarantee 10 hours. If you look on their website, you will see that.

 

[thesaint024]

I want MacBook Pro to last its advertised 10 hours

I'm not trading you mine, so you should just return yours. That goes for the others that can't figure it out. Wait for an update or just return it and get some of your life back. For the trolls who don't even have one, just get a life.

 

[BBD90]

I'm not trading you mine, so you should just return yours. That goes for the others that can't figure it out. Wait for an update or just return it and get some of your life back. For the trolls who don't even have one, just get a life.

Apple doesn't guarantee 10 hours. If you look on their website, you will see that.

Historically I have found Apples estimates t be conservative when compared to what they advertise. If they are going to adopt the regular Windows laptop metrics maybe they should adopt the Windows prices too.

I'm not trading you mine, so you should just return yours. That goes for the others that can't figure it out. Wait for an update or just return it and get some of your life back. For the trolls who don't even have one, just get a life.

For anyone with the 13 inch touchbar model I would recommend getting the nontouch 13 inch model. You really don't lose much performance but gain a lot more battery time.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Historically I have found Apples estimates t be conservative when compared to what they advertise. If they are going to adopt the regular Windows laptop metrics maybe they should adopt the Windows prices too.

For anyone with the 13 inch touchbar model I would recommend getting the nontouch 13 inch model. You really don't lose much performance but gain a lot more battery time.

I have gotten 8 hours with my touch bar. I am sure it will be better, once Apple squashes some bugs and fine tunes the OS some more. I use mine plugged in most of the time. I am enjoying using my new Mac, instead of spending day after day watching battery health 2 or coconut battery watt usage, as several here are doing.

 

[thesaint024]

For anyone with the 13 inch touchbar model I would recommend getting the nontouch 13 inch model. You really don't lose much performance but gain a lot more battery time.

Trust me, this has nothing to do with actual battery time. This is another platform to complain about smaller battery size, Apple not building a specific machine for the user, rationalization of why someone won't buy one, etc. Most do not even need 8-10 hours. I agree with you though, I wouldn't mind the nTB battery life at all. But I prefer the touchID and the ports on both sides.

 

[CookieFlow]

There have been numerous posts whether Safari or Chrome is running more efficiently.
My results:
Safari appears to use ~1-2 watt less power than Chrome when doing the same thing.

Browser Tab 1: Gmail
Browser Tab 2: Slack
Browser Tab 3 (active tab): Youtube, 1080p movie
Background: Dropbox, Fantastical, Avast, Messenger, Coconut, 1Password and the usual system services

Average consumption over 10 minutes:
Safari: 5.66-6.73 watts
Chrome: 6.93 - 7.4

Battery level dropped to 90% after 90 minutes of being on battery power and running these various tests according to activity monitor.

Is that on the 13" non TB and what % screen brightness ? Haven't seen a single person get even close to these numbers on the 15".


On another note...
I think we have the right to complain... I paid 3500€ for this thing, and one of the greatest feature of Macbooks for me was the battery life. After removing other great features such as the Magsafe, I was hoping they at least kept good battery life.
And as others mentioned, Apple was the one of the few (if only) company that their claimed battery life was actually realistic. I set up various situations that are at least 90% identical to the Apple's battery test, and there is simply no way of getting 10 hours... I would also be happy with 8 I guess, but the current 4-5 under VERY LIGHT use is not acceptable ...

 

[marcel500]

We can try all the mambo jumbo that we want, the reality is that this battery sucks and is nowhere near 10h, period. I suppose it could be fixed by software, but at this point we're not getting 10h in any real case scenario

That's my point too and everyone who is telling us that he/she is getting more than 10 hours is clearly not telling the truth. Talking about software fixes, anybody tried the new public beta which is just out? I am installing it right now and curious to see if this is fixing some software problems... Fingers crossed.

 

[thesaint024]

On another note...
I think we have the right to complain... I paid 3500€ for this thing, and one of the greatest feature of Macbooks for me was the battery life. After removing other great features such as the Magsafe, I was hoping they at least kept good battery life.
And as others mentioned, Apple was the one of the few (if only) company that their claimed battery life was actually realistic. I set up various situations that are at least 90% identical to the Apple's battery test, and there is simply no way of getting 10 hours... I would also be happy with 8 I guess, but the current 4-5 under VERY LIGHT use is not acceptable ...

Don't disagree with a right to complain, but you're complaining to people here who are just trying to solve the battery issue. (At least I thought that was the purpose of this thread.) I've seen you take genuine steps to solve this, so not calling you out. I don't know why it's not working for you, when many of us have documented 9-10 hours. I don't think Apple misled you on battery, I think something is wrong. And again, this SHOULD be good out of the box. But I personally didn't want to just throw up my hands and return it. I recall maybe 2 or 3 who say the fixes didn't work, but I've seen many more who swear by them. I don't know what to make of that.
[doublepost=1480377835][/doublepost]

That's my point too and everyone who is telling us that he/she is getting more than 10 hours is clearly not telling the truth. Talking about software fixes, anybody tried the new public beta which is just out? I am installing it right now and curious to see if this is fixing some software problems... Fingers crossed.

Now you are saying we are "clearly" liars because we could figure out what the "secret" to getting 10 hours is? Just because you couldn't figure it out or it didn't work for you? The other variable in the equation is that you can't understand helpful instruction from people. Just saying.