Battery life for 13" and 15" Macbook Pro

[JohnnyGo]

2nd day, trying to drain the battery again. Very light use, working from home.

Still seeing low power usage and my battery has drained about 14% in roughly 1:30h of use with 30 minutes of standby time (screen closed).

No data migration. I did a clean reinstall after initialization. Dropbox + Mail in the background. Safari + Notes + Battery Health 2 in the foreground. Keyboard lights off. Brightness at 55%. Auto brightness off. Reduced brightness on battery off (so my display is currently a bit brighter at the same level than other folks which have this setting ON).

Keyboard is a little bit loud. But I feel good using it. Probably will type lighter as time goes by and the loudness will be a minor factor.

Design and screen are amazing. Only caveat is that the "lap-ability" is diminished by the razor edge screen. Already have some "indentions" in my leg after using for 10-15 minutes on my lap (couch surfing). Odd but true. I ordered a cover sheet / decal wrap that may help.

So far great buy. No signs of battery problems. Still not seeing the full 10 hours that Apple claims but getting close to that (on light use). Similar to my old 2013 MBA. Glad to have departed the low res screen for this beautiful retina screen. Worth every penny.

 

[lobo1978]

I would like to add some observations after 3 days with my brand new 13" MBPr TB (16GB + 512 SSD). First of all, I am getting no more than 6-7 hrs of regular (not light) usage. But I noticed constant CPU activity which is not normal - even if computer is sitting with all apps closed.

I was migrating to new mac (as always) and normally system will settle down after one day of indexing + I am on beta 10.12.2 Beta (16C63a).

For a month I was testing nonTouchbar version and after two days I was getting +11 hrs (same migration source) back from 5-6 hrs when CPU was occupied with some background work.

I think we should wait for the latest update to assess whether it is a software or hardware problem.

On the other hand it is difficult for me to understand why Apple would release (after such long time...) flawed hardware without testing the shiiitt out of it - it is so against their culture (I trusted so far). If they failed, they are in for a big class action suit.

 

[thesaint024]

I would like to add some observations after 3 days with my brand new 13" MBPr TB (16GB + 512 SSD). First of all, I am getting no more than 6-7 hrs of regular (not light) usage. But I noticed constant CPU activity which is not normal - even if computer is sitting with all apps closed.

I was migrating to new mac (as always) and normally system will settle down after one day of indexing + I am on beta 10.12.2 Beta (16C63a).

For a month I was testing nonTouchbar version and after two days I was getting +11 hrs (same migration source) back from 5-6 hrs when CPU was occupied with some background work.

I think we should wait for the latest update to assess whether it is a software or hardware problem.

On the other hand it is difficult for me to understand why Apple would release (after such long time...) flawed hardware without testing the shiiitt out of it - it is so against their culture (I trusted so far). If they failed, they are in for a big class action suit.

Good to see you finally got your tb model. I remember reading about your future MBP many pages ago. 6-7 on non-light use sounds pretty normal. I've never watched my CPU with EVERYTHING closed, but with apps running in the background, I always get some CPU usage. I think 3 watts of power is normal baseline for me, but that is probably mostly screen. I guess the CPU must always be doing something right? Anyway, until you do a light usage test, you won't really know if it compares to Apple's tests. It sounds like it will though. Safari, music/video, 75% brightness.

This is most definitely a software problem for most. I can see how processes or apps will just eat battery. Otherwise, battery depletes at a normal rate so I doubt it's hardware. Just a layman's opinion. I don't know if the current battery life is a sufficient reason for a class action lawsuit. If that were the case, every laptop manufacturer would be getting sued. What are you an American or something?

 

[09872738]

I agree in parts. Battery life is in my case pretty inconsistent. Sometimes my battery drains within less than 4 hours to 15 % with light use. Sometimes I get 7 hours, same system load. Really, no idea what is going on.

On the other hand, the reduced battery size probably requires/justifies more aggressive battery saving strategies in comparison to models with larger batteries. If something goes wrong here you're screwed.
I have a feeling this is what we see at present. Let's not forget these are the first models featuring Intel's 6th generation CPUs, quite possibly Apple is just learning how to properly handle those CPUs' power saving features

 

[suuuii]

just did a battery calibration last night. just booted up my macbook pro 15" 2016. brightness at 75%, battery at 100% only getting 3:34hours..

 

[malikkamran]

just did a battery calibration last night. just booted up my macbook pro 15" 2016. brightness at 75%, battery at 100% only getting 3:34hours..

Battery estimates is not true picture mine shows 4 hours but get 9 hours

 

[Jreinhal]

I found the Messages app to be a culprit for my meager battery times

 

[oktane]

I'm getting a solid 2.5 hrs on my new 15"/512GB/455 machine. At idle I draw 28W (which is a lot). I haven't installed any software, it is fresh out the box. This is very frustrating to me in addition to the constant graphic errors.

You really would think Apple would have fixed this issues prior to launch. Definitely not what I expected from Apple given the $1000 premium over comparable Windows laptops.

 

[09872738]

Strange thing: My battery life seems to improve. Weird stuff going on.
Dunno what to do - have to decide tomorrow if I keep the Macbook or return it. I love the machine so far, awesome keyboard, display, build quality...
If it were not for the utterly underperforming battery performance....

 

[malikkamran]

Yeah first world problem while in Africa child is dying from malnutrition

 

[Jreinhal]

Yeah first world problem while in Africa child is dying from malnutrition

The hell outta here

 

[09872738]

What are trying to say? That we should accept faulty products no matter what coz there are more severe problems in the world?

 

[kwandrews]

TRY THIS to measure your battery accurately! It will require $2.99 for the Mr Stopwatch app, but it's worth it. It runs in the menu bar (when you hide the main window). It will pause automatically when you put your Mac to sleep, close the lid, etc. So, it's really only tracking when you have it in actual use. This will let you really measure REAL usage vs. guessing and or taking Apple's word for it. Then you can look at the activity monitor for time on battery, which includes sleep, etc.

UDDATE on 13" TB base model. I reverted back to 10.12.1 from beta. Clean install from disk. Before I was getting 2-4 (maybe 5 if lucky) hours, usually with just Safari, light mail work and being very conscious to conserve power. Now? It's improved with the real measurements as noted above. Yesterday, I had 3:45 min on the clock, 59% remaining, so I would probably be able to hit around 7-8 hours. I can be okay with that. This was Safari, a couple YouTube videos, email, installing a few apps from the fresh setup, etc. Screen at 12 clicks, keyboard light off (or sometimes 2 clicks). This is the best I've seen.

I just went off battery on my other Mac profile on this machine for business use. I'm connected to VPN (Cisco AnyConnect), have Skype for Business running (presence right now, not active meeting...that sucks battery hard), Spark (I'm loving this vs. Outlook as I can blow through the 300-500 emails I get a day in about 25% of the time in Outlook) and a Fantastical 2 trial running...both connected to Exchange. Then Safari with 3 tabs, Mr StopWatch and Activity Monitor. I've been on battery for 20 minutes, still at 99%. I DO NOT pay attention to the time estimate from the Mac (it's never accurate...almost seems random). What I do look at now is the % and time in Mr Stopwatch. I'll be the judge of estimate time. Right now, with minimal activity, I'm guessing I'll be no less than 90% at 1 hour. That would be 10 hours of life. My best guess is that when I actually use it more, it will be more like 7-8, which I'm good with. I'll update later.

UPDATE: I stopped today's battery test at 63% as I was headed to a video meeting on Skype and that is a hog, so I plugged in. At 63%, I was at 3:47 of use. This is consistent with what I found yesterday. On target for about 7+ hours of Safari, VPN, mail, Skype for business, calendar, PDF's, etc. Not bad. I don't expect 10...that's under ideal circumstances and in testing. Real life 7-8 with moderate use and I'll be happy. So far so good for day #2. Will keep an eye on it though, not trustworthy yet.

 

[b_scott]

Extra power block pricing + lack of cable was a big faux-pas by Apple IMO.
1) Apple should include the cable with the power brick
2) Apple could have granted the initial buyers a coupon for an extra power block + cable on each box (in order to avoid waste, just in case someone did not have any use for a 2nd block), or
3) Apple should at least a 50% discount on a 2nd power unit (w/ cable of course).

I know there will be plenty of usb-c cables in the future... but not at present. I don't know anyone with a spare usb-c to usb-c cable for me to borrow.

Let's all be real here. If you can afford a $3000 machine, you can afford $20 for a cable. or $10 for a non-apple cable. And I never got an extra free power brick with any other system. The brick is the main cost.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

I'm still debating which version to buy (TB or NTB) and considering the number of complaints out there regarding battery life, I'm curious, why aren't people returning/exchanging them in favor of the NTB version?

Because I love TouchID with 1Password. It's a huge time saver for me throughout the day.

However, it's not worth the difference between 6-6.5 hours of battery life and 8-8.5 hours. If Apple doesn't have a fix ready by the time the return date comes, I will be doing exactly what you suggest.

If the TB got 8-8.5 hours and the non-TB got 10-10.5 hours, I would actually pick the TB in that case. The difference between 10.5 and 8.5 is far less significant to me than the difference between 8.5 and 6.5.

Edit: I agree that the battery life is very inconsistent, even within the same cycle. I just unplugged and have been using it for 65 minutes, and am only down to 94%. That would suggest over 10 hours of use, but I know I won't get that. Thing is I have all of the same apps open that I have open in other cases where the drain happens more quickly. Doesn't make any sense.

 

[knihc2008]

That doesn't sound like "on the decline". Just sounds like when the laptop is using the graphics card it uses a lot more power. Which is to be expected. I don't think anyone should be surprised when graphically intensive tasks take 3-4x as much power. That's normal. Plug it in if you're doing that.

In my case, it was literally viewing my wedding photos and doing basic cropping etc. through Preview. Two days after I did this my computer is still only averaging 3 hours of battery life even while I am only on Safari or iMessages. And still getting very hot.

I LOVED this computer before but now I have my doubts. I would expect this kind of performance while I'm using Photoshop or Lightroom, not viewing photos on Preview.. and not two days later.

 

[MegaSai]

Received my BTO 2016 13" MBP with Touch Bar, 2.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB for few days.
Found the battery life issue news on the same day that I received the MBP.

Studied a bit and found that
- 2015 13" rMBP has 74.9 Wh ( 11.42V, 6558.66 mAh )
- 2016 13" tMBP has 49.2 Wh ( 11.41V, 4312.00 mAh )

Seeing the battery size, couldn't accept it reduced by 34% from last year, tested and decided to return it.

Used 3 or 4 tabs in Safari with Spotlight search and cleaning data for returning from 91%, after 2 hrs 48 mins, 47% left for about next 3 hours.

I have returned it just today, gonna grab the same specs of 2015 rMBP 13" when I get the refund.
With 2015 version I save some money and no need to buy USB-C Adpaters.

Cheers !!

 

[technoholic]

Remember the estimate, as has been said over and over again is not a true representation of how long the battery lasts, its no where near accurate. Not saying you're not getting good battery life but would never go on the estimate. Apple needs to sort out the estimation, until then you should use a timer to actually time how long the battery is lasting.

Having said that, there ARE battery issues but I'm more and more confident that they can be fixed via software. I really hope so as Apple has definitely got me hooked on this machine in every other respect!

 

[JohnnyGo]

UPDATE: I stopped today's battery test at 63% as I was headed to a video meeting on Skype and that is a hog, so I plugged in. At 63%, I was at 3:47 of use. This is consistent with what I found yesterday. On target for about 7+ hours of Safari, VPN, mail, Skype for business, calendar, PDF's, etc. Not bad. I don't expect 10...that's under ideal circumstances and in testing. Real life 7-8 with moderate use and I'll be happy. So far so good for day #2. Will keep an eye on it though, not trustworthy yet.

That is consistent with what I'm seeing here. 13" tbMBP base model (8GB+256GB SSD)
[doublepost=1481625950][/doublepost]

Let's all be real here. If you can afford a $3000 machine, you can afford $20 for a cable. or $10 for a non-apple cable. And I never got an extra free power brick with any other system. The brick is the main cost.

I agree that it would be out of line to get a 2nd brick for free. But it is also out of line for a computer company (not a company that makes chargers) to sell a charger solution without a cable. Just saying...
[doublepost=1481626152][/doublepost]

Received my BTO 2016 13" MBP with Touch Bar, 2.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB for few days.
Found the battery life issue news on the same day that I received the MBP.

Studied a bit and found that
- 2015 13" rMBP has 74.9 Wh ( 11.42V, 6558.66 mAh )
- 2016 13" tMBP has 49.2 Wh ( 11.41V, 4312.00 mAh )

Seeing the battery size, couldn't accept it reduced by 34% from last year, tested and decided to return it.

C'mon man ! You bought a brand new computer and did not know the specs before hand ? And then, because of the specs, you are returning it ? Seems like a troll to me. Your money, your life. Next time do some research PRIOR to purchasing a new laptop.

 

[Roller]

Spoke with Apple Care support today and told him two things:

1) I am not happy with the battery time of 7 hours since it has been marketed as to 10 hours.
2) I have tried everything to fix the issue (NVRAM, SMC, update to latest beta, clean install of Sierra, etc)

He acknowledged that Apple know this issue and (surprisingly) told me that the laptop needs to go into repair. When I asked how come, his reply was that the battery is faulty and needs to be replaced.

He could not give me any further details whether this issue was limited to the initial batch but that replacing the battery has fixed the issue for previous customers. Finally, since I got the laptop a couple of days ago the customer agent told me that if I would still not be happy after the repair I would be able to get a refund. Obviously, he was confident about the solution.

Since I really like the 2016 version, I am going to give Apple a chance to fix it. But I have to admit, in line with many of you, that this is quite an embarrassment on behalf of Apple.

Now, I am on my way to hand in the laptop to get the battery replaced. I will report back with the results once I get the laptop back.

This is from the thread on the front page. Has anyone here heard the same from Apple or had their battery replaced?

 

[borgusio]

Actually it seems to me that the battery problems are due to the fact that the design of the new MacBooks does not take into account the massive shift of data into the cloud that has been happening the last couple of years. The combination of a small hard drive and a small battery may cause the issue, since we save less data locally and we access more and more data online.

I have the same problem on my MB 12. On this machine the battery life can go up to 8 hours with normal use (safari, Office, slack, videos) and drop down to 3 as soon as big (above 100 MB) amounts of data are being transferred via WI-FI. Probably people had the same problems with this machine the last months, but they did not raise their voices as much as it is happening now with the MBPs which have a much larger customer base.

In particular, I noticed that this issue is present when I use these three different services: One Drive, Dropbox, Protonet. I do not use iCloud. If I switch all three services off and I work just offline, the battery will last me much longer.

If I leave the services on, but no-one in my team is saving relevant amount of data, the battery will last long as well.

This morning I became aware of the issue as the calculation of my battery life expectation dropped significantly for a few minutes and the went up quickly again. I then observed what was going on and I realized that a friend was working on one-drive on a batch of party photos from the weekend.

this justifies in my opinion the "random" behavior that many users are experiencing, because basically the battery will drop significantly due to activities which someone else is doing!!!

P.S. I use 5GHZ wi-fi, I will switch to 2.4 GHZ to test further

 

[JohnnyGo]

this justifies in my opinion the "random" behavior that many users are experiencing, because basically the battery will drop significantly due to activities which someone else is doing!!!

I agree.

There's a double whammy hit on battery: from wifi sync and from spotlight indexing of the new files.

Similar impact goes from video watching (avi/mp4 file) vs streaming (Netflix/YouTube). The latter kills battery much faster.

 

[BenTrovato]

Maybe these batteries were exposed to air during the manufacturing process like the 6S and that's the reason for the faulty reporting times. Just hang in there for 2 years and maybe Apple will replace them under a certain program.

I'm getting wildly different battery times anywhere from 6.5 - 9 hours and the brightness isn't as high as I'd like it to be.

 

[JohnnyGo]

I'm getting wildly different battery times anywhere from 6.5 - 9 hours and the brightness isn't as high as I'd like it to be.

I'm getting similar battery life variance but more in the 7-10h range with 50-60% brightness.

Constant wifi data input/output, aka cloud storage/streaming, seems to be one of the culprits of battery life being wildly different for different users.

 

[borgusio]

Exactly. Basically cloud data synchronization makes use of: WIFI, CPU and SSD. Clearly modern CPUs consume less energy than older CPU, but is this the same for WIFI and the SSD? As far as I know it is not, especially if you are still working in the same room as before, with the same not perfect connection. Therefore, a smaller battery will be impacted more by cloud synchronization than a larger one.

Software updates may not be going to help.