Battery life of 2017 MBP 13 without touch bar - poor?

[manmit]

Have nTB base model (256gb ssd though) 2017 13 inch. I am coming from 2015 13 inches.
Issue: I am not getting more than 6 hours battery life.
Work: Spark (email), Excel, 5 safari tabs, slack, zoom (web conferencing tool), Google drive, and fantastical 2
Set up: External monitor hooked up with HDMI via Satechi adaptor. Using apple magic mouse and keyboard (Bluetooth)

Losing 10% of battery in 20-25 minutes. Anyone facing similar issue? How is your battery holding up?

 

[joefoong79]

6 hours much reasonable because you had external monitor attached.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Yep that sounds about right for that workload with an external monitor connected.

If you are stationary with a monitor though then plug it, why would you needlessly put cycles on your battery by running it on battery in a stationary position.

 

[manmit]

Yep that sounds about right for that workload with an external monitor connected.

If you are stationary with a monitor though then plug it, why would you needlessly put cycles on your battery by running it on battery in a stationary position.

Because I thought continously keep battery charged up may eventually damage the battery life and hold time. Is this a myth?
[doublepost=1499962165][/doublepost]

6 hours much reasonable because you had external monitor attached.

External monitor is not powered by mbp but through external power supply. Why would it impact battery life?

 

[macintoshmac]

Have nTB base model (256gb ssd though) 2017 13 inch. I am coming from 2015 13 inches.
Issue: I am not getting more than 6 hours battery life.
Work: Spark (email), Excel, 5 safari tabs, slack, zoom (web conferencing tool), Google drive, and fantastical 2
Set up: External monitor hooked up with HDMI via Satechi adaptor. Using apple magic mouse and keyboard (Bluetooth)

Losing 10% of battery in 20-25 minutes. Anyone facing similar issue? How is your battery holding up?

Is this your typical way of working? And yes, this reduction is normal for a computer designed to be used on the go. You are using everything - from bluetooth to external adapters and pushing the GPU to drive an external monitor as well as the internal. This is very normal. Expect the cat to meow if you yank its tail.
[doublepost=1499964921][/doublepost]

External monitor is not powered by mbp but through external power supply. Why would it impact battery life?

Sure, it is not powered by battery life. But, here's the trick question for you: how do you think the monitor is getting its data? That - takes power from the MBP.

 

[jdechko]

Because I thought continously keep battery charged up may eventually damage the battery life and hold time. Is this a myth?
[doublepost=1499962165][/doublepost]
External monitor is not powered by mbp but through external power supply. Why would it impact battery life?

The battery ought to be exercised occasionally, and even allowed to fully deplete. If you only ever use it plugged in, then it will hurt the battery. However, Apple has taken steps against even this. When plugged in, the system is smart enough, and allows some slight battery usage (maybe 3-5%) before topping itself back up.

Keeping it plugged in while working on the external monitor is probably better in the long run..

 

[joefoong79]

Because external monitor using MacBook GPU. If you likely to rundown your battery, will suggested do it twice a month and each time till 50% then charge it back full ( don't calibration the battery) I'm using this technique all on my MacBook. The oldest 2011 MacBook Pro still on 88% health on full charge.

 

[manmit]

Because external monitor using MacBook GPU. If you likely to rundown your battery, will suggested do it twice a month and each time till 50% then charge it back full ( don't calibration the battery) I'm using this technique all on my MacBook. The oldest 2011 MacBook Pro still on 88% health on full charge.

I understand but what changed in 2017 version that is causing this? I never had this kind of low battery in 2015 mbp - had the exact same set up and external monitor.

 

[joefoong79]

I understand but what changed in 2017 version that is causing this? I never had this kind of low battery in 2015 mbp - had the exact same set up and external monitor.

Basically the mpb 2017 battery is smaller than 2015. But how many hours different of your 2015 with external monitor? Brightness and what is running on background also major affect.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I understand but what changed in 2017 version that is causing this? I never had this kind of low battery in 2015 mbp - had the exact same set up and external monitor.

Yep joefoong is pretty much spot on here, its got a smaller battery and that is made up for with software and hardware optimisations that use less battery, when running an external monitor though it will still use the same amount of power to drive that screen.

As long as you use it on battery occasionally (once or twice a month) you can leave it plugged in whenever you are at your desk. This will not significantly impact the battery life, age is the biggest killer of apple batteries as far as I can tell, it will start to die anywhere between 3 and 5 years old whatever you do so don't sweat it.

 

[JohnnyGo]

The battery ought to be exercised occasionally, and even allowed to fully deplete. If you only ever use it plugged in, then it will hurt the battery. However, Apple has taken steps against even this. When plugged in, the system is smart enough, and allows some slight battery usage (maybe 3-5%) before topping itself back up.

Keeping it plugged in while working on the external monitor is probably better in the long run..

New battery tech no longer has “memory effect”. Apple specifically recommends that you can use your MacBook plugged in and once a month leave it on battery to full depletion.

 

[JohnnyGo]

Because external monitor using MacBook GPU. If you likely to rundown your battery, will suggested do it twice a month and each time till 50% then charge it back full ( don't calibration the battery) I'm using this technique all on my MacBook. The oldest 2011 MacBook Pro still on 88% health on full charge.

Your battery recommendation is spot on

You mention the GPU. Indeed any monitor, external or internal will use the GPU. In the case of the 13” MBP there’s only an iGPU, no dedicated GPU, so the higher consumption is not due to this factor. Dedicated GPU + external monitors are real killers for 15” MBP batteries.

Any MacBook with attached peripheral, be it external drive or monitor, will have more power consumption hence less battery life. It’s the nature of such TB/USB controllers.

 

[manmit]

Basically the mpb 2017 battery is smaller than 2015. But how many hours different of your 2015 with external monitor? Brightness and what is running on background also major affect.

You nailed it. I think this is the biggest reason - smaller battery. Thank you

 

[joefoong79]

Your battery recommendation is spot on

You mention the GPU. Indeed any monitor, external or internal will use the GPU. In the case of the 13” MBP there’s only an iGPU, no dedicated GPU, so the higher consumption is not due to this factor. Dedicated GPU + external monitors are real killers for 15” MBP batteries.

Any MacBook with attached peripheral, be it external drive or monitor, will have more power consumption hence less battery life. It’s the nature of such TB/USB controllers.

Pay attention on CPU or gpu if 13" is combined together. When external monitor is connected the CPU using will spike or raise higher. It tell you external monitor costing you using CPU and gpu together when you check the status of the CPU will tell. Short answer is anything plug in on USB-c event just a flash drive will draw you power out.

 

[Apples555]

I don't know if this is relevant, but battery life on my 2010 13" MBP is significantly better connected to an external DisplayPort monitor than with the onboard LCD.

 

[Jamalogo10]

I'm getting 9+ hours with chrome use, high brightness, itunes and word running in the background.

 

[joefoong79]

I really don't understand. Just get a battery pack it last another 8 hours problem solved.
[doublepost=1501963708][/doublepost]Why stress so much about the battery

 

[macintoshmac]

I really don't understand. Just get a battery pack it last another 8 hours problem solved.
[doublepost=1501963708][/doublepost]Why stress so much about the battery

Batterititis. Nothing more.

 

[0922251]

I'm getting 9+ hours with chrome use, high brightness, itunes and word running in the background.

Does your Chrome usage involve YouTube videos?

 

[kj-T]

An

I really don't understand. Just get a battery pack it last another 8 hours problem solved.
[doublepost=1501963708][/doublepost]Why stress so much about the battery

Any good recs for a battery that works with the 2017 MBP 13" nTB? Most on the market, even the huge 20,000 amps ones seem to be rated at 5 or 5.1V meant for phone charging.