Battery care SP3 / Power management

[Surface User]

So since the battery is not replaceable on the SP3 i was thinking its even more important to try to get the battery to last as long as possible.
And there is a ton of info on the internet, the problem is that they all say different things, so it´s hard to know which one is the correct answer.

I´m thinking first and foremost about the charging procedure, what is the best way to charge the battery in order to get it to last as long as possible? Some people say that when you are home near a power outlet you should let the charger be connected to the SPx at all times while others say that is not good for the battery.
I know that heat is the number one enemy to batteries, but theres only so much one can do about the heat in the SPx.
Also i have been reading that the battery should not be charged full and not discharged below 10 percent.

That leads me to my next question, so is there any way on the SP3 to set the max charge for example to 60-80 percent or something like that? I know this can be done on certain laptop brands that uses their own power management software, i think on Lenovo and Sony this can be done.
Can this be done on the SP3 as well?
Maybe this setting is available in Windows 8.1?

I would be glad to get some answers to my questions so that one can try to preserve the battery life as long as possible.

 

[leeshor]

The single best thing that may help is to try to limit the number of charge cycles. Charging to full and allowing it to run down as far as possible before charging again.

 

[Surface User]

Oh now i saw there is a sticky about power management, i will have to read it, maybe the answer to my questions can be found there?

Okay, but if limiting the number of charge cycles is the best thing doesn't that mean that the best thing is to let the charger be connected at all possible times so that the battery keeps full all the time and by that way limit the number of charge cycles the battery goes through?

 

[hughlle]

Personally, i don't give this thought the time of day. Sure a decade ago i faced problems with battery life on my laptops after a few years, but more recently, be it a tablet, phone, or laptop, i've done whatever the heck i like with regard to charging and such, and 3-4 4 years on, the devices still work as they always did.

The real question is how long you anticipate keeping the thing for. If your plan is to buy a device to last a decade, then it is rather silly to buy something with a fixed battery in the first place. I would never buy a device if i knew i would have to be a worry wort because it might potentially fail befor i'm done with it. Just look at smartphones. People generally don't care about a sealed battery, because they'l be replacing it. I they are buying it to keep it for a long period of time, then you buy accordingly.

Always buy based on your needs. If you need 10 years out of the thing, then maybe you should have bought something else. It's always a case of swings and roundabouts when buying technology.

 

[Surface User]

No of course i have not plan to have the SP3 for 10 years, i don't even plan my life that far ahead.
But my thought is not only about how long the battery will last before it stop functioning completely or stops holding a charge, i´m thinking about that maybe the hours that the battery can power the SP3 for on every charge will start to be less in a faster rate if the battery are not maintained properly, and that will start to happen a lot earlier than 10 years.
And if i can slow down that process by knowing how to take care for the battery i will gladly do that.

 

[malberttoo]

What Leeshor said is most accurate. But I dare say that most (but not all of course) folks on this forum will never think about this, as we are generally early adopters and will moved on from the SP3 long before the battery becomes an issue.

 

[johnj2803]

The single best thing that may help is to try to limit the number of charge cycles. Charging to full and allowing it to run down as far as possible before charging again.

Isn't discharging all the way your battery bad specially if you do it all the time? pluggin it before the battery is near empty (around 50-70%) will be better to limit the cycle count as opposed to plugging it when almost empty. Imagine this, when I plug when almost empty, that is 1 cycle already, when I plug at 50%, that is half the cycle only... Hope that makes sense.

I think the best practice still is use your device, if you are going to be near a power source for a while, plug it no matter what the percentage is. It's a mobile device, please don't be a slave to your battery. It is meant to be replaced. I know that we all want to make it last as long as possible, but most of the time we become slaves of the battery

I got microsoft complete for my peace of mind... worse case scenario just bring your device to MS and pay for battery replacement (which hopefully will not happen)

 

[leeshor]

A cycle = any time you plug it in. My experience with cell phones and laptops is that the battery tends to hold charges better, (lasts longer) if you minimize the cycles. Some times that just isn't convenient but to use my primary cell phone as an example, after 2 years I get just about the same battery life as the first day only charging once in 24 hours. That doesn't work for everyone. I try to go to 30% or less before charging, when it's convenient.

In reality you may be ready to get a new unit before the battery gets that bad anyway.

 

[VickiFL]

I got microsoft complete for my peace of mind... worse case scenario just bring your device to MS and pay for battery replacement (which hopefully will not happen)

I don't think they can replace just the battery. I'm pretty sure they would just replace the whole SP3. Have you seen how hard it is to crack these things open?

 

[zhenya]

Ideally, cycle it between 40-80% and barring defects, it will last virtually forever.

In practice, just use it and try to avoid taking it below 10%.

 

[Surface User]

Is there a setting on the SP3 / Windows 8.1 where i can make it so it will only charge the battery up to a chosen percentage, for example up to 80 percent, so it stops charging when the battery is 80 percent full instead of the normal 100 percent?

 

[fletch33]

Personally, i don't give this thought the time of day. Sure a decade ago i faced problems with battery life on my laptops after a few years, but more recently, be it a tablet, phone, or laptop, i've done whatever the heck i like with regard to charging and such, and 3-4 4 years on, the devices still work as they always did.

+1

too many things in life to worry about and in last probably 5+ years i havent had a battery issue and you can read an article from an "expert" saying one thing and another saying another although they all tend to agree that you shouldnt let them die.

my 2011 Macbook Air has been plugged in for 2 weeks straight many times and then plugged in at every variable you can imagine and it still runs like new. i just gave someone my old DROID X (2010) and he says battery runs all day just like 5 years ago.