does haswell really live up to its 8 hour battery life claim?

[cmm]

i have an early 2013 15 rMBP and according to this knowledgeable article my machine gets 7 hours battery life. In reality, I am lucky to get 5. 4 is more like it. Haswell rMBPs claim 8 hours of battery life. Will I really get that, or will just get one more hour of battery life from what I get now?

I fly to Switzerland from Boston 3-4 times a month and was soooo excited when Haswell came out as I could use it the entire flight, but now I'm skeptical.

Thanks!

 

[Laco]

My guess would be that would you get another hour at the most. Apple and all other computer companies give widely inaccurate misrepresentations of how long their devices run on battery. Sure you can probably get 7 or 8 hours if you have one non-demanding program running and your screen is at half brightness but except for a few people on these forums I would guess that most people are running more than one program and want to be able to actually see their screens.

 

[TonyYYZ]

And here's the best part: even with all those pixels, the 13-inch MacBook Pro still lasted 10 hours, 7 minutes on the Verge Battery Test. That may not be the 13 hours and 29 minutes the Air lasted, but it's more than almost any other laptop, and more than enough to last you a cross-country flight's worth of movies or through a daylong meeting. Part of that is due to the ultra-efficient Haswell chips, part due to the power improvements in OS X 10.9 Mavericks, but whatever the reasons, the net result is a Retina MacBook that can last all day and then some.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/30/5044874/13-inch-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review-2013

 

[cmm]

But that's the 13 inch model I'm only looking at the 15 inch model, I updated the OP to reflect that.

 

[TonyYYZ]

But that's the 13 inch model I'm only looking at the 15 inch model, I updated the OP to reflect that.

The most impressive part, though, is that all this comes with almost no penalty to battery life. The 15-inch Pro lasted 9 hours, 35 minutes on the Verge Battery Test, which cycles through a series of popular websites and high-res images with brightness set to 65 percent. That’s a remarkable score, especially for a machine this powerful. It doesn’t last as long as the MacBook Air, but it runs Crysis, so pick which matters more to you and purchase accordingly. I also played more than two hours of Portal 2 without killing the battery — this laptop is built to last. It does get pretty warm, and a little loud when you start to play games, but it’s not worrisome like the last model was; that’s another upside of Haswell chips.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/24/5024346/macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review-15-inch-2013

 

[cmm]

Hmmm, is that with only the web browser open though? On planes I don't have the web going, obviously, but I'm working in pages and in mathematica, matlab as well as evernote and catching up on emails. I don't mind a dark screen. I'm just really apprehensive that I'll be disappointed by the battery life. I don't mind spending 2k+ if I get the battery life apple promises.

 

[simon48]

Mavericks is the big boost, are you running it right now?

 

[cmm]

Mavericks is the big boost, are you running it right now?

yes, i didn't notice any difference, but i'm using google chrome, not sure if they have updated for maverick's power management...

 

[TonyYYZ]

Hmmm, is that with only the web browser open though? On planes I don't have the web going, obviously, but I'm working in pages and in mathematica, matlab as well as evernote and catching up on emails. I don't mind a dark screen. I'm just really apprehensive that I'll be disappointed by the battery life. I don't mind spending 2k+ if I get the battery life apple promises.

From what I've read (many reviews on the web) The battery numbers Apple posted were conservative. Haswell did make a huge difference,

Chrome is still as resource intensive as ever.

 

[cmm]

hmmmm, okay, i guess i'll make the leap!! thank you

this will be a total game changer for me, if it is indeed true. i've been using two laptops on my flight, my rMBP and a lenovo t420. not fun, my tumi bag has no space in it!!

 

[TonyYYZ]

hmmmm, okay, i guess i'll make the leap!! thank you

this will be a total game changer for me, if it is indeed true. i've been using two laptops on my flight, my rMBP and a lenovo t420. not fun, my tumi bag has no space in it!!

You can always buy one and try it out. If after a few days you decide it doesn't live up to your needs, you have 14 days to return it.

 

[cmm]

You can always buy one and try it out. If after a few days you decide it doesn't live up to your needs, you have 14 days to return it.

that's very true! and my CC, the chase saphire preferred gives me 90 days to return items, so even longer!! thanks again!

now i have to wait for the refurb store to have the $1950 rMBP again with 8GB of ram. currently all i see is the 16GB version for $2150

 

[Davidkoh]

Hmmm, is that with only the web browser open though? On planes I don't have the web going, obviously, but I'm working in pages and in mathematica, matlab as well as evernote and catching up on emails. I don't mind a dark screen. I'm just really apprehensive that I'll be disappointed by the battery life. I don't mind spending 2k+ if I get the battery life apple promises.

Can I ask how the 15" is to use on planes? I just got the 13" rMBP but I am really thinking about giving it to the wife and get myself the 15" instead. I am a bit scared that it will be too big to use in cramped spaces like on a plane though.

 

[cmm]

Can I ask how the 15" is to use on planes? I just got the 13" rMBP but I am really thinking about giving it to the wife and get myself the 15" instead. I am a bit scared that it will be too big to use in cramped spaces like on a plane though.

Are you flying F, C or Y?

I fly business class BOS-ZRH on AA and Swiss only (sometimes upgraded to F for irrops or if they overbook C). On both there is ample space for my 15 rMBP.

On Swiss it is the Airbus A330; on AA it's the Boeing 777. You can look up seat maps on seatguru.com.

Having said that, if I need to fly to Geneva from Zurich (rather than take a train, which is very very rare), which is on an Airbus A321, business class in Europe is just like economy, just with leather seats and better service (and sometimes food). My 15 rMBP fits fine on these flights, but truthfully, I rarely use it as I can only use it for about 20 minutes, so if I use any electronics, it's my iPad... Sometimes, if the person in front of you reclines, you have to position the laptop's screen about 3 cm towards you, but you can still see the screen just fine.

I haven't flown in the back of the bus over the pond in years, so if you're flying Y I can't answer that for you, I'm sorry. Check with people on flyertalk.com (though most people on FT fly business too, I'm sure there are some that have experience in Y)...


I hope that helps!? Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I fly about 250k miles a year.

 

[Davidkoh]

Are you flying F, C or Y?

I fly business class BOS-ZRH on AA and Swiss only (sometimes upgraded to F for irrops or if they overbook C). On both there is ample space for my 15 rMBP.

On Swiss it is the Airbus A330; on AA it's the Boeing 777. You can look up seat maps on seatguru.com.

Having said that, if I need to fly to Geneva from Zurich (rather than take a train, which is very very rare), which is on an Airbus A321, business class in Europe is just like economy, just with leather seats and better service (and sometimes food). My 15 rMBP fits fine on these flights, but truthfully, I rarely use it as I can only use it for about 20 minutes, so if I use any electronics, it's my iPad... Sometimes, if the person in front of you reclines, you have to position the laptop's screen about 3 cm towards you, but you can still see the screen just fine.

I haven't flown in the back of the bus over the pond in years, so if you're flying Y I can't answer that for you, I'm sorry. Check with people on flyertalk.com (though most people on FT fly business too, I'm sure there are some that have experience in Y)...


I hope that helps!? Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I fly about 250k miles a year.

Thanks for the answer. Although I recently decided to try to make all long-haul trips in at least C I do not really care for short-haul so there I might try to fit it in economy. Sounds like it could work though, maybe I can ignore that fear then and focus on the other differences.

 

[cmm]

Thanks for the answer. Although I recently decided to try to make all long-haul trips in at least C I do not really care for short-haul so there I might try to fit it in economy. Sounds like it could work though, maybe I can ignore that fear then and focus on the other differences.

The 15" is great! I can't recommend it enough!! Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

 

[5to1]

Are you flying F, C or Y?

I fly business class BOS-ZRH on AA and Swiss only (sometimes upgraded to F for irrops or if they overbook C). On both there is ample space for my 15 rMBP.

On Swiss it is the Airbus A330; on AA it's the Boeing 777. You can look up seat maps on seatguru.com.

Having said that, if I need to fly to Geneva from Zurich (rather than take a train, which is very very rare), which is on an Airbus A321, business class in Europe is just like economy, just with leather seats and better service (and sometimes food). My 15 rMBP fits fine on these flights, but truthfully, I rarely use it as I can only use it for about 20 minutes, so if I use any electronics, it's my iPad... Sometimes, if the person in front of you reclines, you have to position the laptop's screen about 3 cm towards you, but you can still see the screen just fine.

I haven't flown in the back of the bus over the pond in years, so if you're flying Y I can't answer that for you, I'm sorry. Check with people on flyertalk.com (though most people on FT fly business too, I'm sure there are some that have experience in Y)...


I hope that helps!? Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I fly about 250k miles a year.

Don't you get power in business class on AA/Swiss?

 

[The Mercurian]

When I flew long haul a few months back I was amazed that even cattle-class I was in had power outlets on the backs of seats - I've never seen that before.

Anyhow I had an 11" MBA and it certainly lived up to the 9hr battery claim. I now have a 13: pro and it seems to do so too.

But adapt your usage habits - close down what you are not using. Mavericks is also good for telling you which apps are using most power. ... Oh...and don't do anything with Flash - it is a power drain

 

[cmm]

Don't you get power in business class on AA/Swiss?

They don't always work.

 

[JD92]

yes, i didn't notice any difference, but i'm using google chrome, not sure if they have updated for maverick's power management...

Chrome is a huge battery killer on the Mac. If you switched to Safari you would likely notice some significant battery life improvements.

 

[mtneer]

Somewhat off topic..

Food on a flight from Geneva to Zurich? Wonder if the pilot just circles around a couple of times to allow FA's to finish service and pax to wolf it down!!

 

[cmm]

Somewhat off topic..

Food on a flight from Geneva to Zurich? Wonder if the pilot just circles around a couple of times to allow FA's to finish service and pax to wolf it down!!

Sometimes they offer a light snack...

 

[OldMacUser]

Chrome is a huge battery killer on the Mac. If you switched to Safari you would likely notice some significant battery life improvements.

Alternatively, get gfxcardstatus and force into integrated graphics mode if your rMBP has both integrated and discrete graphics.

Incidentally, since Mavericks and with the new late-2013 rMBPs, Chrome (and some other apps like Skype) does not trigger the discrete graphics as often as it used to.

For example, on my current late-2013 rMBP, starting Chrome will not switch to the 750M graphics chip, while on my previous mid-2010 MBP, starting Chrome will immediately trigger the switch.

Similarly with Skype and a couple of other apps - they seem to play more nicely with the integrated graphics now and do not trigger a switch as often as before.

Back on topic and based on my experience, I got through 3 days of off-site meetings just running on battery with the late-2013 rMBP recently. Usage was roughly about 4+ hours actively using the rMBP (running mainly Exchange, Powerpoint, Excel) and I ended each day with about 40% of power left. Plugged it in when back at hotel room ready for the next day.

 

[cmm]

Interesting, thanks! Would this be useful on my early-2013 rMBP?

 

[OldMacUser]

Interesting, thanks! Would this be useful on my early-2013 rMBP?

According to MacTracker (and based on your first post), the early-2013 15-in rMBP has NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (discrete) and Intel HD Graphics 4000 (integrated) graphics, thus what I wrote will have relevance. Having said that, I do not have any experience on the early-2013 rMBP, but I believe that a lot of it will apply.