Full-day video conferencing battery test (2020 M1 MBA 8C/7G/8GiB/256GiB)

[acidfast7_redux]

Hi!

I'll keep track of what I'm doing today all day.

Start is 09.11am and at 100% charge.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

40 mins of getting ready for meeting (email, MS Office with Word/Excel).

Seems to be a 3-4% drop. Screen on all the time.

First meeting starting now.

 

[Abazigal]

Just got off a zoom meeting myself. Roughly 10% battery usage for every hour. Plus some misc tasks in the background.

Don’t forget the check the bottom of the laptop. You will be shocked at just how cool the whole thing runs.

 

[cmhsam]

Looking fw to your results. Thanks for doing this for us

 

[MakeAppleAwesomeAgain]

Not bad considering these are Rosetta 2 apps.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Hi!

Just finished the first meeting. About 1h20m zoom with 8 people (built-in cam and built-in microphones).

Meeting over wifi.

Every other setting standard. I haven't changed anything.

Off to grab a coffee and come back for Zoom meetings from 12.00-14.00 or so.

 

[deranged58]

Thank you for doing this! Would like to ask if you’d have a chance to test if virtual backgrounds on Zoom work?

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Back at the computer for some Zoom action. Thankfully, I don't need to chair anything. Time in-between these posts, the lid was shut and it was in a manilla envelope on my desk. Now it's opened up, awake instantly and starting some Zoom.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Happy zooming! No slowdown during it? When I, eh, get bored in a Zoom meeting and browse the Internet a little while Zoom continues in another space on my desktop, Safari in my 2015 MBP feels more sluggish. Fans blasting all the time, anyway, bottom gets hot. How about your MBA bottom temperature at the end of a long Zoom meeting?

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Happy zooming! No slowdown during it? When I, eh, get bored in a Zoom meeting and browse the Internet a little while Zoom continues in another space on my desktop, Safari in my 2015 MBP feels more sluggish. Fans blasting all the time, anyway, bottom gets hot. How about your MBA bottom temperature at the end of a long Zoom meeting?

Honestly, super fluid. No slowdown. Someone just had to leave and restart their Zoom as they've never used the camera before!!!!!!!

Honestly, really solid just like on a mobile phone.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Thank you for doing this! Would like to ask if you’d have a chance to test if virtual backgrounds on Zoom work?

They do. I clicked on the settings. The I downloaded one in about 5 seconds, never used one before and it worked perfectly.

No slow downs or anything else.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Just finished another round from 11.59 to 14.30 (2.5h)

Battery dropped to 52%.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Here is a full update so far:

09.11 100% battery
09.57 97% battery (46m web/office)
11.24 80% battery (1h27m Zoom)

COFFEE BREAK AND WALK OUTSIDE

11.59-14.31 52% battery (2h32m Zoom)

SUMMARY SO FAR:

(3h57m Zoom + 46m Web/MS Office + 45m sleep) resulted in 48% battery drop

 

[acidfast7_redux]

just caught up on the coronavirus news (I'm a microbiologist) and ate my lunch.

starting the final Zoom meeting of the day.

49% battery left

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Just finished the last off the day 36mins more and at 42%.

Now on the more pedantic work.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

So far today from 09.11 to 15.36 battery (6h25m battery has gone from 100% to 42%)

with the following usage pattern:

4h33m Zoom meetings (just closed Zoom for the first time since opening it this morning at 10.00)
1h16m web browsing / MS Office / emails
45m sleep (just closed lid and left the office)

let's see how the rest of the day goes.

 

[anshuvorty]

Awesome reporting! Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[stavHN]

These are extreme results. My 2015 MBP losses about 35% for one hour of zoom

 

[nothingtoseehere]

These are extreme results. My 2015 MBP losses about 35% for one hour of zoom

mine "only" 20-25% per hour, but I got a fresh battery...
This is mind-blowing! And as far as I understand, this is the Rosetta 2 translation, not native Zoom... wow.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Just installed DropBox and getting everything sync'd up.
Current synopsis.

17.05 and 32% remaining (everything since Zoom is getting the machine set/up, DropBox install, general web usage and MS Office)

Synopsis for today for 09.11 to 17.05 (7h54m)

4h33m Zoom meetings (just closed Zoom for the first time since opening it this morning at 10.00)
2h45m web browsing / MS Office / emails
45m sleep (just closed lid and left the office)

I get one more synopsis before leaving the office.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

finishing the day at the office now:

09.11 to 17.25 (8h14m)
battery went from 100% down to 28%

time breakdown for the office part of the day was:

4h33m Zoom meetings (just closed Zoom for the first time since opening it this morning at 10.00)
3h01m web browsing / MS Office / emails
45m sleep (just closed lid and left the office)

will sleep it until I have a little time to do some work tonight after the family is asleep. not a bad office day overall.

 

[welshboyuk]

Thanks for doing this and this is the base model yeah... that’s not bad for a days zooming

 

[limesmoothie]

finishing the day at the office now:

09.11 to 17.25 (8h14m)
battery went from 100% down to 28%

time breakdown for the office part of the day was:

4h33m Zoom meetings (just closed Zoom for the first time since opening it this morning at 10.00)
3h01m web browsing / MS Office / emails
45m sleep (just closed lid and left the office)

will sleep it until I have a little time to do some work tonight after the family is asleep. not a bad office day overall.

This is great, thanks. Battery life sounds top notch.

 

[acousticbiker]

Thanks for the detail on battery life! In terms of performance during the calls, no slow downs while multi-tasking?

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Thanks for the detail on battery life! In terms of performance during the calls, no slow downs while multi-tasking?

Nah. Most of us have at least 2 computers as some software shows when you're not using the video software as the main screen (WebEx).

I physically turn my head and use an iMac.

i don't really know anyone not using two devices (often a phone for the video and the computer actual work, or simply two computers).

Most of these meeting require voting/approval so multitasking on one screen isn't so useful. You need to watch your enemies and read at the same time