Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Low Power Mode on MBP 14

F

flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 13, 2013
768
439
I've had both the new 14 and 16 for about a week and I'm still deliberating which one I should get. I like the 14 better because of its smaller form factor, but the battery life seems so inadequate compared to the 16 and the M1 13. I understand that Low Power Mode can help increase battery life in exchange for lower performance. Can someone share how much battery they are getting with Lower Power Mode and the limitations they are seeing in performance or features?

Thank you.
 
Would like to know the same. Someone please test how low power increases the battery life. m1 pro and m1 max would be interesting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: abcedfg
The other day, with web browsing type of activity:
On Battery For 42 minutes, battery charge = 100% with 13:24 Remaining
 
It appears the screen refresh rate does not go to 120 Hz when on low power mode. Kind of defeats one of the bonuses of the new MBPs. I would be inclined to not use the new machines like that on a daily basis. Another reason to go with the 16".
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nightfury326 and flapflapflap
Good to know. So for me it is not a big question which one because most consumers buy by size for a reason. Seems like most apple users buy which is "better". But i have to know if the max really kills the battery life. That would hit the portability so much that 16 is in the race again.
 
Good question. I was about to make a thread on this.

I wonder how good/bad is the 14" battery on low power mode and how does it compare to the old macbook pro m1 on low mode.

I don't care for 120hz but I need at least 10-12 hours battery life on low power mode. someone please update us
 
vincenz said:
It appears the screen refresh rate does not go to 120 Hz when on low power mode. Kind of defeats one of the bonuses of the new MBPs. I would be inclined to not use the new machines like that on a daily basis. Another reason to go with the 16".
Click to expand...
100%. The 14 battery is comparatively trash. It also runs warmer/louder. 16 all day, any day.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: haruhiko
vincenz said:
It appears the screen refresh rate does not go to 120 Hz when on low power mode. Kind of defeats one of the bonuses of the new MBPs. I would be inclined to not use the new machines like that on a daily basis. Another reason to go with the 16".
Click to expand...
why would anyone buy the 14 and disable one of its best features? just get the 16. the 14's battery is for children.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: Sikh and haruhiko
You need to chill. You are defending the 16 like its the holy grail (from all your posts in every battery thread). Sure technically the 16 is the better device. The bigger apple device will always be better than its smaller counterpart but i buy the 14 for one reason and one reason only the portability. I worked on an M1 air before so i already ache when i read the weight of the 14.

The question is can we offset the worse battery life on none demanding workloads with the low power mode?
Most of the time i am plugged in when i do really heavy stuff like music production.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: city_17, archi penko, dlbmacfan and 2 others
nightoftune said:
You need to chill. You are defending the 16 like its the holy grail (from all your posts in every battery thread). Sure technically the 16 is the better device. The bigger apple device will always be better than its smaller counterpart but i buy the 14 for one reason and one reason only the portability. I worked on an M1 air before so i already ache when i read the weight of the 14.

The question is can we offset the worse battery life on none demanding workloads with the low power mode?
Most of the time i am plugged in when i do really heavy stuff like music production.
Click to expand...
Yeah I agree, the battery life is more than enough for a full day of work out in the field. I had to go do a couple of deployments and was there for 10 hours, my Mac was only down to 27%.

More than enough juice to get me through the day, especially since I wasn't in Teams meeting for the 10 hours I was there
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Apple Knowledge Navigator
vincenz said:
It appears the screen refresh rate does not go to 120 Hz when on low power mode. Kind of defeats one of the bonuses of the new MBPs. I would be inclined to not use the new machines like that on a daily basis. Another reason to go with the 16".
Click to expand...

For me the main benefit of the screen is HDR at 4k60.

120 Hz is nice where possible but in my life I’ve never had a screen with the dynamic range of the MBP.
 
MrGunnyPT said:
Yeah I agree, the battery life is more than enough for a full day of work out in the field. I had to go do a couple of deployments and was there for 10 hours, my Mac was only down to 27%.

More than enough juice to get me through the day, especially since I wasn't in Teams meeting for the 10 hours I was there
Click to expand...
Thats plenty. Did you try the low power mode?
 
nightoftune said:
You need to chill. You are defending the 16 like its the holy grail (from all your posts in every battery thread). Sure technically the 16 is the better device. The bigger apple device will always be better than its smaller counterpart but i buy the 14 for one reason and one reason only the portability. I worked on an M1 air before so i already ache when i read the weight of the 14.

The question is can we offset the worse battery life on none demanding workloads with the low power mode?
Most of the time i am plugged in when i do really heavy stuff like music production.
Click to expand...
"Sure technically the 16 is the better device."

I agree.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: haruhiko
Low power mode does give a noticeable boost in battery life, but I’ve not had a day where the battery life on my 14 wasn’t enough in the first place, even when doing graphically intensive activities.

Not scientific by any means, but I found myself ending the day at 40-45% instead of ~30% by using low power mode, roughly from 8am until 8pm unplugged.

I tend to leave the low power mode on for battery power because I usually do lighter tasks on battery anyway, and i’ll generally do more intensive tasks at my desk. The screen does refresh slower than 120 but it seems higher than 60, as even on LPM the screen looks smoother than my outgoing M1 MBP. If I had to guess i’d say it caps it at 90 on low power.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nightfury326, Sanpete, flapflapflap and 1 other person
I think most people would be happy with 10+ hours of use on a charge. Also, you fire up a fast charger and your back with 5 more hours of juice in 30 minutes. For most, I don't think it will be a big deal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bobcomer
flapflapflap said:
"Sure technically the 16 is the better device."

I agree.
Click to expand...
Tell me where the 14" MBP hurt you...at this point, it seems almost like an emotional vendetta you have against this model. If you did not buy it and spoke with your wallet, great..but why feel the need to try and convince others that they made a poor choice if they do in fact value the things that the 14" offers?
 
  • Like
Reactions: VaruLV and marmiteturkey
flapflapflap said:
the 14's battery is for children.
Click to expand...
flapflapflap said:
100%. The 14 battery is comparatively trash.
Click to expand...

"...is a travesty and deserves to be trashed."

"...the 14's battery life is comparatively atrocious."

"The 14's battery is trash compared to the 16."

"The 14 has thermal issues and is trash in battery compared to the 13 MBP."

Thanks for the comments, but this is not my experience with my 14". What kind of battery life are you getting on your 14", and what configuration do you have?
 
  • Like
Reactions: marmiteturkey
wilberforce said:
"...is a travesty and deserves to be trashed."

"...the 14's battery life is comparatively atrocious."

"The 14's battery is trash compared to the 16."

"The 14 has thermal issues and is trash in battery compared to the 13 MBP."

Thanks for the comments, but this is not my experience with my 14". What kind of battery life are you getting on your 14", and what configuration do you have?
Click to expand...
He's an elite 16" owner and will not converse with such lowly battery-deprived 14" owners such as you and me.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: AgentMcGeek, city_17, VaruLV and 3 others
.
cababah said:
He's an elite 16" owner and will not converse with such lowly battery-deprived 14" owners such as you and me.
Click to expand...
Just trying to understand what these pretty strong comments are based on, and whether it is from personal experience. It would be useful to know.
 
wilberforce said:
.

Just trying to understand what these pretty strong comments are based on, and whether it is from personal experience. It would be useful to know.
Click to expand...
Will it realistically change how you feel about your 14"? Each person has their opinion but you shouldn't let that sway you from enjoying your purchase.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back