rBMP 13" Early 2015 Battery Life Qs.

[Clausewitz]

Hi; I have got rMBP 13 inch Early 2015 base model. Now my understanding is/was that the battery life on new machines is suppose to be around 10 hours, at the least. However, my machine consumes around average 10% per 30 minutes, lasting more or less just 5 hours. This is happening even when usage is at the very minimum (i.e. Just using Apple's PAGES).

Presently I use my rBMP usually for typing only, followed by some browsing, and occasionally for watching movies. Only 3rd party apps on my rMBP are Skype & VLC. No add-ons for Safari either; though, I did update it to 8.0.6 and it keeps showing up in the list of apps that may be using significant energy now and than. But the issue has been there even before Safari's latest update.

Anyway, anyone who has bought similar machine recently (& those who are knowledgable) can kindly inform me:

1. How much avg. battery life they get?, especially during minimum usage?

2. What amount of 'time-remaining' does their battery icon shows at full 100% charge?

I didn't notice if I had better battery life before I updated the OS to 10.10.3. So, I can't even say if its the result of Yosemite's update.

I did reset the PRAM and recently the SMC as well. Prior to the reset my battery showed more or less 5 or 6 hours remaining. After the reset the battery time remaining fluctuates between 7 to 9 hours. The first % (or the 100th %) also seems stable to usage, lasting almost 10 minutes or so. However, counting down from 99th % the battery goes down quickly to 4 to 5 hours both in terms of time-remaining stated by the rMBP & by actual usage.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Screen brightness!!!

Hi; I have got rMBP 13 inch Early 2015 base model. Now my understanding is/was that the battery life on new machines is suppose to be around 10 hours, at the least. However, my machine consumes around average 10% per 30 minutes, lasting more or less just 5 hours. This is happening even when usage is at the very minimum (i.e. Just using Apple's PAGES).

Presently I use my rBMP usually for typing only, followed by some browsing, and occasionally for watching movies. Only 3rd party apps on my rMBP are Skype & VLC. No add-ons for Safari either; though, I did update it to 8.0.6 and it keeps showing up in the list of apps that may be using significant energy now and than. But the issue has been there even before Safari's latest update.

Anyway, anyone who has bought similar machine recently (& those who are knowledgable) can kindly inform me:

1. How much avg. battery life they get?, especially during minimum usage?

2. What amount of 'time-remaining' does their battery icon shows at full 100% charge?

I didn't notice if I had better battery life before I updated the OS to 10.10.3. So, I can't even say if its the result of Yosemite's update.

I did reset the PRAM and recently the SMC as well. Prior to the reset my battery showed more or less 5 or 6 hours remaining. After the reset the battery time remaining fluctuates between 7 to 9 hours. The first % (or the 100th %) also seems stable to usage, lasting almost 10 minutes or so. However, counting down from 99th % the battery goes down quickly to 4 to 5 hours both in terms of time-remaining stated by the rMBP & by actual usage.

If you are using at full brightness it'll hammer the battery, if you are using chrome it will hammer the battery. Apples Battery tests use specific conditions (75% brightness and running safari to name a couple) and all the reviews suggest that they live up to these numbers or better.

Take a look here try all the tricks if it's still a bit rubbish get apple to atke a look.

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9875442/

 

[Clausewitz]

If you are using at full brightness it'll hammer the battery, if you are using chrome it will hammer the battery. Apples Battery tests use specific conditions (75% brightness and running safari to name a couple) and all the reviews suggest that they live up to these numbers or better.

Take a look here try all the tricks if it's still a bit rubbish get apple to atke a look.

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9875442/

Full brightness = yes (though I have reduced it just now after reading your comment.)

Keyboard backlight = Yes, but usually minimum.

Chrome = Not at all. I only have Safari.

 

[T5BRICK]

1. How much avg. battery life they get?, especially during minimum usage?

I typically get between 10-12 hours for minimum usage.

2. What amount of 'time-remaining' does their battery icon shows at full 100% charge?

It shows 10-12 hours.

Battery life is highly dependent on usage. If you've got your brightness up, or there are background processes running, your battery life can be reduced.

 

[Clausewitz]

I typically get between 10-12 hours for minimum usage.



It shows 10-12 hours.

Battery life is highly dependent on usage. If you've got your brightness up, or there are background processes running, your battery life can be reduced.

Yes, I keep brightness at full, though I have reduced it now.

No background processes that I can see in terms of CPU usage. Though Safari, Activity Monitor (ironically) and WindowServer keep fluctuating between very low and high on energy impact. On CPU usage side their 'CPU Time' seems to be more than other applications, but I have no idea whether its good or bad. My technical understandings of OS X a quite minimum, even after 3 years of usage.

 

[z31fanatic]

Skype video drains the battery really really fast. And agree with the others about the brightness settings and turn off the keyboard light.

Now way you'll get 10-12 hours like some people claim. You getting 5 hours does sound low. With your useage I would think you'd get about 7 hours.

 

[prism]

Just download and install coconutbattery and compare your design capacity charge with the maximum charge (after charging fully). If the max charge is within a few percentage points of design capacity, you can rule out a hardware problem.

 

[Clausewitz]

Skype video drains the battery really really fast.

From the time I bought the machine I have used Skype only once.

And agree with the others about the brightness settings and turn off the keyboard light.

Done. Now under observation.

Now way you'll get 10-12 hours like some people claim. You getting 5 hours does sound low. With your useage I would think you'd get about 7 hours.

I think I should at least get 8 hours with my usage. But my battery icon keeps changing its mind every minute.

I just powered in right now with 84% charge and 6:58 time remaining. Brightness is at 11/16 & Backlight is 1/16.

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Just download and install coconutbattery and compare your design capacity charge with the maximum charge (after charging fully). If the max charge is within a few percentage points of design capacity, you can rule out a hardware problem.

Will do that if brightness thing doesn't resolve the issue. Right now it seems to be working, but fingers crossed.

Btw, my battery status says the battery is Normal.

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I have also removed some default icons from the dock that I was not using, in the hope that it will stabilise the WindowServer.

 

[T5BRICK]

I think I should at least get 8 hours with my usage. But my battery icon keeps changing its mind every minute.

It's just an estimate based on current usage and the amount of charge the battery has. It'll change as the computer does different things and it's normal.

 

[Laserducky]

It's just an estimate based on current usage and the amount of charge the battery has. It'll change as the computer does different things and it's normal.

+1

My wife plays a game on her macbook pro, eat up battery like anything ..moment she exits it, battery takes a while to readjust and come back to normal, its not right away.

I believe its normal for battery charge remaining to fluctuate.

Brightness at about 70 percent should get you about 10-12 hours of surfing net, word and music. Youtubing and apps like Adobe Lightroom eat through battery life more aggresively like games.

Cheers!

 

[TheNotoriousMAZ]

With that type of usage, did you consider a MacBook Air? My coworker has one of the newest models, and that thing gets 14 real hours no joke.

I inch out about 9 hours on my rMBP on a real good day. Kiss that goodbye the second I open any Adobe application.

 

[Clausewitz]

+1

My wife plays a game on her macbook pro, eat up battery like anything ..moment she exits it, battery takes a while to readjust and come back to normal, its not right away.

I believe its normal for battery charge remaining to fluctuate.

Brightness at about 70 percent should get you about 10-12 hours of surfing net, word and music. Youtubing and apps like Adobe Lightroom eat through battery life more aggresively like games.

Cheers!

Fortunately I am not playing games on my machine (not yet at least). The best I am doing at the moment is mostly typing on 'Pages' with usually Safari running. Battery lasting about 4 to 5 hours. [Though I remember my old 15inch MBP used to burn up when I used to play any game on it. Plus after Yosemite update its battery time dropped significantly to 3 to 2 hours].

Playing movies (on VLC) does drain a lot of battery for me though. I lost more or less 10%-15% watching a 40 minutes video last night (But I guess this is normal?).

Reducing brightness does seems to be having some effect on prolonging the battery time though. I started rMBP with time remaining around 4:30, after a while it adjusted itself to 5:40, & now it projects 6:20 at 64% charge.

 

[mayuka]

It all depends on what you are doing. I am getting something between 6 and 9 hours with my newly purchased rMBP early 2015 (screen brightness usually around 50%). I don't care about which browser I'm using or which app. I'm working and that includes a lot of different apps and things. Pages (and the other former iWork apps) are not programmed very efficiently. They take up lots of RAM and CPU. Believe it or not, Word is better when it comes to CPU usage. I'm also using the Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter which utilises some battery. So, don't worry about battery drain. Just use your rMBP as you normally would and determine the hours you can work with it.

 

[Clausewitz]

Pages (and the other former iWork apps) are not programmed very efficiently. They take up lots of RAM and CPU. Believe it or not, Word is better when it comes to CPU usage.

Interstingly - or not - I am actually not an iWorks person. I am MS Office person, in particular the Word and Powerpoint. Unfortunately MicroSoft is having its capitalist fits now days and website doesn't seem to be giving me access to download Office 2011.

So, don't worry about battery drain. Just use your rMBP as you normally would and determine the hours you can work with it.

If you have new machine you have to worry

On the serious note battery is worrisome when I am mobile. I need to have have as much energy as possible.

 

[Laserducky]

Reducing brightness does seems to be having some effect on prolonging the battery time though. I started rMBP with time remaining around 4:30, after a while it adjusted itself to 5:40, & now it projects 6:20 at 64% charge.

You are doing great mate ... 6.3 hours at 64% gives 9.8 hours at 100% which is perfectly normal .... relax and enjoy your great purchase ...she's a beauty !!!

Cheers!

 

[Clausewitz]

You are doing great mate ... 6.3 hours at 64% gives 9.8 hours at 100% which is perfectly normal .... relax and enjoy your great purchase ...she's a beauty !!!

Cheers!

Yes it seems to be quite stable. Battery discharge has slowed down as well. Except that now I get something like 20 hours remaining time at 100% charge. Wish it were true I believe with 70% brightness u can take battery to 9 hours with minimum usage. That's good enough for me.