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Real world battery life of MacBook 12"
- Thread starter dljor
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depends how you use it obviously, but i've been on it since about 11.30 this morning and i'm on 63% and i've had bluetooth and brightness on 80%.
Yes, I've used the late 2013, the battery life is much better. My iPad mini 2 lasted longer than this MacBook. You'll get about 8 hours tops, unless you're just sitting there in aeroplane mode with the screen down to 10% and not doing anything. Not all day battery life. Example real world scenario: I unplugged at 8am, used for about 4 hours and had to recharge at 1pm.
However, if you intend to run Windows it seems quite good in that it's not worse compared with OS X. On the 2013 I noticed there was a big drop in battery life on Bootcamp, but on the MacBook battery life is fairly similar it seems.
ON THE PLUS SIDE: Charging is FAST, just subjectively speaking. Haven't actually measured it.
However, if you intend to run Windows it seems quite good in that it's not worse compared with OS X. On the 2013 I noticed there was a big drop in battery life on Bootcamp, but on the MacBook battery life is fairly similar it seems.
ON THE PLUS SIDE: Charging is FAST, just subjectively speaking. Haven't actually measured it.
I stopped timing it a while back, so I don;t have specifics. But I can say that the battery suits my needs very well. For the tasks you mentioned, which is pretty much how I use it, I'd guesstimate about 6.5 hours, with brightest and such pretty high.
But there's another benefit to having the USB-C port, it's very easy to find a power source. Even if it's not the official Apple charger, plugging the $6 USB3 to USB-C cable I bought allows me to charge from ports all over the place, even if it's not at full speed. In other words, I almost never run out of juice.
But there's another benefit to having the USB-C port, it's very easy to find a power source. Even if it's not the official Apple charger, plugging the $6 USB3 to USB-C cable I bought allows me to charge from ports all over the place, even if it's not at full speed. In other words, I almost never run out of juice.
4 hours? Seriously? I find it hard to believe.
My 2013 still last a long time, in spite of being two years old. It's a good battery for sure.
Really only 6 hours? My two year old battery on the pro lasts longer than 6 ...
I thought Apple is quite conservative about battery life claim
Another thing regarding battery life: the battery capacity degrades over time quickly. So whatever measurement you see in reviews or what Apple claims, subtract 10%.
I don't own a device, Apple or otherwise, that delivers near the factory claimed life, at least for me. I like things bright, and tend not to treat them gingerly. 6+ hours is pretty good, compared to other stuff I use or have used.
But again, the utility of that USB-C port can't be underrated. I will never again buy a laptop without one.
But again, the utility of that USB-C port can't be underrated. I will never again buy a laptop without one.
I haven't really kept a log but I think I'm getting close to 7+ hours just surfing the internet, checking email, etc. Is there an app you can install that keeps tabs on the battery time similar to the iPhone?
As with all devices, it will depend on several factors such as brightness, how hard you push it, etc.
In general, I use it for word processing, emails (usually web-based instead of apps) and web browsing with the brightness a notch or two under the halfway point. I can easily get a full day of use out of it this way. If I put the brightness up higher or decide to use Chrome/Firefox instead of or in addition to Safari, that can cause the battery to drain a bit faster.
In general though, I definitely feel like I've gotten as good, if not slightly better, battery life on my base rMB compared to my late '13 13" rMBP.
In general, I use it for word processing, emails (usually web-based instead of apps) and web browsing with the brightness a notch or two under the halfway point. I can easily get a full day of use out of it this way. If I put the brightness up higher or decide to use Chrome/Firefox instead of or in addition to Safari, that can cause the battery to drain a bit faster.
In general though, I definitely feel like I've gotten as good, if not slightly better, battery life on my base rMB compared to my late '13 13" rMBP.
I get a solid 8 hours on my rMB for email, web browsing, writing papers. It's a great little machine.
How can you charge from other places then? Will any USB source of power work or is a minimum power rating required? Would a 10W iPad type charger work? (albeit slowly)
There was another thread where someone mentioned that it could, because the base model is overclocked more compared to the higher models. However, the difference should be fairly minimal as far as I remember.
That's really strange that it had no charge and died during the set-up. Might want to take it back and get it looked at/exchanged as that doesn't sound like normal behaviour at all.
I believe a minimum rating is needed, similar to how many iPads may not charge when plugged into a computer because the draw is too low.
I remember seeing people say it worked, slowly of course, with the 12W charger, but I don't recall seeing any mention of trying the 10W one off the top of my head.
I've had this baby for a couple of weeks now, and your experience is not something I can recognize at all..
So far my battery life have been awesome and lasted me several full days of work (MS Office suite, mail, web) I think i could get it to 8 hours without a sweat, but haven't tried because of meetings, transportation etc. that shortened my days working on it.
I do however see a massive problem with Flash in Firefox, so that will be deleted ASAP (After ~10-15 seconds full screen play the video starts lagging massively - might be an overuse of CPU? Might be = bad battery then)
For reference mine is the 512gb version
since you are upgrading from a MBP and you are looking for battery life, I would buy a 2015 MBP 13".
2015 pro is not much different from my late 2013.
I bought a MacBook. Haven't test its battery life yet.