Surface battery life - test

Surface battery life - test

Maximizing Battery Life on Your Surface Pro

This guide provides best practices to help you extend and preserve the battery life of your Surface Pro tablet.

Understanding Battery Health

All lithium-ion batteries gradually lose capacity after a certain number of charge and discharge cycles. Over time, this results in shorter usage intervals between charges and reduced overall battery performance. Following the steps below can help extend your Surface Pro’s effective lifespan.

Tips to Maximize Battery Life

1. Adjust Display Brightness

Reducing your screen brightness can dramatically improve battery life.

To adjust brightness:

  1. Open Start β†’ Settings β†’ System β†’ Display.
  2. Under Brightness, enable Change brightness based on content (set to On battery only).

Display brightness settings

πŸ’‘ Tip: Adjust brightness and enable content-based brightness to improve battery performance.

2. Set Screen Timeout

Shorter timeouts reduce power use when you’re idle.

To configure screen & sleep:

  1. Go to Settings β†’ System β†’ Power & battery β†’ Screen and sleep.
  2. Choose shorter intervals for β€œOn battery” mode.

Screen and sleep settings

πŸ’‘ Tip: Devices that remain awake longer consume more power β€” shorter sleep settings help conserve battery life.

3. Use Battery Saver Mode

Battery Saver limits background activity and lowers screen brightness when power is low.

To enable Battery Saver:

  1. Open Settings β†’ System β†’ Power & battery β†’ Battery saver.
  2. Set Turn on automatically at to 20% (recommended).
  3. Enable Lower screen brightness when using battery saver.

Battery saver settings

πŸ’‘ Tip: Turn Battery Saver on automatically and dim the display to extend runtime.

4. Enable Smart Charging

Smart Charging helps prevent premature battery wear by capping charge levels during prolonged plug-in use.

How Smart Charging works:

  • Automatically engages when your Surface stays plugged in for extended periods.
  • Limits charge to 80% to reduce long-term degradation.
  • Pauses when the battery drops below 20% or you use the device more often on battery; allows a full charge.
  • Re-engages based on your usage patterns.

To temporarily pause Smart Charging (for a full 100% charge):

  1. Open the Surface app.
  2. Select Smart charging β†’ Pause.

Smart charging settings

πŸ’‘ Tip: Manage Smart Charging in the Surface app when you need a full charge before extended use or travel.

5. Keep Your Device Updated

Installing the latest firmware and driver updates ensures efficient power management.

  • Open the Surface app, or
  • Go to Settings β†’ Windows Update β†’ Check for updates.

Additional Resources


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