Tested: The Truth Macbook Pro's Behind The Terrible Battery Life
Macworld|Macworld March 2017

Many Benchmarks Later, the Answer Lies Somewhere Between a Smaller Battery and Heavier Workloads.

Gordon Mah Ung
Tested: The Truth Macbook Pro's Behind The Terrible Battery Life

Read professional reviews of Apple’s new MacBook Pro lineup, and you’ll come away thinking the new laptops have great battery life.

Dive into a customer forum, though,and the upshot will be exactly the opposite:The new MacBook Pros have “pisspoor” battery life.

That characterization came from user yillbs on MacRumors.com (go.macworld.com/mr). “I don’t think anyone can convince me that this thing isn’t just flat out the worst battery life ever on a MacBook,” yillbs wrote, clearly frustrated. “I’ve been defending it like mad, but at this point… how can you? 4.42 hours is just bad.”

User Happypuppy was anything but. “Not happy with the battery either. I was editing my MacBook review video last night and at 6:28 p.m. it was at 100 percent,” Happypuppy wrote. “At 8:52 p.m. it was down to about 42 percent.”

Contrast those write-ups with Macworld’s review (go.macworld.com/ mwmbp), which said: “Battery life is also solid, with both models lasting a full day of heavy use, with multiple apps open, dozens of Safari tabs, streaming music to Spotify, and occasionally indulging in some video viewing with Sierra’s picture-in-picture feature.”

Macworld isn’t alone. From Laptopmag to The Verge and Notebookcheck.net, the vast majority of reviewers have lauded the MacBook Pros for good battery life.

My own tests agreed. I’m no fan of the MacBook Pro’s butterfly-switch keyboard, nor its lack of USB Type A ports, but one thing I do know is it has relatively good battery life. When I tested both a non– Touch Bar 13-inch MacBook Pro and the base 15-inch MacBook Pro some months ago, I was able to coax about nine hours of 4K video playback from each at 255 nits of brightness.

Denne historien er fra Macworld March 2017-utgaven av Macworld.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Macworld March 2017-utgaven av Macworld.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MACWORLDSe alt
GAMESIR X2S TYPE C: TURN YOUR iPHONE INTO A SMALL STEAM DECK
Macworld

GAMESIR X2S TYPE C: TURN YOUR iPHONE INTO A SMALL STEAM DECK

If you're serious about getting a better handle on your iPhone gaming, consider a gamepad, an external device that provides physical controls-actual buttons, joysticks, direction pads, and more.

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT APPLES NEW IPAD PRO M4
Macworld

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT APPLES NEW IPAD PRO M4

HERE'S ALL THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE iPAD PRO REFRESH.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2024 M2 iPAD AIR
Macworld

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2024 M2 iPAD AIR

HERE'S THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE NEW IPAD AIR, INCLUDING PRICING. SPECS. AND NEW FEATURES.

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024
Are we in Apple's post-iPad era?
Macworld

Are we in Apple's post-iPad era?

The new Pro and Air raise more questions about where the tablet fits in Apple’s lineup.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
ANKER 675 USB-C 12-IN-1: STYLISH DOCKING STATION AND STAND COMBO
Macworld

ANKER 675 USB-C 12-IN-1: STYLISH DOCKING STATION AND STAND COMBO

The Anker 675 USB-C 12-in-1 Docking Station and Monitor Stand solves several of your laptop's limitations in one user-friendly, stylish, friendly and functional product.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
TIMBUK2 CLASSIC MESSENGER BAG: STYLISH UPDATE TO AN URBAN ICON
Macworld

TIMBUK2 CLASSIC MESSENGER BAG: STYLISH UPDATE TO AN URBAN ICON

There was a time when a trip downtown was filled with the hustle and bustle of people. And a lot of those people sported Timbuk2's Classic Messenger Bag-not just bicycle messengers, but also commuters going to work, tourists sightseeing, and anyone else trying to get where they need to go.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
Apple needs to become a software company again
Macworld

Apple needs to become a software company again

The Al features baked into iOS 18 and macOS 15 need to be compelling enough to convince people to upgrade.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
Don't expect the Mac Studio and Mac Pro to be updated at WWDC-or in 2024
Macworld

Don't expect the Mac Studio and Mac Pro to be updated at WWDC-or in 2024

Updates to the high-end desktop Macs won’t happen until 2025.

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024
Apple's M3 chip lineup is a victim of the times
Macworld

Apple's M3 chip lineup is a victim of the times

The chip that was supposed to be the next generation of Apple silicon has suddenly become a footnote in Apple history.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
The iPad Pro's M4 chip breaks the rules and changes everything about Apple silicon
Macworld

The iPad Pro's M4 chip breaks the rules and changes everything about Apple silicon

Now that the M4 iPad Pro is here, what will this mean for the chips coming to the iPhone and Mac?

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024