Microsoft Investigating Surface Battery Drain Issues

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Windows updates appear to be causing problems again, and this time they're crippling Microsoft's own Surface devices.

Surface Laptop 2 and Surface Pro 4 owners have taken to social media to complain about rapidly draining batteries. In once instance, a user said their Surface Laptop 2's battery fell 20% after just 19 minutes. In another, a Microsoft Answer forum user claimed their six-month-old Surface Laptop 2 loses 25% of its charge overnight when it's turned off.

Surface Pro 4 owners are also having serious problems. One person tweeted that their Surface Pro 4 powers down in less than three hours when surfing the web or watching YouTube. The Surface Pro 4 is now a few years old, so poor runtimes could easily be blamed on the natural degradation of lithium-ion batteries. Then again, batteries shouldn't drain as fast as some users are reporting and Microsoft won't want customers to think that their Surface laptop will be a paperweight within a few years.

Microsoft hasn't released an official statement on the matter but their Twitter support team has been asking users whether the battery drain occurred after an update was installed. This suggests that the battery problems could be software related, and not anything to do with the Surface's components.

Microsoft Support admitted that the company is currently investigating the problem. Until a solution is found, Surface owners are encouraged to look out for new Windows 10 updates and Surface firmware patches. Microsoft will want to solve this problem soon or risk hurting the image of the upcoming products it's set to launch at the Surface Event on Oct 2.

The good news is that if the battery problems stem from a software bug they should be fixable through another update — barring that it doesn't cause even more problems.

Microsoft Oct. 2 Surface Event: What to Expect

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. Previously, he was a Senior Writer at Tom's Guide and has also been a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.