14 DAY TRIAL // Not much is known about the battery integrated into Microsoft’s Surface RT, as the company has always avoided to provide clear autonomy figures for its first tablet in history.
Apart from the fact that it’s equipped with a 31.5 W-h battery, the Surface RT is said to provide an autonomy of approximately 8 hours when browsing the web on Wi-Fi, watching clips or listening to music.
“Surface with Windows RT comes with an internal lithium-ion battery designed to go everywhere you go. With connected standby, you’re always up-to-date, and with up to 8 hours of battery life, you can create the next great presentation, email family, or watch videos on a single charge,” Microsoft explains.
The battery care FAQ available on Microsoft’s website also reveals that you can charge the Surface at any moment, as it doesn’t really matter whether it’s on or off.
But it’s more important to keep in mind that the battery has limited recharge cycles and, at some point, it may eventually need to be replaced by a professional.
Last but not least, Surface RT owners are recommended to let the battery run down at least once per month before completely recharging it.
“Surface is designed to work between 32°F and 95°F (or 0°C to 35°C). Lithium-ion batteries are sensitive to high temperatures, so keep your Surface out of the sun and don’t leave it in a hot car,” Microsoft explains in its FAQ.
If you wish to boost the battery life of your Surface RT tablet, there are three different things to do: adjust the screen brightness from the “Settings” charm, disable notifications and turn off Wi-Fi.
While we highly doubt that notifications waste so much battery power, disabling Wi-Fi can really help conserve battery life, but since the tablet doesn’t provide cellular support, this is the only option to browse the web.