14 DAY TRIAL // A new bug is said to be hitting Microsoft’s very own Surface, as a recent firmware update is causing inaccurate battery readings on a number of devices.
Users posts on reddit indicate that the issue appeared after the latest updates released by Microsoft and it mostly comes down to Windows no longer showing when the Surface device is plugged in.
Furthermore, users explain that the battery capacity is no longer accurately displayed, with sudden drops in battery life, often leading to unexpected shutdowns due to drained batteries.
By the looks of things, the issue is hitting more than just one model, and until now, I’ve seen reports pointing to a similar behavior on the Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, and Surface Pro. Other Surface devices, like Surface Laptop and Surface Book, aren’t impacted.
I haven’t seen a similar issue on my first-generation Surface Book either and the battery data seems to be accurate. The charging also works as expected.
New reports, old problem
But according to users who posted on reddit, this isn’t necessarily a new problem, and one Surface owner says the bug was first observed on the Surface RT. As Microsoft’s first Surface ever, the Surface RT was launched in October 2012 and was running Windows RT.
“After a firmware update to resolve battery issues, I am now experiencing battery issues I didn't have prior to the update,” reddit user Wallzii explains.
“I am extremely unimpressed. My battery capacity is being reported as higher than the design capacity now (it jumped 8,000mWh or so after the firmware update), so my SP3 thinks it has more charge remaining than it actually does. This causes hard shutdowns when my battery is reporting it is low, around 15%, because there isn't actually any charge left.”
Microsoft hasn’t acknowledged the problem just yet, so it remains to be seen when and if a fix is planned.