The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery has been bolstered, with a new software update helping increase the tablet’s staying power by almost 25 per cent.
Despite the tablet having only hit retailers on October 22, a firmware update has already been issued, with the software patch used to re-jig the tablet’s power management systems, allowing the device’s Marvell Wi-Fi chip to consumer less power and thus improving the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery life.
According to tests carried out by Anandtech, the software update has seen the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery life jump from a piddley 6.6 hours to a more reasonable 8.3 hours during standard web browsing tests.
Although this software patch has introduced major improvements in the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 battery life, the Windows 8.1 powered tablet is still a noticeable step behind some of its lead rivals. Facing the same tests, the iPad 4 achieve a 9.5 hour battery life while the second-generation Google Nexus 7 hit an unbelievable 12.2 hour staying time on a single charge.
Attempting to justify this still reduced lifespan, Microsoft has claimed that the tablet’s higher resolution display, active digitiser and array of integrated sensors all cause the Surface Pro 2 to be more demanding on its battery’s capacity.
Introduced last month, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 is a direct rival to the new iPad Air, with the 10.1-inch display featuring a 1920 x 1080p Full HD resolution.
With Microsoft suggesting its second-generation tablet is “faster than 95 per cent of laptops in the market today,” the Surface Pro 2 comes in an array of specifications, with storage capacities ranging from 64GB to 512GB.
Due to the premium collection of innards, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 price starts from a hefty, and laptop rivalling, £719.
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