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Health & Fitness

Microsoft released a firmware

Microsoft released a firmware update for the Surface Pro 2 only a couple of weeks after its launch, and it now appears as a result the device has received a massive boost in battery life.The Redmond-based giant said at the time the update allowed the Marvell Wi-Fi chip inside to achieve lower power states which in turn resulted in improved overall battery life. Tech news site AnandTech called Microsoft's bluff and put the new firmware update through its paces to see exactly how much power was saved.
A lot, it seems.
The publication ran multiple tests with a Surface Pro 2 calibrated at 200 nits. In the web browsing battery life test, the firmware update delivered 25% more battery life, while the video playback test saw an improvement of 16%.
The machine that received the update, which is only available for the Surface Pro 2 and not its sibling the Surface 2, meant a 7.73 hour best laptop battery duration compared to just 6.65 hours without the update.
AnandTech asked Microsoft why the Surface Pro 2 is unable to deliver battery results on par with the 2013 MacBook Air, and the company responded with a statement noting their tablet includes a number of sensors not found in the MacBook Air.Microsoft also said the Surface Pro 2 boasts with a higher resolution display, an active digitizer and capacitive touch capabilities – all of which mean an increased power consumption.
The tablets run Windows 8.1, which caused a lot of noise when it was released replacement laptop battery.
The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 were released in Australia on 22 October for base prices of $529 and $1019, respectively.

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