Surface Pro 3's Battery Woes Begin Anew

Batteries on mobile devices are becoming a hot (sometimes literally) these days. On the one hand, that could help hasten the development of newer, safer, and more reliable power sources. On the other hand, it infuriates and worries consumers to no end. Even before the Galaxy Note 7's battery fiasco, Surface Pro 3 owners were already up in arms about their own problems. But while a firmware update did seemingly fix the issue for those affected by it, it may have inadvertently trigger another, perhaps more debilitating, bug for others.

A few months back, Surface Pro 3 owners reported in droves that their 2-in-1 tablets would no longer hold a full charge and got drained easily. During users' independent investigation, it was uncovered that Microsoft sourced batteries from two companies: SIMPLO and LG Chem. The bug back then affected SIMPLO models and was attributed simply to a bugged firmware. Long story short, a new firmware was pushed and the bug was fixed.

Sadly, the story didn't end there. Now the other half Surface Pro 3 owners are experiencing a worse bug. The tablets refused to charge and, even if shown to have a charge, would immediately shut down when the power cable is pulled. This time, however, the bug seems to be affecting models that use the LG Chem batteries.

Apparently, the issue has actually been reported before but in rarer cases. The recent firmware that fixed the SIMPLO battery issue may have tripped up the bug on even more models, causing it to become more widespread.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the Surface Pro 3 is already out of warranty even during the SIMPLO case. Back then, some owners already paid for an out-of-warranty replacement that Microsoft said it would refund. This time, however, the company has remained silent, earning the ire of many Surface Pro 3 owners.

VIA: InfoWorld