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Unibody MacBook Pro Q&A
Published June 29, 2009
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What is the "real-world" battery life of the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models? How does the battery life of each compare to the model each replaced?
Please note that all MacBook Pro models mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. However, this Q&A is up-to-date and quite useful for anyone considering one of these notebooks on the used market.
One of the most substantial changes between the "Mid-2009" MacBook Pro models and earlier systems is that the entire line uses batteries that are not designed to be "swapped" or replaced by the end user.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.
Apple explains that by more tightly integrating the battery with the case and using lithium polymer batteries which essentially can be "molded" to conform to any shape, the "Mid-2009" MacBook Pro line provides more watt hours in the same amount of physical space.
Apple further explains that the battery in the "Mid-2009" MacBook Pro is:
Built with a chip that talks to each of its cells to determine their precise condition. The chip shares this information with the computer. And the computer uses an advanced algorithm to make delicate adjustments to the charging current, varying it to suit the changing conditions inside the cells. This Adaptive Charging reduces the wear and tear on the battery and gives it a much longer lifespan than ever before -- up to five years.
This combination of more efficient use of space, increase in W/Hr, and hardware/software design, reportedly makes it possible to provide 7 hours of runtime in the 13-Inch and 15-Inch models and 8 hours of runtime in the 17-Inch model in a "wireless productivity" test. Apple further defines this test as using the notebook on the "Better Battery Life setting" (using the slower NVIDIA GeForce 9400M) and "wirelessly browsing various websites and editing text in a word processing document with display brightness set to 50%".
By comparison, the "Unibody/Late 2008" 13-Inch MacBook and 15-Inch MacBook Pro models provide an Apple estimated 5 hours of runtime in the same tests and the 17-Inch "Unibody" model -- the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 17-Inch (Early 2009/Unibody) -- which also uses the same battery design, provides 8 hours of runtime.
A two hour increase in runtime is impressive, but regardless of the numbers provided by Apple, it is important to see how the systems perform in objective "real-world" battery life trials.
Real-World Battery Test Results
In a "harsh" battery life test -- described as all power-saving features off, wi-fi on, 100% display brightness, and playing music continuously -- the WSJ's Walt Mossberg found that the 13-Inch and 15-Inch models:
Scored among the highest battery lives between charges of any laptop I have ever tested with a battery that fits entirely inside the machine's dimensions, without sticking out of the back or bottom and adding weight.
The smaller of the two machines lasted a few minutes shy of five hours in my test. And the larger one lasted five hours and 21 minutes. I estimate that, in a more normal usage scenario, both machines would come close to Apple's claim of around seven hours between charges.
In a trilogy of reviews, MacWorld tested batteries by playing a movie on continuous loop ripped from DVD and stored on the hard drive. Movies were played in full screen mode with full display brightness, but keyboard illumination turned down and wi-fi turned off. The publication reported:
The new 13-Inch MacBook [Pro] lasted about 48 minutes longer than the older aluminum MacBook [3:33 compared to 2:44], and about 10 minutes longer than the current 2.13 GHz white MacBook [2:22].
The new [15-Inch MacBook Pro] models ran for 4 hours and 3 minutes, 4 hours and 1 minute, and 3 hours and 56 minutes for the 2.53 GHz, 2.66 GHz, and 2.8 GHz respectively -- an average of 4 hours. That represents significant improvements in battery life compared to earlier models. For example, comparing the 2.53 GHz MacBook Pro of today to one of the same clock speed in October 2008, reveals a 63 percent increase in battery life. Comparing the new 2.66 GHz model to the older 2.66 GHz model (from March) reveals nearly a 26 percent boost in battery life.
The battery life of the latest [17-Inch MacBook Pro] model is essentially unchanged from its predecessor's. But, again, that's not a ding by any means. The 17-Inch MacBook Pro's battery life increased dramatically when Apple integrated its latest (non-removable) battery technology in the February model. That model clocked in at 4 hours, 20 minutes in our standard test. . . the latest model lasted almost exactly as long: 4 hours, 18 minutes.
PC Magazine tested the 13-Inch and 15-Inch models booting Windows Vista and running MobileMark 2007 using customized settings and discovered:
[The 13-Inch MacBook Pro running] the MobileMark 2007 test returned a time of 4 hours 44 minutes -- an increase of nearly 2 hours from the 3 hours 10 minutes of the previous MacBook 13-Inch [and the 15-Inch MacBook Pro] generated 5 hours 30 minutes of battery life on the MobileMark 2007 battery test. Its predecessor had topped out at a mere 2 hours.
In the most extensive analysis of all, AnandTech put the the 15-Inch model through an onslaught of tests and was impressed:
In my lightest test, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro lasted eight hours and eight minutes. That's with the screen at half brightness (completely usable) and no funny optimizations. The notebook is just playing music and surfing through a lot of my old reviews. There's no way this could be right. Maybe my test was too light?
[In a more heavy Flash-intensive test the MacBook Pro ran for] six and a half hours, out of a 5.5 lbs notebook. For comparison, the older MacBook Pro could only manage 3 hours and 17 minutes in the same test. The new notebook lasted almost twice as long. Mathematically, this doesn't make sense. There's only a 46% increase in battery capacity, there shouldn't be a ~100% increase in battery life. . . ever.
AnandTech also tested the 15-Inch model running Windows Vista and Windows 7 and noted that the battery life was considerably worse when booting Windows in line with PC Magazine's findings.
Battery Life Summary
Ultimately, it appears that Apple's battery life numbers for the "Mid-2009" MacBook Pro models are realistic for day-to-day use making an effort to conserve the battery with the less power hungry (but also less powerful) NVIDIA GeForce 9400M. Apple's battery life numbers are perhaps conservative, even, which is a pleasant surprise to those used to often overly "optimistic" battery life numbers from manufacturers.
However, as Apple notes as well, battery life may vary depending on "configuration and use" and this is demonstrated in the variety of real-world tests performed.
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