Simplo batteries on Surface Pro 3 may be defective; here’s how to check

Surface Pro 3 not holding charge, Simplo batteries are to blame. Here are the instructions to check if your devices has this type of battery.

Surface Pro 3 unveiling event in New York City

It’s possible that your Surface Pro 3 might have come with a defective battery. If you’re noticing poor battery life performance, it’s probably not Google Chrome, it could be the Simplo battery on your Surface Pro 3.

Recently a number of users at the Microsoft forums have been reporting that Surface Pro 3 devices are not holding charge long enough, in some cases the battery will last less than an hour.

Of course, battery degradation over time is something to be expected. It’s the nature of rechargeable batteries. However, the obvious evidence of the Simplo batteries not holding charge little after a year isn’t something we see every day.

Defective Simplo battery report Surface Pro 3
Image source Microsoft forums (Kridsada Thanabulpong)

One affected user tells that followed the troubleshooting steps, Microsoft support concluded that it’s a problem with the battery. The biggest concern is that the problem appears weeks after the one-year warranty ends on the device. Logically, this puts customers into a very frustrated situation, because they’re being asked to pay for the repair costs, which it can go for around $500.

Microsoft has said that it’s investigating the problem with Simplo batteries on Surface Pro 3. However, there are not details on when we’ll see a resolution to the issue.

How to check the type of battery on your Surface Pro 3

If you suspect that your Surface Pro 3 is having battery life issue, or you’re curious on the kind of battery is included on your device, you can do the following:

  1. Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the power user menu and select Command Prompt (Admin).

  2. Type the following command to move the root directory (C:\) and press Enter:

    cd\
  3. Type the following command to generate a battery report and press Enter:

    powercfg /batteryreport
  4. Type battery-report.html in the Command Prompt and press Enter to open the battery report with your web browser.

    PowerCfg BatteryReport Command Prompt for Surface Pro 3

If under “Installed batteries” the manufacturer field reads SIMPLO, then your Surface Pro 3 may be affected by this problem. If it’s an LG battery, you’re in the clear.

This is a bad situation for both, Microsoft and customers. Legally speaking, Microsoft doesn’t have any obligation to deal with this problem, but if the company wants to keep customers happy the best course of action is to get to a reasonable solution.

Have you checked the type of battery on your Surface Pro 3? Are you having battery draining issues? Tell us in the comments below.

Update, July 27, 2016: Microsoft confirms that has isolated the battery drain issue, and confirms that Simplo batteries aren’t defective. It’s an actual software-related issue, and a fix is coming soon.

Update, August, 20, 2016: On an statement at the Microsoft forums, a support engineer at Microsoft said that a software fix is coming soon to Surface Pro 3 owner to address the battery issue.

Update, August 30, 2016: Microsoft is now rolling out a new firmware update to address the battery drain issue on Surface Pro 3 devices.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.