It took Microsoft long enough to respond to widespread Surface Pro 3 battery life criticism and acknowledge there was indeed something wrong on the hardware manufacturer and software developer’s end, but once fixing the previously mysterious issues became a “top priority”, identifying the root cause and putting together a patch was a piece of cake.

Or so we presume, based on the minimal time needed to roll out a simple firmware update. That’s right, you should be able to iron out all glitches from the comfort of your home, without having to visit a repair shop or ask for a device replacement.

Just plug your Surface Pro 3 directly into AC power using a standard adapter (not the docking station), go to the Start menu, Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update, select Check for updates, install the System Firmware Update published on August 29, i.e. yesterday, then finally, reboot your device, and wait for the successful completion of the process.

Keep in mind that it might take up to five charge and discharge cycles for the busted “fuel gauge” to “stabilize as it relearns the actual battery capacity in your Surface Pro 3”, at which point you should again be able to squeeze way more than an hour of running time out of the convertible tablet’s cell.

Basically, the perfectly functional “tank” couldn’t be filled before because its readings were off, and the “full charge capacity of the battery” was “misreported to the operating system and device firmware” on a “limited number of Surface Pro 3 devices.” All’s well that ends well.

Source: Microsoft