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Microsoft Surface battery life: New updates again target Surface Pro 4, Book power issues

Amid speculation about a possible Surface all-in-one launch, Microsoft has delivered updates to improve battery life on some existing Surface models.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer
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Microsoft's latest firmware update aims to boost battery life for the Surface Pro 4, as well as for the Surface Book.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft has a bunch of performance improvements in September firmware updates for Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and Surface 3 devices.

For the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, the update carries Microsoft's latest efforts to chip away at the models' battery-life challenges and deliver a five-star instead of a three-star experience.

Microsoft spent much of this year attempting to knock over the two models' restless sleep problems linked to the Connected Standby feature. September's driver updates aim to take its battery life and power management to the next level.

Owners of both models can access the September driver updates by checking updates in Windows or viewing the device's Windows update history, Microsoft notes on its Surface blog for IT Pros.

Microsoft has two battery-boosting driver updates for Surface Integration, with one that optimizes screen brightness when the device wakes up from sleep or hibernation.

There are also two new drivers for Surface Integration Service Device that target power management when applying updates and changing power states. Similarly, a new driver for the Surface UEFI targets stability and performance improvements when switching between power states.

It also features two non-power related updates. A new Intel Precise Device driver will improve the stability of the Surface Pro 4's touch after waking up from sleep or hibernation mode. And finally, users should also find it easier to pair the Surface Pen with the Surface device.

The September driver updates for Surface Book are identical to those for the Surface Pro 4, with the exception of an update to Surface DTX, which "optimizes log file storage space management".

Microsoft has also released a smaller number of driver updates for the Surface 3 and Surface 3 LTE models, including AT&T, non-AT&T, Verizon, and non-North American variants. These updates should improve modem stability and are available for Surface 3s running Windows 10 and Windows 8.1.

Details and download links are available on Microsoft's blog.

Although Intel has released its new Kaby Lake processors, Microsoft isn't expected to release a successor to the Surface Pro 4 until next year.

However, its current lineup of portable Surface devices may be joined by the rumored Cardinal Surface all-in-one, which may include a new Surface-styled keyboard.

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