Envy 14 Battery Life Log

[GivingHope]

Originally Posted by zeth006

Allow me to add some context. When I said 3:15, I meant excellent considering the poor power management capabilities. But it's still not good enough in my book. If the Macbook Pro can get 10 hours, I would hope HP had some means of achieving at least 6 easily.


Unfortunately, PC OEMs with few exceptions rarely reach that benchmark without installing an ultra low-voltage and/or a bulky battery.

Macbooks and Macbook Pros do not get 10 hour battery life. It's just the erroneous advertised battery life. Realistically, they get around 5-6 hours. I'm not surprised to see Mac OSX having better power management than Windows.

[iofthestorm]

The Sony Vaio Z ads say it gets 6-7 hours of battery life, and it's got similar specs to the Envy 14, so there's probably something HP can do to improve on their current battery life.

[ucdke]

My BatteryBar Battery Wear already says 3.7% and my computer is less than a week old and it's never been unplugged!

[MagusDraco]

battery tends to get so and so wear from the factory. mine was at 3%

[HTWingNut]

Originally Posted by iofthestorm

The Sony Vaio Z ads say it gets 6-7 hours of battery life, and it's got similar specs to the Envy 14, so there's probably something HP can do to improve on their current battery life.

For one, the Vaio has a much smaller screen, so most likely much less power draw. Secondly, advertised battery life is inaccurate. If you head over to the Sony forums they get about 5 hours or so. The Envy 14 gets 4.5 on average it seems.

[Beric1]

I'm not sure what to do now. So about a month and a half ago I ordered my HP Envy 14. Everything about the laptop is great, except for the battery life.

Everyone I've seen online on various discussion forums (including here) and in reviews is getting around 4:15 with wifi on, light internet browsing, integrated graphics, and brightness slightly down. I get 2:30 with similar conditions. I have done all of the standard checks and procedures to maximize battery life, and no improvement. My battery tests perfectly fine. So I called HP support.

First time I called, they said there would be a BIOS update out in 30 days to fix the issue. 45 days later, still no such update has appeared.

2nd time I called, they remotely accessed my computer, and after an 80 minute phone call, they did a ton of attempts at optimization and so forth. Killed services, ran tests, and so on. No better battery life.

3rd time they called me to check up, and when I reported no improvement, they said they'd call me again the next day.

4th time (yesterday), they accessed my computer remotely for another hour, and then basically said that my battery life was normal (after doing all these tests!), and that I should call again if it got worse.

I am not a very forceful person, but I am not satisfied. Everyone else is getting 4:15 under the same conditions, almost twice as long as me. I've seen reports of other people with an identical issue get their motherboards replaced, and then it was fine.

Basically (if you've read this far), what should I do? I want it fixed. Asking for a battery replacement is not gonna help as the battery condition is fine in all tests. It's a more serious issue with my computer. I hate dealing with support.

[Fat Dragon]

Originally Posted by Beric1

I'm not sure what to do now. So about a month and a half ago I ordered my HP Envy 14. Everything about the laptop is great, except for the battery life.

Everyone I've seen online on various discussion forums (including here) and in reviews is getting around 4:15 with wifi on, light internet browsing, integrated graphics, and brightness slightly down. I get 2:30 with similar conditions. I have done all of the standard checks and procedures to maximize battery life, and no improvement. My battery tests perfectly fine. So I called HP support.

First time I called, they said there would be a BIOS update out in 30 days to fix the issue. 45 days later, still no such update has appeared.

2nd time I called, they remotely accessed my computer, and after an 80 minute phone call, they did a ton of attempts at optimization and so forth. Killed services, ran tests, and so on. No better battery life.

3rd time they called me to check up, and when I reported no improvement, they said they'd call me again the next day.

4th time (yesterday), they accessed my computer remotely for another hour, and then basically said that my battery life was normal (after doing all these tests!), and that I should call again if it got worse.

I am not a very forceful person, but I am not satisfied. Everyone else is getting 4:15 under the same conditions, almost twice as long as me. I've seen reports of other people with an identical issue get their motherboards replaced, and then it was fine.

Basically (if you've read this far), what should I do? I want it fixed. Asking for a battery replacement is not gonna help as the battery condition is fine in all tests. It's a more serious issue with my computer. I hate dealing with support.

If you want it fixed, call them and tell them so, and make sure the rep realizes that the problem has been evaluated several times and nothing has fixed the problem, but your battery life is clearly deficient and a replacement 8-cell battery isn't going to change anything. You could also suggest that they send you a free slice battery instead of an in-shop repair if that's more acceptable to them (though you might have to explain what it is to some of the reps, as the term "slice battery" doesn't always register with them). However, don't try to take in-shop repair off the table, because it makes you look like you're trying to scam a free slice out of them, and it puts you in a tight spot if you ever wanted to get 8+ hours out of your laptop, since they wouldn't repair it for battery life issues if they had already sent you a free slice to make up for them.

The most important thing is that you don't take no for an answer. Your future business and recommendations are more valuable to them than the cost of repairs or sending you a free slice battery, and it's okay to remind them of that fact. If the rep you're talking to at first says no, ask to speak to a manager and work your way up the chain. You can also ask to take the customer service survey after the call - most reps are a bit more eager to please that way.

[Beric1]

Originally Posted by gcrussell1

If you want it fixed, call them and tell them so, and make sure the rep realizes that the problem has been evaluated several times and nothing has fixed the problem, but your battery life is clearly deficient and a replacement 8-cell battery isn't going to change anything. You could also suggest that they send you a free slice battery instead of an in-shop repair if that's more acceptable to them (though you might have to explain what it is to some of the reps, as the term "slice battery" doesn't always register with them). However, don't try to take in-shop repair off the table, because it makes you look like you're trying to scam a free slice out of them, and it puts you in a tight spot if you ever wanted to get 8+ hours out of your laptop, since they wouldn't repair it for battery life issues if they had already sent you a free slice to make up for them.

The most important thing is that you don't take no for an answer. Your future business and recommendations are more valuable to them than the cost of repairs or sending you a free slice battery, and it's okay to remind them of that fact. If the rep you're talking to at first says no, ask to speak to a manager and work your way up the chain. You can also ask to take the customer service survey after the call - most reps are a bit more eager to please that way.

Thanks a lot man. You both gave me the words and the guts. +rep

[Fat Dragon]

Originally Posted by Beric1

Thanks a lot man. You both gave me the words and the guts. +rep

Hope it goes/went well! Keep us updated - I'm interested to see what happens - if they would give a slice instead of repairing, if they will repair it and how, etc. My guess if it gets repaired is a short on the mobo, though I'm no expert.

[Beric1]

Originally Posted by gcrussell1

Hope it goes/went well! Keep us updated - I'm interested to see what happens - if they would give a slice instead of repairing, if they will repair it and how, etc. My guess if it gets repaired is a short on the mobo, though I'm no expert.

Well, I'm moving into college right now, and my BCB clears in 2 or 3 more days, then I'll give it my best shot.