Dell XPS-13 Hemorrhaging Power

[pcuser1985]

My new DELL XPS13 loses power. The battery lost 8% of its charge when unused for about two weeks through early December. Earlier, the battery had self-drained by about 2% over three days. The unit was switched off with the battery fully charged each time.

A few days ago, the battery level suddenly dropped by 10% while I was using the PC with the charger switched on and the unit otherwise running normally.

The problem has been getting worse progressively since then. The unit is now self-draining by about 3% overnight. Also, the charge-meter readings are currently incorrect. When the charger is on, the battery meter reads 100% but when charger is switched off the reading immediately plunges by 6%.]

I've been using laptops for the past 16 or so years and have never had a similar problem with other PCs from various manufacturers.

DELL Tech Support said: "Battery is discharged naturally even if computer is shut down. It is in a normal state. Please use it as it is."

I would appreciate an independent expert opinion on this, and would also like to hear from other XPS13 users who may have experienced similar problems.

 

[popatim]

The Self drain is a completely normal phenomenon. The other issues sound like its time for a new battery to me.

 

[pcuser1985]

The other issues sound like its time for a new battery to me.

Leaving the massive battery hemorrhage aside, I agree entirely with your assessment. However, DELL does not see the problems as issues warranting a battery replacement.

 

[velo3100]

Batteries will progressively be worn out as time goes on. There is nothing you can do about that apart from getting a new battery. If the reading for the battery is wrong then you need to get a battery of remove the battery and just run on the power like I am doing.

 

[pcuser1985]

The unit is only 3 months old, but it's already draining by about 3 percent overnight. The system is covered by a 12-month warranty.

 

[hang-the-9]

The unit is only 3 months old, but it's already draining by about 3 percent overnight. The system is covered by a 12-month warranty.

What is the runtime on battery? Test it with a movie or something.

Drain it to very low or dead, then charge it fully, does it keep a full charge? Is there a battery utility available in power options? The battery may be set to extend battery life in which case it won't charge to 100% all the time.

 

[pcuser1985]

hang-the-9 said:
"What is the runtime on battery? Test it with a movie or something.
Drain it to very low or dead, then charge it fully, does it keep a full charge?"

Have already drained the battery to very low. The runtime was about 3.25 hours last week. It keeps full charge momentarily, but drains by about 3 percent overnight.

My children use several other PCs at home including a Gateway laptop, a DELL Inspiron laptop/tablet and an Apple ipad. These systems all have battery drain, of course, but none of them hemorrhages like the XPS13.

Using our 8-month-old DELL Inspiron as a benchmark (it's also running Windows 10), I found that the XPS13 drains about 5 times faster than the Inspiron.

The XPS13 currently drains at a rate of about 3% in 12 hours, whereas the Inspiron discharges about 0.6% overnight (extrapolated the discharge curve).

Also, the rate of discharge has increased significantly, since I first noticed the problem.