MacBook Pro 16 inch battery life

Partially figured it out (for me at least)

Station (getstation.com) was forcing my discrete GPU to run all the time and eat up all my battery.

Open it using terminal with this command: `open /Applications/Station.app/ --args --disable-gpu`

and your battery life life goes from about 3 hours to over 5 hours.

Still not even close to a full day, but much better.

I don't know if the OP or anyone else on this forum has figured out the problem but there's nothing at all wrong with your 16" MBP. There are only 2 major things that are causing the battery drain and possibly a 3rd one. And yes I have a 16" MBP with the AMD 5500 8GB card.

#1 issue is the AMD dGPU. It drains battery. Period.

#2 issue are the apps being used that activate the dGPU.

Here is my short list of apps that are doing this.

Chrome. Not only is it a resource hog but it activates the dGPU.

Spotify. Activates the dGPU. Seems like a simple app but it's really not.

Final Cut Pro X activates the dGPU.

Apple's Photos app activates the dGPU.

Adobe's Creative Suite. Resource hog and activates the dGPU.

Pixelmator photo editor. Activates the dGPU.

Connecting the MacBook to any external monitor activates the dGPU.

iMovie activates the dGPU.

Bootcamp. Running Bootcamp'd Windows works only on the dGPU and there's no way to switch it to the Integrated Graphics.

Playing most games activates the dGPU.

These apps cannot run smoothly using the Intel Integrated Graphics because MacBooks with dedicated graphics like the AMD 5000 series ship with lower grade Intel Integrated Graphics. 13" MacBooks come with better Intel Integrated Graphics to run these apps since they don't ship with a more powerful dGPU.

Lastly the 3rd reason for battery drain (but not as major as the dGPU) is keeping the screen brightness above 70%. If you're using the auto brightness control then this may not affect the battery unless you're using it outside or in uncontrolled lighting.

Without fail I get 11+ hours of battery on my 16" MBP when I'm using apps that don't activated dGPU such as Safari and Apple Music.

It's best for people to verify if the dGPU is activated. Apple Menu-About this Mac. If the Intel UHD Graphics 630 and the AMD Radeon 5000 Series GPU are listed then the app you are using will drain your battery. If you're unsure which ones then close all your apps and launch each one and verify if the dGPU is activated.

Lastly if you leave these apps open and just shrink them into the dock or close their windows they are still keeping the dGPU activated, so you will still experience battery drain even when you're using basic apps like Apple's office suite.

I repeat, there is nothing wrong with your 16" MBP's battery or the computer or the system management controller. These battery complaints have been going on for several years with MacBooks that have dGPU's. More apps today are using the dGPU so it's not always easy to achieve the advertised battery life, but nobody is being lied to here as someone suggested earlier.

If you absolutely need to use these apps at a constant it's best to plug in the Mac for long sessions.

I think it's easier to check the current GPU by going to activity manager > energy tab > bottom panel

I'm averaging 4-6 hours now that I stopped using the app Station (getstation.com) and started using "Mail for Gmail" instead.

You're right. The issue is almost exclusively the dGPU. That's what I discovered when I found this app was causing it to be on all the time.

16'' - i9 2.3 - 16gb ram - Radeon 5500 - 1TB ssd

Catalina 10.15.2

There's an entire thread on Macrumors where a lot of people is experiencing the same problem.

forum/macs/notebooks/macbookpro and search the topic Battery Life on MacBook Pro 16.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/battery-life-on-macbook-pro-16.2212813/

I am experiencing a terrible battery life too. Using my Mac with regular tasks (like web browsing, mail etc) it is around 1% of battery usage every 2 minutes.. do de math to understand my battery life. I can also tell you that in 8 hrs of standby (no tasks open) the battery have drained 7% of its charge.

So I went to the Apple store here in Milan (Italy) and the guy told me that I was basically his first case on a Mac Book Pro 16, because it's a new product. He also told me that he had no papers from Apple regarding this problem. He started the battery test using his iPad and the result was ok. Then he searched with me on the internet for other people having the same trouble and he came to the post I've linked before (the one on Macrumors), so I decided to share with all of you my experience.

Oh, a couple of things:

- He told me to test if it was related to a certain app with a higher battery consumption, so we erased the Mac and restored to factory default. I've tested it for 6/8 hours, the problem was still here even with the Mac brand new "out of the box".

- He also told me to try to reset the battery, discharging until 0% (let the Mac shut down by itself) and then recharge to 100%. Same story here, the problem is still there.

I also don't know if Battery Health 3 is very reliable, because the app is telling me that I have 18hrs remaining after 5min of typing (while in the screenshot, 5 mins ago, was 20hrs). Oh, display brightness 35%

This is not my first Macbook, I had a white unibody in 2013 and an Air in 2016... but I never, ever, experienced such a terrible battery.. It's like a windows laptop, probably worst compared to a Dell XPS.

Another example from this morning

• 9 AM battery 84%
• 10 AM battery 64%
• 10:23 AM 59%

Only browsing the web, no apps open in background, brightness 70%, wifi

Thank you!

I was having this issue with 16" MBP, and resetting SMC absolutely solved it for me.

Over the course of multiple days (with restarts in between), I was only getting about 2 hours of battery life (with general web browsing). I could hardly believe it on a new machine and knew something was definitely wrong.

After resetting SMC, I'm now in the 8+ hour range of battery life while performing the same tasks.

Screen brightness at 90% is extremely high unless you're using it outdoors or in very uncontrolled lighting. But that's your preference. It will come at the expense of battery life. I mentioned earlier that not using an application doesn't mean it's not draining your battery. For example I do a lot of photo editing with Pixelmator. I close the window when I'm not using it but it still remains open in the Dock by the black dot showing underneath the app. If all your apps are closed that activate the dGPU then you shouldn't have a problem with battery life other than that very high screen brightness. Apple's website states 70% brightness for optimal battery life.

Again always check "About This Mac" to make sure the AMD discrete GPU is not activated in order to achieve the best battery life. And if you're using Chrome to web surf that's another problem.

I've been following this thread for a while now, and I think it's safe to say we know the following things:

1. The battery life will not last 11 hours unless you are doing very specific light tasks. (I've had the the time remaining peak at 15 hours, but if I use graphic (dGPU) intensive programs like After Effects, I'll only get a 2-3 hours of battery.) Typically, I get 4-5 hours working in Adobe CC apps and running Safari and Mail and other basic apps. Sometimes 6 or 7. I'm fine with that. If I need hardcore performance, I just plug in.
2. The screen and dGPU drain the battery the fastest (Turn down your brightness and the battery life increases dramatically. It's too dark to see anything, but it tells you what's draining the battery.)
3. My experience is that the battery is the worst in the first few weeks of use, but then it levels out. Still not 11 hours, but an average 5-7 hours, which I'll live with.

Now, the other issues I'm having are:

1. Kernel panic on wake from sleep causing the computer to restart, and;
2. Apps that use the dGPU crashing with considerable frequency (daily, if not more). For me it's usually something from the Adobe CC collection: InDesign, AfterEffects, Illustrator or Photoshop.

I'm wondering if anyone else is having these issues (I know some mentioned Kernal Panics from wake). Is this a widespread issue?

Thanks for replying, Michael, and that additional info, it really helps! Next, you can figure out if unexpected behavior is related to a user file or setting by trying to reproduce the issue from another user account. This process includes creating a new user account, logging in to it, and testing for the issue.

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

Another step you can do is use safe mode to start up your Mac as it does the following things:

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed
• Loads only required kernel extensions
• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically
• Disables user-installed fonts
• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

Log in to your user account and test the issue while in safe mode and then restart normally and test the issue again.

Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac

Graphics performance limited in macOS Recovery, safe mode, or Guest User mode

Have a great day and thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!

Brightness 75%

Wifi

Chrome web browsing

Mail and few non-massive tasks

Pre resetting-SMC

08:30 100%

09:00 85%

10:00 75%

10:30 65%

11:00 58%

12:00 30%

-70% in 3,5 hrs

After resetting SMC

1. Choose Apple menu > Shut Down and wait for your Mac to shut down.
2. Press and hold the right Shift key, the left Option key, and the left Control key for 7 seconds. Your Mac might turn on and show the Apple logo on its display. Keep holding those keys while you also press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds. If your Mac turned on when you first pressed the keys, it turns off at this point.
3. Release all three keys and the power button, then wait a few seconds.
4. Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

14:00 100%

14:30 97%

15:00 87%

15:30 76%

16:00 62%

16:30 51%

17:00 45%

-65% in 3 hrs (so probably -70% in 3.5 hrs)

DPJ wrote:

"But on one is getting this values and not even specs for dGPU use?

how do we let apple reply on this problem?"

I had said I was going to stop posting here simply because I'm tired of getting emails updates on replies I can't stop, plus a lot of FUD is spread on this discussion board due to people not taking the time and getting the proper information. There is absolutely no problem with how the MacBook Pro 16" manages battery. It's the AMD 5000 series dGPU that drains the battery. I generally get 5+ hours when I'm running apps that require the use of the dGPU such as Pixelmator, Adobe CC, Final Cut Pro, iMovie and such. You can easily check in the "About this Mac" section to see if the dGPU is activated or not. If it's listed on the "About this Mac" screen it's activated by one of the apps and battery will drain as well as the computer getting hot. I don't understand anyone using power apps on battery anyway.

Those battery times you listed are accurate. I get the full 11 hours battery when I'm using non-dGPU apps and the screen brightness is at 60-70% and that is what Apple is talking about when referring to those battery times shown. Please see my attachment. You could've easily found it on Apple's website by Googling "Apple Mac battery management". Here is the link to this page as well. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204054

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/e712142a-41fd-43c3-b643-19811611e882

As I said as well, I don't like those apple-fan-employee reply. 99% of the people here telling you that the behaviour of this mac is not comparable to other macs. And this is not questionable, at all. 11hrs of usage is pure mirage. In a normal daily activity based on word, safari and mail is less then 5hrs.

Also, answering to Raj Grainger, I do have a lot of crashes with Garage Band. A huge consumption of battery (1,5hrs full charge) and the temperature at 80°C even if I'm not recording, just opening the application. That's not normal.

I have owned numerous MacBooks Pro's and this is my 3rd 2019/2020 model that I have received from Apple. All of them have dropped battery capacity at an alarming rate when connected to an external display, etc.

From my research the issue is NOT the battery itself but how Apple chose to OVERCLOCK or TURBO BOOST the CPU for virtually every process it handles. You can download and install Turbo Boost Switcher to prohibit this. Additionally there are also issue related to how the graphics card switching is enabled as well. Altering this also helps performance.

I do not see anything stated by apple with the 10.15.7 release that indicates anything has been changed in the OS to help correct these issues as it all appears hardware related.

I will run some testing with the NEW OS installed and see if the battery changes how it drains now with Turbo Boost on/off.

Hello Michael,

Thanks for that info and for choosing the Apple Support Communities. If I understand correctly, you are not getting the battery performance on your new MacBook Pro that you're expecting. Based on your screenshot, please see if this is related to graphics performance with the steps from these Apple resources:

About Mac notebook batteries

Set graphics performance on MacBook Pro

Cheers!

I agree that it's very frustrating and I'm also surprised to find this is pretty much the only thread with people discussing it. The issue is understandable (discrete graphics suck power), but Apple should have been more clear about HOW much less battery life you can expect. Being conservative and avoiding those apps isn't super difficult...but it might be an adjustment for some people and it's a disappointment since we specifically purchased high powered macbooks expecting to be able to use that power. I'm able to use iMessage, Brave browser, Authy, Dashlane, Github Desktop, Querious, PHPStorm, IntelliJ, Sublime, Spotify, Skype, Teams, etc all without using the dGPU. So with the exception of editing photos/video and playing games, I can perform almost all daily tasks without the dGPU kicking in.

Apple states on their website discretely about graphics performance hits on battery life. Someone stated earlier that Apple should mention how much battery life gets hit when using the dGPU. That's not possible because certain apps like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Creative Suite and other power apps are more CPU intensive and there's no way to give a proper guide on battery life because of this.

Guys this is not an "Apple issue" nor is this an issue dedicated to the 16" MBP. This happens on all Windows laptops with discrete GPU's. I see the same arguments about the Lenovo X1 Extreme and the Dell XPS machines with dGPU's. I've been buying Macs for over 25 years and when Apple switched to Intel CPU's and introduced automatic graphics switching in System Preferences they were able to achieve lower battery consumption and advertise longer battery life in the 15" models, but it is application dependent.

Someone else here said there should be an option to switch only the Intel Integrated Graphics. That wouldn't work because the 15" and 16" models use the lower grade Intel Integrated Graphics and you won't get fluid performance from the apps that need the dGPU.

I honestly don't have a clue why Spotify needs the dGPU. iTunes and Apple Music don't activate it. Obviously the Spotify developer has their reasons for doing so. Please view the attachment I posted from Apple's website on how battery life is affected from the dGPU.

I did a SMC reset several times and my battery life is improved with light usage--no applications are turning on dedicated GPU.

I too have noticed that Chrome will drain the battery very quickly though.