New MacBooks have less battery power – but lower usage, too?

GDGT‘s Ryan Block spots something that didn’t crop up at Apple’s MacBook presser last week. The new batteries offer 4700mAh instead of the last generation’s 5600mAh.

I’d estimate that the integrated NVIDIA chipset and ever more behind-the-scenes power-saving techniques are why Apple is claiming such solid life despite killing a fifth of the machine’s energy supply – but a 20% reduction is still no small number

My last-gen MacBook Pro actually reports 6040mAh on a full charge, perhaps because it’s the 17″ model. Oh, for the day where we stop having to worry about whether a laptop can even get as far as lunchtime.

New MacBook Pro: now with 20% less battery power [Ryan Block]

1. [claud9999]

   Don’t the LED backlights save a significant amount of battery power?

   Not that I think any laptop vendor’s numbers on battery life are anywhere near realistic.

2. [desp]

   You should. I routinely get more than 5 hours of battery life on my previous generation MacBook. With the backlight turned down, and focusing on editing text, I get up to 9 hours.

3. [zuzu]

   My Penryn 15″ MacBook Pro reports 4900mAh on full charge.

4. [remmelt]

   The previous generation MBP has 5500-5600 MAh when it’s new. The full charge capacity lowers the more you charge and discharge the unit.

   The previous generation also already had LED backlight.

   I don’t think this is so bad though. If the new computer can get the same uptime with 4/5th of the power, that’s pretty good. We can always buy an upgraded battery later, right Apple? Right?

5. [Anonymous]

   For reference, my 1st generation MacBook’s battery now has a capacity of 5241 mAh after 331 cycles.

6. [zuzu]

   For reference, my 1st generation MacBook’s battery now has a capacity of 5241 mAh after 331 cycles.

   My Penryn 15″ MacBook Pro reports 4900mAh on full charge.

   Mine’s only been through 45 cycles. :/