Microsoft Surface Power Cover extends battery life by 70 percent, shipping next week

[Shawn Knight]

Microsoft’s refreshed Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro tablets launched late last year and at the time, the Redmond-based company promised to provide battery-extending Power Covers in the not-too-distant future. That time is now upon us as Microsoft has revealed the new Power Covers will arrive later this month.

Microsoft made the announcement via Twitter and also opened up pre-orders. According to a post on ZDNet (which claims the tech specs on Microsoft’s page are incorrect), the Power Cover weighs in at 1.2 pounds and is double the thickness of the listed 9.75mm – so, 19.5mm.

That’s a lot of extra weight and girth but according to the company, the cover will extend battery life by up to 70 percent. That’s better than the 50 percent claims the company made when the tablets launched and could certainly make a difference in terms of productivity for road warriors or those that frequently take long flights.

The Power Covers will be available in the US, Canada and Japan starting March 19 for $199.99. That may sound like a lot of coin for added battery capacity but it is worth pointing out that the covers also include a Type-style keyboard. If you happen to need a physical keyboard as well, you could essentially kill two birds with one stone here.

A spokesperson for Microsoft did not confirm when or if the covers would make their way to other regions.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/55959-microsoft-surface-power-cover-extends-battery-life-by-70-percent-shipping-next-week.html

 

[wastedkill]

Whoa a 70% increase in battery life yet only a 50% increase in price for the cover now thats what I call a bargain, let me just buy my new tissue for $50,000 even tho it has a 70% increase in absorbtion... Microsoft have a way of telling you they wish they were apple and have higher prices then they do.

 

[GhostRyder]

Whoa a 70% increase in battery life yet only a 50% increase in price for the cover now thats what I call a bargain, let me just buy my new tissue for $50,000 even tho it has a 70% increase in absorbtion... Microsoft have a way of telling you they wish they were apple and have higher prices then they do.

The keyboard by itself is over 100 bucks (120 to be exact) and this has a battery extender that adds up to 70% life to a battery that normally for me lasts around 4 hours on average means that now its going to last 7 hours which is a huge difference in time especially considering the performance of the surface pro's.

An off brand Phone battery extender for instance costs 100 bucks, would you expect a giant tablet one that doubles as a keyboard to be less than that. Its going to have a bigger battery and you get a keyboard which is a nice deal in general.

 

[wastedkill]

The keyboard by itself is over 100 bucks (120 to be exact) and this has a battery extender that adds up to 70% life to a battery that normally for me lasts around 4 hours on average means that now its going to last 7 hours which is a huge difference in time especially considering the performance of the surface pro's.

An off brand Phone battery extender for instance costs 100 bucks, would you expect a giant tablet one that doubles as a keyboard to be less than that. Its going to have a bigger battery and you get a keyboard which is a nice deal in general.

Well considering the damn keyboard costs $100 on its own..... I hardly doubt apple would attempt to sell a cover/keyboard for $100 and get away with it its not like it has 24hrs life time added to it.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

the Power Cover weighs in at 1.2 pounds and is double the thickness of the listed 9.75mm – so, 19.5mm.

I don't believe that... 19.5 mm is really fat. My laptop is almost 4 pounds and is 21mm thick. The entire Surface 2 Pro (the thickest one you can buy) is only 13.5 mm thick. I can't imagine a battery fatter and bigger than the entire tablet and yet would weigh about half of the 2 pounds of the Surface 2 Pro and only provide 70% more battery. What'd they do, put a small battery in a huge case?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

What I don't understand is if the extended battery/cover/keyboard is such a killer idea why don't all manufacturers offer something like this...

 

[Kibaruk]

What I don't understand is if the extended battery/cover/keyboard is such a killer idea why don't all manufacturers offer something like this...

Because they are selling the idea of a tablet, not buying a whole laptop without a mouse.

 

[Guest]

I'm on the fence between this and the dock I'm pretty good with the battery life on my sp2 if I need juice I plug it in to the inverter in my mobile office aka Ford explorer lol or at the non- mobile office aka the prison lmao.

 

[GhostRyder]

Because they are selling the idea of a tablet, not buying a whole laptop without a mouse.

I would more put that as a hybrid device because of the way its marketed and designed (Especially on the pro series). Though I like the option of at times using a keyboard and mouse/trackpad when I don't feel like using the touchscreen constantly.