I've read several reviews by critics, as well as some users here on HN, that report that the new MacBook Pro battery is actually lasting quite a bit longer than its predecessor. I always found this surprising considering the current ongoing controversy.
I myself bought a brand-new 2015 model 15 inch, and I'm getting all day battery close to 12 hours. I've never had a laptop deliver such battery life before. And that's doing C++ development all day!
So you would get 9 hours on this year's model (likely enough for you.)
This year's has give or take a 75 watt hour battery while last year's has give or take 100 watt hours, so to arrive at the above figure I quoted three quarters of what you reported.
Perhaps. Some reports by varied users really do claim improved battery life on the new 2016 model, so perhaps, especially with this last macOS update a few days ago, I'd actually get more than 12 hours now. Who knows, I ain't buying this first iteration of the 2016 model. But when I gave it a try at the store, I must admit I liked the feel a lot. The battery and graphics issues, and my unwillingness to deal with dongles (for now), and the extra 400 euros, led me to the proven 2015 design.
By the way 3/4 the battery wattage does not mean 3/4 the battery time. The new 2016 supposedly uses lower power consumption, especially with the display itself (which is where much of a battery goes). Which is why many people are getting longer battery life from a smaller battery (if you believe many of the reports out there, including by tech journals).
Was this an issue in the recent 2016 model? All major laptops by all manufacturers have prevented overcharging in batteries for years. It has always been safe to leave a Macbook plugged in long after the battery was full.
This was ether introduced in 2014 or 2015 models. My 2015 MBP did suffer from it. Mostly used in a office environment it lost at least 10-20% of battery volume within a year.
Yes i also never heard of any other brand still having that issue.
On my phone on a bus right now. But there is a thread somewhere in a mac support forum that suggests to put tape over (i think) the 2 middle connectors on the charger which somehow fixes the issue.
Edit:// i dont use apple anymore so take that with a grain of salt. I mostly remember because the all mac company i worked for then was in rage. Thought about switching to thinkpads. And already replaced a few of those faulty things in mid 2016. I did not really care because it knew i just get a new one. I did however confirm it myself, it did not wait even 1% to charge again. Next to my battery dying faster than anything i've seen before.
I myself bought a brand-new 2015 model 15 inch, and I'm getting all day battery close to 12 hours. I've never had a laptop deliver such battery life before. And that's doing C++ development all day!