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99817
April 4th, 2013 16:00
Dell XPS 13 (L321X) Battery Charging Issues
Hi,
My laptop is no longer charging past 49% when plugged in to charge. I understand batteries wear down eventually, and don't hold their full charge. But is it normal for it to say "49% available (plugged in, charging)" and just never get past that 49% anymore? The battery health meter says "Your battery is performing normally", and it seems to charge and discharge normally, it just never charges past 49% anymore.
My old Dell would still charge to 100%, and that 100% would just last less and less long in real-time as the battery got older, so that's why I wonder if something is wrong with this one when it won't charge past a certain percentage.
Also, given that I have only had the laptop since September, is it normal for the battery to wear out this quickly if that's what's going on? How much would it have to wear out within a year for it to be considered a defective battery?
Thanks.
Dell-Rajesh R
6 Operator
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3.3K Posts
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April 4th, 2013 21:00
Hi kazoom88,
All rechargeable batteries wear out with time and usage. As time and cumulative use increase, the performance will degrade. For the typical user, noticeable reduction in run time generally will be observed after 18 to 24 months. For a power user, reduction in run time generally may be experienced prior to 18 months. We recommend buying a new Dell laptop battery when the run time does not meet your needs.
Batteries tend to deteriorate over time. Keeping battery in the laptop and plugged to the power outlet at all times would actually causes damage to the battery and causes it to be more energy inefficient, not storing energy.
For more details, see:
◦Laptop Battery FAQs.
◦Laptop Battery or Power Problems.
Awaiting your response!
Ericinsd
1 Message
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June 3rd, 2013 15:00
I have the exact same problem with my XPS 13. I got it around October of last year and within the last few weeks it only charges to the mid-40%. The tray icon shows plugged in and charging but the % never increases. It happened suddenly, not like a deteriorating battery. I ran the diagnostics which passed. Seems like it started when I ran Windows update. I updated all the Dell drivers too with no change...
kazoom88
2 Posts
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June 3rd, 2013 16:00
Hey Eric, The Dell answer above didn't help me much (it obviously wasn't 'normal wear and tear' and like yours, my laptop passed the diagnostic test).
What I found DID help (which I read it on some other forum somewhere, forget where) was letting the charge go down to below 5% and only after that plugging it back in to charge. It magically started charging back to the 100% range. I guess I had been plugging it in to charge soon after seeing a 10% warning so I hadn't let it run down that low in a while on its own. No idea why that fixed it but it did.
Hope that helps you more.
skowp
3 Posts
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November 24th, 2014 17:00
My 1.5 year old XPS 13 will not charge. I even ordered another power cord but still no charge. Tech support says my mother board is shot. That is very bad business and me, and my office, will not longer support Dell because of this. If their products do not hold up better than this, we will have to move on to another brand......certainly not Dell.
ams4life
2 Posts
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March 27th, 2015 17:00
me too, i have an XPS 18 and had the same exact problem. it lasts 1 year 7 months, i got a full 2 months more than you. customer service was awful. wont buy a dell ever again if they dont fix this.
skowp
3 Posts
1
March 27th, 2015 19:00
My question is this......does Dell really want to do business this way? I will never buy another Dell product. My XPS 13 was 18 months old when it started having problems. Now it is nothing more than a boat anchor. Never again Dell!!!!
kirkd
6 Operator
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5.2K Posts
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March 28th, 2015 09:00
Sometimes the circuitry on the battery loses touch with reality. Running the battery down to flat results in the circuitry being recalibrated. You should NOT have to go down to below 5% each time you want to recharge Best battery life when you try to keep above 30% or so. Lithium electric car batteries are newer allowed to go below 35-50% because they are warrantied for 100,000 miles. Try to monitor your battery with BattStat. Gives lots of info.