Thanks to a new firmware update, Microsoft has cemented its claims that the Surface Pro 2 would feature 75 percent better battery life than its predecessor.

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According to new numbers released today by AnandTech, the Intel-based Surface Pro 2 can now last longer than the ARM-based Surface 2 when browsing the web, something that it couldn’t claim before the update.

But when it comes to video playback, Microsoft’s new Pro tablet falls short. The Surface Pro 2 clocks in at 7.73 hours on AnandTech’s video playback test, more than 2.3 hours less than the Surface 2, which ran for 10.05 hours, and almost 6 hours less than the iPad 4.

While that’s better than the Surface Pro 2’s battery life before Microsoft updated its firmware, it’s near the bottom of the table for tablet performance. Some of that may have to do with the Surface Pro 2’s Haswell processor, the same chip that’s powering ultraportable laptops like the MacBook Air and the Sony Vaio Pro 13.

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By and large, tablets like the iPad that are on the market today are based on ARM’s processor architecture, which trades performance for energy efficiency, which gives them an advantage over the Surface Pro 2 in battery life testing. The Surface Pro 2 also doesn’t do as well compared to its ultrabook competition, which is now reaching battery life figures of more than 13 hours on a single charge.

Microsoft told AnandTech that the reason the Surface Pro 2’s battery life takes such a hit compared to ultrabooks like the MacBook Air has to do with the Surface’s additional hardware capabilities, like sensors, an active digitizer and high-resolution screen, which put a strain on the tablet’s battery.

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