Why my Surface Laptop Studio Model 1964 i7 doesn't charge stably via usb-c?

Question

I'm trying to charge my my Surface Laptop Studio Model 1964 i7 via USB-C. I'm using a 100w charger (Anker 736 Nano II 100w, supports PD 3.0) with a PD cable. When the pc has more than 50% of battery and I connect the charger it charges without problems, BUT when the battery is low it charges for 3-5 seconds before disconnecting (showing the notification "energy saver is on"). It doesn't show the slow charging notification. After 3-5 seconds the icon of charging reappears and after 3-5 seconds the notification "energy saver is on" reappears, playing on loop.

No problem charging with the 95W original Surface charger.

I tried resetting the battery driver as shown here, but it didn't change the charging behaviour.

I'm pretty sure that the cable is not the problem, I tried with those three: Linkup Thunderbolt 4.0 USB 4.0 240W 40Gbps, UseBean USB 3.2 100W 20Gbps and Baseus USB-C 100W PD 3.0 PD 4.0 QC 4.0.

How can I solve the problem? Thanks

Answer 1

Hi xFeden,

I believe maybe you and the moderator are the same person, right?

Thank you for sharing this solution here, although I don't know how it works, but if it can solve this problem temporarily, then I think this method is worth sharing and promoting to other customers who have similar problems.

In order to help users with the same issue, please mark “Yes” to this reply using the account you used when posting the thread in order to pinpoint a quick solution for other users, thank you for your cooperation.

Also please confirm this with Anker support, if this PD charger is compatible with the Surface Laptop Studio, I think they should subsequently update the compatibility list for this charger.

Best Regards,

Mitchell | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Hi, thank you very much for the in-depth reply, I didn't know that the parameters were not matching.

Meanwhile I think I just found a solution to my issue, following the Taman Esgin's solution here: I did a hard shut down pressing the Power Button for around 20s. After the restart the PC charged with the Anker 736 Nano II 100W even from low battery percentages. I have no idea why it worked and I don't know if it is a long lasting solution. I'll do more research on my charger compatibility contacting the Anker customer support. Thank you

Answer 3

Hello Negri,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

Please allow me to share the original power adapter parameters of the Surface Laptop Stuido and the Anker 736 Nano II 100w website respectively here.

The original Surface Laptop Stuido power adapter has a total of 102W, with 95W (15 volts @ 6.33 amps) for the Main charger and 7.5W (5 volts @ 1.5 amps) for the USB power charger.

Surface power supplies and charging requirements - Microsoft Support

The official parameters for the Anker 736 Nano II 100w are here:

https://www.anker.com/ca/products/a2145?variant=45037157318820****

In terms of the power provided, this PD charger can output a maximum power of 100W, which should be able to meet the charging demand of Surface Laptop Studio. However, the corresponding voltage and current parameters are not listed in the official parameters, so I cannot confirm the voltage that this charger can provide. If the maximum voltage provided by this charger is less than 15volts, then this may be the reason why the Anker 736 Nano II does not charge the Surface Laptop Studio well:

USB-C and Fast Charging for Surface - Microsoft Support

In addition, in the compatibility list, we only see the Surface Book2 displayed in the list. Strictly speaking, if the Surface Laptop Studio is not listed here, then we can assume that this PD charger may not be compatible with the Surface Laptop Studio:

 

Disclaimer: These are non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate and safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

Therefore, I think everything you're using is fine, including Surface, cable, Anker 736 Nano II, except that this third-party charger may not be compatible with Surface Laptop Stuido. I think you can contact Anker's customer support directly and confirm this.

Best Regards,

Mitchell | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 4

Hi Mitchell,
I'm the same person (Federico Negri and xfeden), I'm sorry for confusing the accounts. I've contacted the Anker support as suggested.
Thank you