iLounge

Continuing to look into display- and battery-related questions surrounding the third-generation iPad, DisplayMate has found some noteworthy battery charging-related oddities. In an email exchange with iLounge, DisplayMate President Ray Soneira indicated that the third-generation iPad—when connected to power via the included Apple 10W Power Adapter—actually continued to draw 10W of power for up to one hour after reaching what is reported by iOS as a full 100% charge. In iLounge’s testing, the new iPad switches from a lightning bolt (“still charging”) to plug (“done charging”) battery icon 5 to 10 minutes after reaching 100%; Soneira confirmed that the iPad still charges even when it claims to have been filled.

Notably, iLounge found unusual, non-linear reported battery drain during our numerous battery tests, with the third-generation iPad sometimes reporting a battery loss of just two percent over the first hour of testing, then averaging 10% of loss each hour afterwards while performing the same tasks. It is unclear at this point whether Apple has taken certain liberties when reporting battery levels to give the impression of faster charging and slower loss—similar to its prior treatment of cellular signal levels for iPhones, an issue remedied shortly after the iPhone 4 was released—or if there is some other explanation for the observed battery charging and discharging behavior.