In a frustrating twist for early adopters, a recent Microsoft UEFI firmware update has broken full charging capabilities for the company’s newest Arm-powered Surface devices. Owners of the Snapdragon X Elite-based Surface Pro 11th Edition and Surface Laptop 7th Edition report their devices now refuse to charge beyond 80%—even after manually disabling battery limit settings.
The issue erupted following July’s UEFI firmware updates (versions 10.0.3030.601 for Surface Laptop 7 and 10.0.3030.601 for Surface Pro 11). Users who’d disabled Microsoft’s default "Battery Limit" feature—designed to prolong battery lifespan by capping charge at 80%—discovered their devices still won’t charge to 100%.
"I turned off Battery Limit to get a full charge before traveling, but it’s stuck at 80% no matter what I try," reports one user on Microsoft’s official forum. This angry thread now aggregates dozens of identical complaints from Surface Pro and Laptop owners.
The Update That Broke Power Management
Microsoft’s release notes for the problematic firmware vaguely cited "improvements to device stability," with no mention of charging changes. Yet the results are unmistakable:
- Surface Laptop 7 UEFI v10.0.3030.601 (full update history)
- Surface Pro 11 UEFI v10.0.3030.601 (full update history)
After installing these updates, the UEFI setting for "Battery Charge Limit" appears disconnected from actual charging behavior. Even when disabled, the system ignores user input and enforces the 80% ceiling. Rebooting, reinstalling drivers, and power-cycling show no effect.
Workarounds Fail, Fix Timeline Unknown
Desperate users have tried:
- Resetting UEFI settings to default
- Using the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit
- Reinstalling battery/firmware drivers
- Full OS reinstalls
None resolved the issue. Microsoft moderators on the forum thread acknowledge the problem but haven’t provided a timeline for a fix. With travel season peaking, the inability to access 20% of their battery is infuriating users who paid premium prices ($999+) for these devices.
What Snapdragon X Owners Should Do Now
- Avoid manual UEFI resets (they won’t help).
- Monitor Microsoft’s Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 update pages for emergency firmware.
- Report issues via Microsoft’s official forum to escalate visibility.
This fiasco highlights the risks of early adoption for Microsoft’s ARM reboot. For now, Snapdragon X Surface owners are effectively carrying 20% less battery than they paid for—with no clear solution in sight.
*Update 8/19/25: Microsoft has not released a fix. This story will be updated when new firmware emerges.*
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