CNET posts Zune battery life test results +
While the official test results from Microsoft on the new Zune’s battery life stated 30 hours of audio with wifi turned off, CNET is stating that that’s not the case. From CNET’s official Zune review:
Unfortunately, the 80 GB Zune’s battery life is only average when held up to a high-capacity competitor such as the iPod Classic. With the Wi-Fi feature turned off, Microsoft rates the Zune’s battery life at 30 hours for audio, and 4 hours for video. Our CNET Labs found that the Microsoft Zune 80 is realistically capable of 22 hours of audio-only playback with the Wi-Fi feature turned off, or 18.5 hours with the Wi-Fi feature enabled. Compared with the 45 hours of audio-only playback our lab was able to squeeze from Apple’s 80GB iPod Classic, the Zune 80’s lackluster battery performance is a notable disadvantage. In the context of the first-generation Zune’s 13 hours of audio playback, however, the Zune 80’s 22 hours is a relative step forward. We’ll update this review with video playback battery drain results as soon as they are available from our lab.
22 hours still seems like a good number to me, but when the published numbers say 30 hours, that 8 hour difference might be a cause for concern to some.
What do you think? Does the 8 hour difference matter to you?
UPDATE: Zune Online has discovered the official Microsoft support document detailing Microsoft’s Zune battery test methods. Check it out here.
zune battery, cnet, zune, zunenuze
