Question Laptop Battery Issues - Does not charge adequately

[GVM2014]

Hi, I have an Asus TUF FA506IU in my household with the next configuration: Ryzen 4800H, 16 GB DDR4, GeForce 1660 Ti, 500 GB SSD. The laptop is 3.5 years old and it started to have some weird issues with the battery. The laptop is used by a family member so I do not know precisely when this issues started.

2 days ago, when I powered the laptop to install some software on it, I noticed that, although the battery status was indicated as 100%, the battery seemed to be at 0% in reality, because, when I pulled the charger out, the laptop shut down immediately.
At first, I assumed the battery died and might need replacing.
However, today, when I powered on the laptop again, it started to charge normally, from 0% to 100%. I tested the battery and it lasted for around 3 hours, which is normal for a battery more than 3 years old. When I wanted to recharge the battery again, then it charged normally for a while (between 10-20 minutes), then it went almost instantly to 100% in the status indicator (I mean the icon in the bottom right on the screen where it shows how much power is available in the battery).
When I tested again to see how long it lasts, the battery drains in less than hour, while the status indicator provides inaccurate information. I mean, it says something like "3-4 hours remaining", but it drains in 30-60 minutes.
Also, the setting in My Asus where you select whether the battery should charge at 80 or 60% does not seem to work, the battery charges always to 100% as indicated in the Battery Settings from Windows, albeit that does not seem to actually be the case (meaning that the battery is stated to be 100% full, but it drains much quickly than it should do so if it were at 100%).
Can anyone tell me what is going on? Is the battery dead? Then why did it behaved normally during a previous test? Or is it a software issue?

PS: I would also add that when I run a system diagnostic in MyAsus, it says there is nothing wrong with the battery, so I am confused.
I don't mind replacing the battery if it's dead, but I need to be sure, so I won't spend 70-80 euros on a replacement for something which is not actually defective.

 

[Lutfij]

2 days ago, when I powered the laptop to install some software on it
Did your issue stem after installing said mystery app or before you installed it?

Gave you checked to see if the laptop is pending any BIOS updates? If you're working with Windows OS, you might want to delete/uninstall the entries that show up underneath Batteries in Device Manager, reboot the laptop and see if that helps. have you tried working with another power brick meant for your laptop?

If the issue cropped up after an OS update, then it's the app not working with the OS, try and perform a system restore prior to when the issue/update took place. A battery that is failing or faulty will be reporting incorrectly, just an FYI. A battery will also degrade if left unused for a long while on a shelf/in storage.

If you want to rule out a software/OS issue, reinstall the OS, then manually install all drivers and apps then see if the issue persists.

 

[geofelt]

Batteries of any sort do not last forever.
If you decide to replace the battery, do not pick a cheaper "compatible" battery.
Buy the exact same part number that you now have, and buy from a reliable source.
Batteries may contain circuitry that "compatible" batteries can't handle.
Yes, you will pay more

 

[NedSmelly]

It’s possible the BMS circuit in the battery needs recalibrating. Try running it flat again, then recharging back to full without turning the computer on.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Recalibrating+laptop+batteries/101517

 

[GVM2014]

Batteries of any sort do not last forever.
If you decide to replace the battery, do not pick a cheaper "compatible" battery.
Buy the exact same part number that you now have, and buy from a reliable source.
Batteries may contain circuitry that "compatible" batteries can't handle.
Yes, you will pay more

I am aware of all this, thank you. The point is to determine what is wrong with the battery, first.

 

[GVM2014]

It’s possible the BMS circuit in the battery needs recalibrating. Try running it flat again, then recharging back to full without turning the computer on.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Recalibrating+laptop+batteries/101517

Thanks for the tip. I'll try it tomorrow.

 

[GVM2014]

2 days ago, when I powered the laptop to install some software on it
Did your issue stem after installing said mystery app or before you installed it?

Correlation is not causation. That app is a Norton antivirus, there is no way it has anything to do with the battery.

Gave you checked to see if the laptop is pending any BIOS updates?

There is no pending BIOS update, the BIOS is the latest.

If you're working with Windows OS, you might want to delete/uninstall the entries that show up underneath Batteries in Device Manager, reboot the laptop and see if that helps.

Tried that, did not help.

have you tried working with another power brick meant for your laptop?

By "power brick" you refer to another battery or to another AC charger?

If the issue cropped up after an OS update,

No.

A battery that is failing or faulty will be reporting incorrectly, just an FYI. A battery will also degrade if left unused for a long while on a shelf/in storage.

Yes, but the fact that the behaviour of the battery has been inconsistent is confusing me. I know that they degrade in time (even if used), but it is not yet clear if that is the case.

 

[GVM2014]

It’s possible the BMS circuit in the battery needs recalibrating. Try running it flat again, then recharging back to full without turning the computer on.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Recalibrating+laptop+batteries/101517

Well, I run it flag again until the laptop shut down on its own, then recharged it back to full without turning the computer on, but it did not work.
Still gives inaccurate reports.

Speaking of which, when I will get a replacement, how do I know it's genuine Asus product and not some kind of "compatible" battery? Does it have a specific label?

To describe what happened: after the recharging, the battery indicator showed 100% charged. However, once I pulled the AC out, the battery started draining much faster than it should have if it was at 100, dropping to 30% in less than 40 minutes. Then, I connected to the AC again, and started recharging: the indicator said the full recharging from 30% to 100% should take 38 minutes. It recharged normally for around 12-14 minutes, until somewhere between 45-50%, after which it went "woosh" to 100% almost instantly.