iPad 3 Doesn’t Charge While Playing Graphics-Intensive Games

Consumer Reports has confirmed using a thermal imaging camera that Apple’s new iPad does tend to run a tad hotter than its predecessor. But, during their tests, they also found a more serious issue, apparently.

“Using a thermal imaging camera, Consumer Reports engineers recorded temperatures as high as 116 degrees Fahrenheit on the front and rear of the new iPad while playing Infinity Blade II,” reads the reviewers’ report.

“That’s within one degree of the 117-degree average temperature recorded at Furnace Creek Station in Death Valley, CA in July…”, said Consumer Reports.

When news broke out that the new iPad might exhibit overheating issues, Apple issued a statement claiming the device operates “well within our thermal specifications.”

However, Apple’s tech specs page for the iPad 3 states that its tablet computers should operate in temperatures between 32º F and 95º F.

“We ran our test while the new iPad was propped on the iPad Smart Cover, plugged in, and after it had run Infinity Blade II uninterrupted for about 45 minutes,” Consumer Reports explains. “The device’s 4G connection was not turned on, though its Wi-fi link was. The ambient room temperature was about 72 degrees.”

One Consumer Reports engineer said that, during their tests, he had held the tablet in his hands. “When it was at its hottest, it felt very warm but not especially uncomfortable if held for a brief period,” he noted.

However, Consumer Reports then noticed that the new iPad did not charge when running “Infinity Blade II,” despite being connected to a power source via cable.

“We also noticed that the new iPad wasn’t charging while the game was running and it was plugged in. In fact, the battery continued to drain. It charged normally, however, when we weren’t running a game,” their report reads.

Infinity Blade II is known to be one of the most graphically-demanding games on the App Store. It has recently been updated to support the new iPad's Retina display. It appears that the updated game is putting the A5X's four GPU cores to even more work (provided that Consumer Reports used the latest version of the game in its tests).

Posted in: News, Review, Tablet