Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I should add that a "Service Battery" warning has popped up recently, so maybe it's just an issue with my machine. Yep, all 2016 MBPs have terrible battery life, when they have faulty batteries and are directly telling you that’s the issue!
That battery warning came only recently. Battery life has been terrible all along. Anecdata, anecdata. But again, the design capacity of the MBP battery is less than that of the MB Air. It’s a questionable trade-off for a “pro” machine.
Correct, the MB Air is rated at 12hrs for “wireless web”, the MB Pro is 10hrs for “wireless web”.
> It’s a questionable trade-off for a “pro” machine.
You must have a very opinionated view of “pro” that doesn’t fit the normal reality. A usual “pro” (at least in Apple’s context) is usually (but obviously not always) sitting somewhere with a power outlet. The battery is intended for meetings or other moderate duration periods of disconnect. If you want a laptop for being completely mobile, then go with one designed for that purpose (MacBook, MacBook Air, iPad w/ keyboard). If you want desktop class performance in a portable form factor, then there are trade-offs, and battery being one of the heaviest parts, that’s usually it. While I think Apple’s obsession with thinness at all costs is questionable to me, laptop weight being as minimal as possible isn’t, especially to my back that carries it each day.