Battery Health/ Capacity Low out of box Alu Macbook?

[gcortega]

Hey everyone,

I got my brand new alu macbook 2.4 last friday, and out of the box the battery was at 99% with about 4058 mAh battery capacity (using iStat pro and coconut). After calibration it lowered to 3960 and to 97% health. I called applecare and they sent me out a new battery. They said that the proper battery capacity should be between 4100-4500 mAh.

This new battery arrived this morning and its again at 99% with 0 cycles, and a capacity of 4094 mAh. I now think that its just my computer that somehow is producing this low battery capacity number. I've read on different websites that the new macbooks are around 4200 mAh.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. Could it be my computer is producing this low battery capacity> Should I even be worried about this or is it normal for brand new batteries to show lower than normal capacity/not 100% health?

Thanks

GC

 

[tubbymac]

Mine purchased at launch is showing 4148 full charge capacity, so it's not that much different than yours.

 

[MattyK]

Strange, mines 5402 and i'm using a blackbook 2.16ghz..

 

[gcortega]

Strange, mines 5402 and i'm using a blackbook 2.16ghz..

Well that's normal, the older blackbooks have larger batteries. The new aluminum macbooks are smaller.

 

[MattyK]

Well that's normal, the older blackbooks have larger batteries. The new aluminum macbooks are smaller.

how inconvenient.

 

[VSMacOne]

how inconvenient.

Not really... it's about the same thing, because as you lose in battery capacity, you gain in a more power friendly LED screen and overall machine.

My coconutBattery is showing a decreasing mAh. It pretty much changes all the time but so far it hasn't gone below 4250.

 

[gcortega]

Not really... it's about the same thing, because as you lose in battery capacity, you gain in a more power friendly LED screen and overall machine.

My coconutBattery is showing a decreasing mAh. It pretty much changes all the time but so far it hasn't gone below 4250.

Should I be worried that my macbook with 2 different new batteries has never gotten more than 4096? I feel like everyone consistently gets around 4200 and up. Maybe it just needs to be used some more, who knows!

 

[VSMacOne]

Should I be worried that my macbook with 2 different new batteries has never gotten more than 4096? I feel like everyone consistently gets around 4200 and up. Maybe it just needs to be used some more, who knows!

Hmm... I remember mine starting off above 4300, and I know it's decreasing, but the fact that your batteries don't even show 100% charge and you're way under 4300 off the bat, makes me think you might have a bad laptop. You need to take it to a store or call AppleCare and tell them your problem, and ask for a replacement. It may just be a bad logic board, or the whole machine could be compromised...

 

[tubbymac]

My coconutBattery is showing a decreasing mAh. It pretty much changes all the time but so far it hasn't gone below 4250.

From your picture it says the initial battery capacity was 4100 but now it's 4276. How did you get it to go up? Did a full calibration improve it or something?

 

[brop52]

From your picture it says the initial battery capacity was 4100 but now it's 4276. How did you get it to go up? Did a full calibration improve it or something?

They just don't have the correct maximum/serial number in Coconut battery.

Also, OP your percent health is useless until you calibrate the battery.

First, reset the SMC/PRAM by taking out the battery after shutting down and unplugging the magsafe. Next, hold down the power for 5 seconds. Then put the battery back in and start up while holding command-option-p-r until it chimes twice and let go. Charge until the battery is full and leave it charged for two hours. Then discharge the battery fully while using the computer. Let it sleep when it runs out of battery on its own. Let it sit in its hibernated state for 5 hours. Last, charge it up fully.

You may not see the results right away, but use the machine and see how long the battery lasts you and check the health numbers in a week. FYI turning off bluetooth (bluetooth prefs) and IR (security prefs) along with reducing the brightness will dramatically increase your battery life. Also, calibrate every 2-3 months and keep it connected to the magsafe if you are using the machine a lot so you don't prematurely wear down the battery.

 

[VSMacOne]

From your picture it says the initial battery capacity was 4100 but now it's 4276. How did you get it to go up? Did a full calibration improve it or something?

Yeah, the 4100 is supposedly what the maximum is, but the meter showed like 4350 or something, and it's been getting lower ever since.