Battery "Replace Soon" but still great capacity?

[axboi87]

Mac OS is telling me "Condition: Replace Soon!" however I still get 4+ hours of life out of it, it charges quickly and Coconut Battery says I'm still at 76% capacity after almost 900 cycles. Is this just something it says when you get under 80% capacity or over a certain number of cycles or is it going to completely and utterly FAIL soon lol....

13" Aluminum Unibody Macbook

 

[ECUpirate44]

No need to replace it. I'd run it into the ground 76% after 900 cycles is pretty darn good.

 

[GGJstudios]

Apple says batteries are designed to retain up to 80% of the original capacity up to 300(removable)/1000(built-in) cycles. That doesn't mean that once a battery drops below 80% that it's useless. You can keep using it until it dies. Your health is good, considering the cycles you have on it. Make sure you calibrate your battery to make sure the readings are accurate. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[axboi87]

About once a week or two weeks I follow those "calibrate" steps. I also do that about 4x with any new battery (I know this isn't necessary these days but i still think it breaks them in good). I'm thinking about buying a new aftermarket one for $46 and using the original as a backup. The one I was looking at is 4400mah which is 300 more than the original.

 

[GGJstudios]

About once a week or two weeks I follow those "calibrate" steps. I also do that about 4x with any new battery

You should only be calibrating every 1 or 2 months. Doing so more frequently is wasting battery cycles with no benefit. You're shortening your battery's life by calibrating so often. Read the Battery FAQ I posted for proper battery care.