Exactly, I use an eGPU and it powers the laptop and connects my 27" 4K Dell monitor. Only time it's not powered on when I take the laptop on a trip. It replaced my 2015 27" iMac 5K
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Do you keep your M1 laptop plugged in all the time?
- Thread starter thadoggfather
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On the desk yes.
Any laptop even the M1 doesn’t have the best battery life when I use it because I’m a speed reader and open more sites and documents than ”normal people”. I tear through data and articles and have to recharge battery twice a day or stay connected.
Any laptop even the M1 doesn’t have the best battery life when I use it because I’m a speed reader and open more sites and documents than ”normal people”. I tear through data and articles and have to recharge battery twice a day or stay connected.
While I'm sitting on the desk for sure. However I spend most of my day working remotely from a local coffee shop or some place outside so it's hard.
When I'm around at home sitting on the desk with the monitor I'm connected to the Dell Thunderbolt 3 dock which is awesome! One cable to rule them all.
When I'm around at home sitting on the desk with the monitor I'm connected to the Dell Thunderbolt 3 dock which is awesome! One cable to rule them all.
I charge it then use it on battery for no other reason than to be blown away with the battery life on the new Air.
I use mine unplugged then when at 50%-60% I charge it up
I gotta say that the M1 charging feels really convenient with USB C and because battery life is very dependable
I gotta say that the M1 charging feels really convenient with USB C and because battery life is very dependable
I'm a bit obsessed over it...
Always plugged.
Aldente at 70%
Once a month I drain the battery, charge it to 100% and discharge it again till 70%
May be it doesn't make a big difference, but I'm a bit concerned about keeping it as long as possible.
My M1 Air is plugged in 90% of the time. I use AlDente Pro to keep the battery at ~70%. I also have coconutBattery and occasionally do their "calibration" although I'm not exactly sure why. But I'm starting to get a little worried. I've had it since February. Who do I believe? coconutBattery or the system's battery health numbers?
They are both valid. The coconutBattery value is just calculated from the known max design capacity and the current full charge capacity. The value from the system battery health is adjusted by Apple based on their unique knowledge of how battery degradation occurs with the MacBook batteries. Apple’s value is useful to determine if you are getting below the warranty cut-off which I think is 80%.
Edit: I would also add that I would stop doing the unnecessary “calibration”. Modern Lithium Ion batteries in Apple’s portables don’t need to be calibrated.
To keep the cycles low. Just streaming videos, I would need to charge it twice a day with the 80/20 protocol. And if doing some work, perhaps even more frequently. The M1 Pro 14 also gets pretty warm while charging. I wonder if it's normal.
If you keep your Macbook plugged in all the time, use Al Dente to limit the charge to keep your battery health high for years! https://apphousekitchen.com/
I *highly* recommend Al Dente.
I *highly* recommend Al Dente.
I also highly recommend al dente. I’ve had my MacBook Pro Max for a month and it has five cycles on it. It arrived out of the box with three! I spend most of my time with it on my chest while I’m laying in bed working from home! It gets a little warm sometimes but it’s never been uncomfortable.
I just don’t know if there’s any validity to occasionally run it down to 15% and then charge it back up to 100%. Don’t these new batteries illuminate the need for this type of "memory prevention?"
Yes, modern batteries don't have "memory". that was really a feature of the older nickel or cadmium-based batteries.
I do doubt their ability to eliminate the Illuminati, who are much more subtle and tenacious.
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It's not for the battery's sake. It's for your fuel gauge's sake. Which is the thing that calculates how much battery is still in your battery. AKA your battery capacity to percentage number.
So how often should I run it down and charge it back up to keep the fuel gauge accurate?
It's kinda vague but seems like every 1 month is more than enough for it to be accurate.
And from what I've heard . You only need to drain it to about 15% . You don't need to drain it to 0%
I keep mine plugged in 99% of the time. It is mostly a desktop replacement. MacOS keeps the charge at ~80% automatically.
Apple’s automatic mode is great when it works for you like that. The problem is that it is a black box and for some of us, it just doesn’t work, at all. that is why I switched to AlDente where I can select a percentage and I can turn it on and off. It works reliably.
Apple likes their systems that automatically handle things in the background without the user needing to get involved. When that works it is very nice but they don’t allow for cases where it doesn’t work and then you have no feedback or control and it is frustrating.
It didn't do so with my MBA M1 when it was plugged in for a week (optimized charging).
Do you refer to an official Apple documentation?
It shows as On Hold: 81% on mine. You probably need way more than a week.
Why unplug it if you are sitting at your desk with the power cable nearby? If you charge and discharge constantly, you will use your battery cycles, and they are only guaranteed up to 1000 cycles. That's less than 3 years if you do that every day.
The battery optimization is designed to prevent over-charging that can impact battery life; plug it in when stationary, and unplug to move it around. The battery is to allow mobilty when you want it. Otherwise keep the machine charged so that you have a (nearly) full charge when you need to move. Think of it as keeping your fridge / pantry stocked with food, or your gun loaded