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iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?
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Hicksmat1976
macrumors 6502a
placebo. thats all it ever was. same applies to advice on how you charge your phone and which charger you use, makes zero difference at all. all a placebo. apple have been getting away with it for years and they do need to be called out.
TurboDrooler
macrumors member
16 Pro, 99%, 285 cycles. Almost all slow wireless charging (not MagSafe). Limit set to 85. I almost never charge overnight.
I also have a 16 Plus, I’ve had it since last December. I’ve gone between 80%-90% limit, with occasional bump up to 100% for trips and long days. 168 cycles (maybe I don’t use my phone very much, I do tend to use my iPad at home more). My battery health is at 100%.
The missing data point is how long it is used under 20%. Seems that has a bigger impact on battery health. Those with 100% are all those who keep it in the 20-80% range.
223 cycles, 20-80%, 100% health.
223 cycles, 20-80%, 100% health.
I'm probably on the very "low usage" spectrum compared to some others here....
Anyway, my 16 Pro (October 2024) is limited to 95% charging. I've never wirelessly charged it, here are the results:
- Max capacity = 100% 💪
- Cycle count = 123
Most of the time, when it gets to 15%, I'll charge it.
Anyway, my 16 Pro (October 2024) is limited to 95% charging. I've never wirelessly charged it, here are the results:
- Max capacity = 100% 💪
- Cycle count = 123
Most of the time, when it gets to 15%, I'll charge it.
jamesjingyi
macrumors 6502a
This is my 16 Pro Max just before it got sold. 80% charge limit always, generally low charging speed, with top ups on higher speed chargers when needed. Charged to 100% once or twice when I knew it was going to be a long day. Also would randomly charge to 100% a few times when installing software updates, or on beta software. Mix of wireless and wired charging. Generally didn’t go below 20%. Phone did get warm sometimes, hoping my 17 Pro Max fixes that.
I think the 80% limit did help it maintain 100%, and generally I’m fine with the battery life at 80%, but idk if I could have done so on a non-max phone.
Juli's test (the author of the article) and people's anecdotal evidence here proves to me that setting a charging limit is most definitely not worth it.
After (almost) 3 years my iPhone 14 Pro Max is at 87% battery health and I don't do anything special at all
It'll probably need replacing in around another 2 years by which point I'll likely have another iPhone anyway
It'll probably need replacing in around another 2 years by which point I'll likely have another iPhone anyway
This feature is totally useless. I tried it myself with an iPhone 15 and my results were disappointing. Limiting the battery to 80% would only make sense if it actually helped preserve its maximum health.
It makes no sense not to take advantage of the installed battery capacity in a smartphone, especially when the average user changes their phone every 2–3 years.
I think the best option is to use optimized charging and charge it with a cable (MagSafe charging generates heat that degrades the battery). And forget it.
In any case, as already mentioned, people shouldn’t be stressed about the battery health or cycle count
It makes no sense not to take advantage of the installed battery capacity in a smartphone, especially when the average user changes their phone every 2–3 years.
I think the best option is to use optimized charging and charge it with a cable (MagSafe charging generates heat that degrades the battery). And forget it.
In any case, as already mentioned, people shouldn’t be stressed about the battery health or cycle count
I'm on a 16 at over a year doing 90% the whole time and at 100% battery capacity still.
Spinarelo
macrumors 6502
My 16PM is at 386 cycles with 99% battery. Most days i have it set to 80%.... but sometimes I override that to 100% if im going to have a long day or if I'm going on a trip..... But I think the more impactful thing is that this phone has never been on a wireless charger.... I charge every night with a USB-A to USB-C cable plugged in to an old school 5w charger. Now there have been instances where I've needed a fast charge and had to plug in to a 30w charger, but thats been very rare. I figured if I'm going to charge overnight anyways why blast it with a fast charger, when a slow trickle charge achieves the same result.
13pro, I try to limit it to 80% when recharging (not automatically limited since it is an earlier model). I am at 91% battery health. As a retiree, I am not using it like most on the MR forums. Rarely gets below 20%. I have no inclination to upgrade. I am using a prepaid cell account so frequent upgrades are not offered by the prepaid carriers.
I think the lower end also matters. I always used 80% a charging and I have 94% left at 309 cycles on the 16 Pro. I often run into low battery states in the evening. Maybe that’s more important than we might think. On the other hand my iPhone 13 (company phone) is still way above 90% because I don’t use it that often and it has a low cycle count.
My problem is not with the setting, but with Apple's stupid AI for when to charge.
My morning schedule is erratic. I get up randomly between 4 and 7 am. Not really randomly, but based on work schedule and overseas meetings.
If I could set a rule it would be, "Charge to limit by 4 am, then quit charging." Sometimes my phone is charged and ready to go when I get up and other times it is not. No real pattern.
My morning schedule is erratic. I get up randomly between 4 and 7 am. Not really randomly, but based on work schedule and overseas meetings.
If I could set a rule it would be, "Charge to limit by 4 am, then quit charging." Sometimes my phone is charged and ready to go when I get up and other times it is not. No real pattern.
From my experience, it has been definitely worth it. My wife has had her iPhone 15 for 2 years, and has not used charge limits. After 296 cycles she is at 93% capacity. I've been using my iPhone 16 Pro for 1 year, with an 85% charge limit set. I've only raised the charge limit a handful of days during the past year, and after the exact same number of cycles (296) I am at 99% capacity. I have also been diligent about not dropping below 20% charge.
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I charged my 13 PM with a slow wired charger for the first year and only saw a 1% drop in battery life. The next year I got a 15W Belkin MagSafe charging stand and the battery dropped significantly in that year. I can’t remember how much it was but it was noticeable. I’m pretty sure the reason Apple included slow chargers with all their devices was to preserve battery life. Heat is the real enemy of lithium batteries. I’m still charging my devices wirelessly because of convenience but if you really want them to last long you should slow charge overnight. I upgrade my devices every 4 years or so. Picking up a 17 PM soon. I’m not going to bother upgrading my charge stand to 25W. Hopefully the lower power will give it a bit longer life. That’s also why many of these new 25W wireless chargers have built in fans. Someone should do an extreme battery test vs a 5W Apple charger vs a 25W MagSafe. Then I think you’d see some substantial savings.
Has no one here any technical background? Let lone the mindset?
- Humidity
- Temperature
- Fast/na charging
- Type/brand of charger
- At east two devices in said same conditions, one with a limit, one without
- Time. A year isn't time enough
What worth is your anecdotal "mine did this", when a) the above isn't even mentioned, b) according to the very poll some of you took here, 73% of you "needed" to upgrade your 16 with a 17? You barely kept the old one for a year or so.
Data does not accumulate this fact.
On the other hand, science (not i googled what other people said in a forum, i do mean science) is a good start.
And we know enough about Li-Ion batteries by now.
But to end with something the average.. person would grasp, this is something you do if:
a) you're planning to hold on to your device for the longest possible.
b) you're in a position to have a fixed schedule/very set and organised use of the device.
The more i read here, the more i see people fussing with "options" and "choices" for the sake of fussing, like zero aim or goal. We just play with our Apple products.
This isn't for you. Just don't equate that with it not applying to practice; it does.
- Humidity
- Temperature
- Fast/na charging
- Type/brand of charger
- At east two devices in said same conditions, one with a limit, one without
- Time. A year isn't time enough
What worth is your anecdotal "mine did this", when a) the above isn't even mentioned, b) according to the very poll some of you took here, 73% of you "needed" to upgrade your 16 with a 17? You barely kept the old one for a year or so.
Data does not accumulate this fact.
On the other hand, science (not i googled what other people said in a forum, i do mean science) is a good start.
And we know enough about Li-Ion batteries by now.
But to end with something the average.. person would grasp, this is something you do if:
a) you're planning to hold on to your device for the longest possible.
b) you're in a position to have a fixed schedule/very set and organised use of the device.
The more i read here, the more i see people fussing with "options" and "choices" for the sake of fussing, like zero aim or goal. We just play with our Apple products.
This isn't for you. Just don't equate that with it not applying to practice; it does.
roncron
macrumors 65816
15PM. For one of the two years, I had no charging limit, for the other I set the limit to 95%. Battery health at 87% when I traded it in for a 17P. This doesn't seem like significantly more battery degradation than phones with a 80% charging limit.
That said, I've set a charging limit on my 17P to 90% most of the time; I will remove the limit when traveling or spending a full day hiking or doing photography. Even with a 90% charging limit, I'm getting way better battery life than I got on my 15PM, even when the 15PM was new. Typical day with the 17P is 8 hours of active use causes the charge level to drop from 90% to 40%.
That said, I've set a charging limit on my 17P to 90% most of the time; I will remove the limit when traveling or spending a full day hiking or doing photography. Even with a 90% charging limit, I'm getting way better battery life than I got on my 15PM, even when the 15PM was new. Typical day with the 17P is 8 hours of active use causes the charge level to drop from 90% to 40%.
This. I knew immediately that Apples AI efforts were going to be a disaster because it can't even get this right. It's a hundred times worse on the Apple watch. We have three Apple watches in our household, optimized charges doesn't work as advertised on one of them.
Have genuinely never understood the consumer argument for these features, they’re great for Apple and the manufacturers as they make them look considerate towards being greener, but do they really benefit the user in practice?
Firstly, if you limit your battery to 80% capacity you’re likely going to end up charging your phone more often so does that not negate any potential battery preservation the lower charge offers? Secondly if your goal is longevity in the batteries overall capacity how are you ever going to benefit from it if you’re always setting your max charge limit at 80% anyway? And finally any perceived gains are far more long term than short term, so unless you plan to keep your phone for many many years you’d likely have gotten rid of it before you would see the benefits.
For comparison, my iPhone 16 Pro Max hasn’t had this silly setting enabled and I’m on 97% Max Capacity with 282 cycles.
I’d say a much larger impact on battery health is your method of charging, wireless vs wired, standard vs fast charging. I mainly charge overnight via cable and not a fast charger, with optimised charging enabled. I avoid wireless chargers as much as possible, heat kills battery health more than any other factor.
Firstly, if you limit your battery to 80% capacity you’re likely going to end up charging your phone more often so does that not negate any potential battery preservation the lower charge offers? Secondly if your goal is longevity in the batteries overall capacity how are you ever going to benefit from it if you’re always setting your max charge limit at 80% anyway? And finally any perceived gains are far more long term than short term, so unless you plan to keep your phone for many many years you’d likely have gotten rid of it before you would see the benefits.
For comparison, my iPhone 16 Pro Max hasn’t had this silly setting enabled and I’m on 97% Max Capacity with 282 cycles.
I’d say a much larger impact on battery health is your method of charging, wireless vs wired, standard vs fast charging. I mainly charge overnight via cable and not a fast charger, with optimised charging enabled. I avoid wireless chargers as much as possible, heat kills battery health more than any other factor.
Unless you’re gonna back your facts up, then I would not comment on the issue.
WannaGoMac
macrumors 68030
Hilarious, 15 pages of people telling their battery stats. Someone should collect all them into a spreadsheet for analysis.
All this says is Apple should make a phone without a plateau by increasing the battery size to fill in the space — there’s clearly enough battery obsessed people ha ha
All this says is Apple should make a phone without a plateau by increasing the battery size to fill in the space — there’s clearly enough battery obsessed people ha ha