2 years charging mostly to 80%. I thought it was a bug when it charged to 100%, glad to hear it’s a feature.
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iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?
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2 years charging mostly to 80%. I thought it was a bug when it charged to 100%, glad to hear it’s a feature.
My current Battery Health is at 100%, although I did just get a new iPhone 17 Pro Max last Friday. 😉😆 All kidding aside the Battery Health on my iPhone 13 Pro Max that I traded in last Friday was at 74% to 76% I believe. I didn’t use the Charge to 80% “feature” because the 13 Pro Max didn’t support it. Even if it did though I wouldn’t have used it. Personally, I want to have all the battery life I can have from a charge, even on my 17 Pro Max. When I get gas in my Toyota Corolla Hybrid, I don’t fill my gas tank to just 75% full, I fill it all the way because I want to be able to drive the maximum amount of miles on a tank of gas. The same holds true with my phone.
This topic should not have this level of interest. Apple has underinvested in MagSafe by not including the MagSafe charging puck with each iPhone. So many people casually put their iPhone down on a counter, desk, etc. when not using it instead of charging. Including the MagSafe charging puck would have massively popularized MagSafe and reduced battery anxiety. After experiencing MagSafe, which perfectly fits this habit of casually placing an iPhone on a counter, people would have bought more of them for other rooms in their house and their office. They also would have purchased more power adapters. Free MagSafe pucks would have increased accessory sales.
It's a bit disappointing that setting charge limits does not seem to make a great difference. I was looking forward to be able to do it once I upgrade from my iPhone 8 - A 85% limit seems to worked on my Thinkpad rather well.
I'm at 96 capacity, 482 cycles. I keep mine at 90, unless I'm on a long flight or on vacation and will be out all day. Then I set to 100. I typically don' plug it overnight; just during day at work and then unplug once it hits the charge limit instead of leaving it plugged in. I wonder if that is better than using 80%.
I know apple stops charging it, but it's still plugged in... it's weird cause for my EV, the rule is Always Be Charging, but for my phone I don't leave it plugged in longer than needed.
I know apple stops charging it, but it's still plugged in... it's weird cause for my EV, the rule is Always Be Charging, but for my phone I don't leave it plugged in longer than needed.
iPhone 16PM. Since 16 OCT 2024. Limited to 90% charge since day one. Spends about half its life time in standby mode showing the info center. 103 cycles; 100% capacity. Sometimes warm; NEVER hot. Perfect smart phone except for the space-wasting camera control button.
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line.
Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum capacity is at 94 percent with 299 charge cycles.
With last year's test, I spent a lot of time with my battery below 20 percent. I saw some comments suggesting that draining it so low could also affect battery capacity over time, so this year, I tried hard to keep my battery between 20 and 80 percent. I wasn't always successful, but my iPhone 16 Pro Max was in that middle charge area most of the time.
You can compare your own battery health with mine, but my guess is that my 94 percent battery capacity is about average, regardless of whether charging limits are on or off. In fact, my iPhone 15 Pro Max was also at 94 percent capacity at the 12 month mark when I did this same test last year.
I did a mix of charging via MagSafe and charging with USB-C, and my iPhone 16 Pro Max can get hot when charging over MagSafe, especially with MagSafe battery packs. Since I was trying to keep above a 20 percent charge, I did more wireless charging when I was out. I can't help but wonder if heat was an issue this year.
It continued to be inconvenient limiting my iPhone battery to an 80 percent charge. It was fine when home, but if I was out and wanted to use the camera or needed GPS, it often wasn't enough battery. When you set an 80 percent charge limit, the iPhone will charge to full every so often to calibrate, and I appreciated surprise days with 20 percent extra battery.
If I had to guess, I probably had a 50/50 split between MagSafe charging and fast charging with USB-C. Most charging was indoors at around 72 degrees, but there were times when I was outdoors with a battery pack in warmer conditions.
I use my older iPhones for software tests, so my iPhone 15 Pro Max is still around. At the two year mark, its capacity is 88 percent, down from 94 percent in September 2024. It has 352 cycles, and I've kept it at the 80 percent limit.
During this year's testing, my iPhone 16 Pro Max battery was still at around 98 percent just a couple of months ago, so I thought the limit was having more of an impact, but I saw a decent drop as we got closer to September. It was even at 95 percent about a week ago, but now I'm down to 94 percent.
I now have two years of data with my iPhone limited to an 80 percent charge, and I don't think it's been worth it. My coworker who also has a 16 Pro Max did not have an 80 percent charge limit set, and his battery capacity is 96 percent with 308 charge cycles.
Maybe setting an 80 percent limit improves battery health over a longer period of time, but over a one-year period, the results have been disappointing. Setting charging to a 90 or 95 percent might make more sense.
I have upgraded to the iPhone 17 Pro Max and did already limit it to an 80 percent charge for another 12-month test. I'm interested to see how the larger battery changes things, and whether the switch to aluminum will make a difference.
What's your iPhone battery capacity and cycle count? Let me know in the comments below, and weigh in on whether you think the 80 percent charge limit is a good idea.
Article Link: iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?
I have an iPhone 16 Pro Max and have owned it since Oct 2024 as well. I limited charging to 95% from day one, mostly mag safe with occasional USB-C cable charging when traveling. I am at 200 cycles and it still shows that I have 100% max capacity. My iPhone did suggest (this week) that I reduce my charging limit to 80%. Had not seen that message before (it was on the Battery screen below the last charged notation at the top). I am keeping it at 95%. My usage habits leave my iPhone consistently above 20% at end of day and "normally" between 30-45%. I don't use adaptive power or the low power mode.
I am about to take a step off the deep end and move to the iPhone Air for a year. I think I may be the candidate who is a good fit for that iPhone, based on what I am reading. At the same time, I am seriously thinking about keeping my 16PM. This has been a really excellent iPhone - hardware wise. Thank you for the data on the battery life. Great post and very helpful information.
I am about to take a step off the deep end and move to the iPhone Air for a year. I think I may be the candidate who is a good fit for that iPhone, based on what I am reading. At the same time, I am seriously thinking about keeping my 16PM. This has been a really excellent iPhone - hardware wise. Thank you for the data on the battery life. Great post and very helpful information.
I had my 15 Pro since launch day and 2 years in, it's at 91% health at 371 cycles. 95% of my charging is overnight using MagSafe, optimized battery charging turned on and charge to 100%.
I don't worry or think about battery management and just charge the device overnight when I sleep or as needed.
I don't worry or think about battery management and just charge the device overnight when I sleep or as needed.
Kind of creepy, checking my stats and scrolling past your with the exact same health and cycle count.
Either way I used the 80% limit since day 1. Doesn't seem worth it.
I did none of that. I Use the 16 pro max phone heavily for work. Charge every night with magsafe to 100%z most days I get through but Many Long days I needed to add some charge to get to the end of the day, and my capacity after 1 year was 97%
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line.
Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum capacity is at 94 percent with 299 charge cycles.
With last year's test, I spent a lot of time with my battery below 20 percent. I saw some comments suggesting that draining it so low could also affect battery capacity over time, so this year, I tried hard to keep my battery between 20 and 80 percent. I wasn't always successful, but my iPhone 16 Pro Max was in that middle charge area most of the time.
You can compare your own battery health with mine, but my guess is that my 94 percent battery capacity is about average, regardless of whether charging limits are on or off. In fact, my iPhone 15 Pro Max was also at 94 percent capacity at the 12 month mark when I did this same test last year.
I did a mix of charging via MagSafe and charging with USB-C, and my iPhone 16 Pro Max can get hot when charging over MagSafe, especially with MagSafe battery packs. Since I was trying to keep above a 20 percent charge, I did more wireless charging when I was out. I can't help but wonder if heat was an issue this year.
It continued to be inconvenient limiting my iPhone battery to an 80 percent charge. It was fine when home, but if I was out and wanted to use the camera or needed GPS, it often wasn't enough battery. When you set an 80 percent charge limit, the iPhone will charge to full every so often to calibrate, and I appreciated surprise days with 20 percent extra battery.
If I had to guess, I probably had a 50/50 split between MagSafe charging and fast charging with USB-C. Most charging was indoors at around 72 degrees, but there were times when I was outdoors with a battery pack in warmer conditions.
I use my older iPhones for software tests, so my iPhone 15 Pro Max is still around. At the two year mark, its capacity is 88 percent, down from 94 percent in September 2024. It has 352 cycles, and I've kept it at the 80 percent limit.
During this year's testing, my iPhone 16 Pro Max battery was still at around 98 percent just a couple of months ago, so I thought the limit was having more of an impact, but I saw a decent drop as we got closer to September. It was even at 95 percent about a week ago, but now I'm down to 94 percent.
I now have two years of data with my iPhone limited to an 80 percent charge, and I don't think it's been worth it. My coworker who also has a 16 Pro Max did not have an 80 percent charge limit set, and his battery capacity is 96 percent with 308 charge cycles.
Maybe setting an 80 percent limit improves battery health over a longer period of time, but over a one-year period, the results have been disappointing. Setting charging to a 90 or 95 percent might make more sense.
I have upgraded to the iPhone 17 Pro Max and did already limit it to an 80 percent charge for another 12-month test. I'm interested to see how the larger battery changes things, and whether the switch to aluminum will make a difference.
What's your iPhone battery capacity and cycle count? Let me know in the comments below, and weigh in on whether you think the 80 percent charge limit is a good idea.
Article Link: iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?
I would guess the heat has something to do with it. Also when I travel I take a different phone so it just has daily usage 90% indoors.
I wonder if the vapor chamber on the 17 pro will help with battery longevity. It is on the battery sub assembly, so should apply to it!
The 16 line seems to have run particularly hot, and also seems to have had more battery deg than previous gens-- supporting your theory.
Its especially not worth it if you buy AppleCare since the battery is part of the warranty service. They want you to prevent burning out the battery to save themselves money from having to replace it if anything.
iPhone 15 and above support 1000 charge cycles before hitting 80% battery health
By that metric
0 cycles = 100% health
250 cycles = 95% health
500 cycles = 90% health
750 cycles = 85% health
1000 cycles = 80% health
as u keep using ur phone regardless its limited to 80% or not ,it will degrade by time and usage anyway
Imo any iPhone bought after the iPhone 15 should work for atleast 2 years before hitting 80% health
Also the bigger batter the better ,the less it feels degraded over time I’ll explain how :
When A 3000mah battery is degraded to 80% it would hold about 2400 mah
But when a 5000mah battery is degraded to 80% it would hold about 4000 mah
Hence I personally loved the Plus variant because of this and i hate how the only phone with the biggest battery capacity is the 17 pro max now
By that metric
0 cycles = 100% health
250 cycles = 95% health
500 cycles = 90% health
750 cycles = 85% health
1000 cycles = 80% health
as u keep using ur phone regardless its limited to 80% or not ,it will degrade by time and usage anyway
Imo any iPhone bought after the iPhone 15 should work for atleast 2 years before hitting 80% health
Also the bigger batter the better ,the less it feels degraded over time I’ll explain how :
When A 3000mah battery is degraded to 80% it would hold about 2400 mah
But when a 5000mah battery is degraded to 80% it would hold about 4000 mah
Hence I personally loved the Plus variant because of this and i hate how the only phone with the biggest battery capacity is the 17 pro max now
This. It's probably been said in this thread already, but heat most likely plays a much larger part in battery longevity than limiting charging %.
iPhone 15 Pro
- no charge limit (100%)
- optimized charging on
- 722 charge cycles over 24 months
- battery health: 87% of maximum capacity
Battery micro-managing and hand wringing is just the most boring hobby imaginable. Will gladly pay for a new battery when this one isn't working for me anymore (actually won't have to because of AppleCare). Same with my MacBook Air. The battery is a consumable part.
- no charge limit (100%)
- optimized charging on
- 722 charge cycles over 24 months
- battery health: 87% of maximum capacity
Battery micro-managing and hand wringing is just the most boring hobby imaginable. Will gladly pay for a new battery when this one isn't working for me anymore (actually won't have to because of AppleCare). Same with my MacBook Air. The battery is a consumable part.
So people buying a bigger and heavier phones with bigger battery only to limit it to 80%… LOL.
iPhone 16 Pro
After 1 year of 100% charge limit (not 80%):
236 cycles
100% Max Capacity
After 1 year of 100% charge limit (not 80%):
236 cycles
100% Max Capacity
Launch Day 16PM...
256 Cycles
96% Capacity
Normal Health
Charge limit always set to 100%
Optimize Battery Charging turned ON
256 Cycles
96% Capacity
Normal Health
Charge limit always set to 100%
Optimize Battery Charging turned ON
Exactly my thinking, if you never use the full capacity, what is the point in preserving it.
The amount of people doing this but then using a wireless charger is hilarious too, a conservative/preventative measure coupled with a damaging method of charging.
The other thing worth pointing out is just knowing a bit of battery health science. A lithium ion battery is at its happiest and most healthy if kept as close to 50% as possible. So whilst keeping your max charge capacity at 80% is healthier than 100%, this is offset by your usage, if by dropping to an 80% max charge you then end up using your battery to the point you get close to 0% regularly then you could be doing more harm, and letting it get to 0% and shutting off is even more damaging than a 100% charge.
Heat, your battery hates heat. Yes you have kept to 100% health now, but given your best interest is the batteries health (hence using the charging capacity cap feature) using wireless charging flies in the face of this mindset.