iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

[sleeptodream]

Dang 6% in the first year is worse than any iPhone I’ve ever had :/ I’m still convinced magsafe and fast charging are significant contributors

I almost never fast charge (12W is the highest I’ll go, try to use 5W) and never use magsafe at all, and even letting it get to 100% and 0% from time to time, I typically end the first year with 98-99% health, averaging 70-75% of a cycle per day, or 255-275/yr

I think Apple was right for the longest time with the combo of optimized battery charging (pausing at 80% overnight) and relatively slow charging. It still seems to work great for me

I went with an Air this year, so I’ll have to see if going deeper into the charge cycles on a daily basis makes a big impact, or if I can still manage to end on 98%

 

[Act3]

15 Pro with 80% limit on full time. After 193 cycles still at 100% capacity.

I'd be suspect if it was really still at 100% capacity after that many cycles despite what the battery health monitor says. Maybe battery science is wrong.

 

[DDustiNN]

Absolutely not worth it. Why purposely miss out on 20% of your battery life for no gains?

Launch day 16 Pro is down to 95% battery health after 1 year and well over 300 cycles (and the iOS 26 betas). MagSafe charger every night, wired CarPlay every time I drive, and random charges when needed. I have my limit set to 100%, and I purposely turn off the smart charging features when I need to top it up before a long day.

 

[hovscorpion12]

My 16 Pro Max's battery health the day I received my 17 pro max. 2 shy of 200 cycles.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Mine is at 99% with 259 cycles. 80% in the morning is enough and then I’m usually on a charger for the night at well above 20%.

 

[MothJab]

It’s MagSafe charging that killing your batteries due to heat.

 

[torontotim]

A 12 month test on a battery that is designed to last 5+ years is pointless.

 

[SouthernApple]

My wife has a day one 15 Pro Max. She has a cycle count of 1,051, and max capacity is 76%. We're going to Crabtree mall tomorrow to get a new battery, free with AppleCare (she has about 5 days of service left).

My 16 regular bought in April is at 215 cycle count, still 100% max capacity.

 

[pnds]

My 16PM is at 100% at ~250 cycles, always charging to 100%; I've been charging almost exclusively via 5w wireless charging, which might be a little kinder than via USB-C, so may be why? Either way, not too shabby.

 

[DamoTheBrave]

I've found it worth it I think on my 15 Pro Max. 96% after 327 cycles with 80% charge limit set. I also have a shortcut action to switch it to low power when it reaches 60%.

 

[Act3]

A 12 month test on a battery that is designed to last 5+ years is pointless.

5 years?

 

[flybynight]

My iPhone 16 Pro is at 97% max capacity and 265 charge cycles with no charging limit set.
I could probably get by with the charging limit, most times, but I don't want to have to manage for the times that I would need the full charge or worry about being too low. I'm also on the upgrade program, so I don't particularly care about my battery health. FWP, for sure.

 

[EW800]

I am very curious what others think of my battery health numbers.

iPhone 15 Pro Max
Cycle Count 628
Max Capacity 86%

So so?

 

[madrigal77]

So you're going to baby the battery, only letting it get to 80% so that in 3-4 years, the battery won't be at... 80%? Make it make sense.

 

[watsonit]

16 Pro Max purchased on launch day. Always charged on apple’s magsafe charger (refresh version from last year or the original Apple travel charger. I always have a clear Apple case on the phone. I guess sometimes I forget to charge my phone based on cycle count.

Cycle count 209, capacity 100%

 

[joeblow7777]

Voluntarily limit your max battery capacity at all times in order to preserve your max battery capacity...

 

[kagharaht]

My 14 Pro Max doesn’t show cycle counts. Still it’s 83% and I never use the optimize battery setting. I charge it full 100% every time. Bought this September 2022.

 

[Tybull]

My 16 Pro Max 2 weeks ago. Charged to 100% always

 

[SnarkyBear]

I started doing the 80/20 with my iPhone Pro Max 13, using an external switch with an Apple Shortcut. After three years, it has 449 cycles and 92.4% battery health (according to coconutBattery). I am quite surprised at some of the readings here, with newer phones showing lower battery health after fewer cycles. I really do wonder if there is a "luck of the draw" when it comes to battery life.

 

[joeblow7777]

So you're going to baby the battery, only letting it get to 80% so that in 3-4 years, the battery won't be at... 80%? Make it make sense.

My thoughts exactly. This makes more sense for something like a laptop that you primarily keep plugged in. No reason to constantly keep the battery at 100%, not for a phone that presumably is always mobile.

 

[drew0020]

Battery health might be the dumbest metric Apple has ever introduced. Mine changes when I update OS’s and other random things. It literally feels like there is no science behind this algorithm. I’m not sure why people even care?

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I would only use it for things plugged in all the time or you plan on keeping a device for as long as possible. Laptops, including MacBooks, are prone to battery swelling if plugged in for very long periods and that's where the benefit would be IMO.

 

[Biro]

I have owned my 16 Plus for a year....
always charge it to 100% and it has 231 cycles. I have always used the MagSafe charger to charge my phone and my charging is pretty consistent where i put it on the charger at the same time ever night and pick it off the charger the same time ever morning.
I am max capacity of 100%.
Apple is recommending my charge limit be set to 95% but Im keeping it at 100%

I also have a 16 Plus that’s been on the 80 percent charge limit for a full year. I just checked and I am shocked to discover that I only have 38 full charge cycles on the phone - this, despite having the device on a charger every day. Often, that charging is done in my car so it is not rapid charging. And I usually don’t let it drop below 20 percent. The phone is currently at 100 percent battery capacity, of course.

Perhaps even more telling is my wife’s iPhone 14, which was purchased new. Its battery is now at 94 percent and has never had its charging limited. Of course, the 14 - despite being on iOS 18.7 - does not reveal how many charging cycles it has under its belt. But it is noteworthy that my wife charges her phone with a USB-C to USB-A cable that is connected to the back of an older internet radio that we own. So the charging rate is fairly slow - which is fine for her.

I’m thinking the 80 percent limit isn’t worth it - but perhaps charging speed is something to pay attention to.

 

[LelandHendrix]

16 Pro Max--been kept at 80% limit since day one, 188 Cycles and 100% health! MagSafe only, day and night.

 

[rm5]

132 cycles, 100% max capacity, after one year, 16 Pro (NON max model). I am a very light phone user.