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

[August West]

13PM - 102.8% - 194 Cycles

I manually try to limit it to 80% max and it seldom goes below 40%. Usually do slow boat charging off a USB port. Since I'm not using it endlessly like most people I generally charge it up every 2-3 days. Would like to keep it until it is no longer supported.

 

[macaddiict]

I have two iPhone SEs, both bought at the same time at an Apple Store & almost always carried together & used similar amounts (work phones that are hooked to equipment almost always used in tandem, hence me being able to say they're used similar amounts)

Both have about 1,500 charge cycles. One is at 79% health and the other is at 88% even though Coconut Battery shows both are manufactured by Desay Battery Corpand made within weeks of each other.

It's somewhat random, in other words.

 

[subjonas]

I do charge to 80% but the only reason is that my Pro Max has way too much battery for my usage. Even charging to 80% I always have an excess of battery at the end of the day. So for me, I might as well.

If one is often worrying about their battery running low because they only charge to 80% then I don't see why anyone would want to put themselves through that. Use the phone as you want to, and set aside/save up $100 over the next five years to replace the battery if it gets too bad and you want to continue using that phone.

 

[MacRumorUser78]

Zero reason to do this. I purchased an iPhone 13 Pro in May 2022. I used Apple's smart charging (Adaptive Power)—plugged in almost every night. Generally waits until an hour or so before I usually get up to charge to 100%. If schedule gets irregular charges to 100% whenever plugged in. When driving I generally plug in to navigate which often didn't charge much—not sure what the charger was capable of. Almost never used MagSafe. A couple of data points.
90% June 2023,
88% April 2024.
77% July 2025.
Didn't check when I put traded it in today. I held off replacing the battery until getting a new one.

New five day old phone is still charging to 100%. Don't know how long until it learns my habits.

My zero reason may be too strong. But a battery is less than $100 and mine lasted about three years. Less than $3/month battery cost and how much longer would it last with careful charging? If it added ten percent that would be $0.30/month saved. Not even a latte in a year.

 

[FeliApple]

The 80% limit is absolutely not worth the hassle. I have always charged my 16 Pro to 100% via MagSafe and I’m at 97% capacity after a year.
View attachment 2558192

You see that nothing makes sense? Avoid heat is my #1 piece of advice. Part of that advice is to avoid wireless charging, as it generates more heat.

Boom, here you go, 279 cycles with 97% health (very, very good), 100% wireless charging.

Avoid heat by not leaving your phone under the sun and then pretty much do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter anyway.

 

[RealMonster]

I left 'Optimized Battery Charging' on. Until recently, I was at 100% battery health (now 99% a couple weeks later) and 258 cycles. iPhone 16 Pro.

 

[Act3]

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

iPhone 15 Pro Max
Cycle Count 628
Max Capacity 86%

So so?

Look like expected numbers to me with that cycle count.

 

[FeliApple]

I have two iPhone SEs, both bought at the same time at an Apple Store & almost always carried together & used similar amounts (work phones that are hooked to equipment almost always used in tandem, hence me being able to say they're used similar amounts)

Both have about 1,500 charge cycles. One is at 79% health and the other is at 88% even though Coconut Battery shows both are manufactured by Desay Battery Corpand made within weeks of each other.

It's somewhat random, in other words.

Agreed. 6.5-year-old iPhone 8. Three owners (two family members and now myself). 2257 cycles. 76% health. Running perfectly. I just use it for music now so who cares about battery life anyway? Always charged to 100%, drained, used with absolute freedom.

It isn’t worth it.

 

[rumorphobe]

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?

My iPhone 16 pro had 323 cycles and 97% battery health. The difference, I believe, is that I only used MagSafe very rarely and only with a cooling fan.

 

[wmar]

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 kept it at 80 most of the year for my 16 Pro Max only moving to 90% for the last 4 months and my battery capacity was 99% with 210 charge cycles. 99.9% of the time wired charging over night.

 

[bluesteel]

I use my iPhone 15 Pro very lightly so I decided to experiment with 80% charge limit from day one. Always charged via MagSafe wireless, two years later (Sept 2023 - Sept 2025) and Cycle Count (145), Maximum Capacity (100%), Battery Health (Normal).

 

[Ender17]

Had my 16 Pro on 100% since day 1

 

[jkanon32]

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?

This is interesting, as I decided to try out the 80% limit as soon as I got my 16 Pro right at release last year. A caveat - I’m doing outdoor sports a lot, making use of a MagSafe battery pack so I can track metrics, etc all day in the cold. Also (unlike previous years) I held off on beta testing the new iOS until public beta 5, and even then, I kept it charged above 70%. After 211 cycles I’m at 100%.
Compared to my 14 Pro, that’s a big improvement, where I was at 92% after 225 cycles (and no charging limit).

 

[Act3]

Now if we could only get Apple to include battery health on older iPads....

 

[Silverbird0000]

On my 15 Pro Max I did not limit the charge. 92% health at 284 cycle count. On my 16 Pro Max I did limit the charge to 90%. 100% battery health remaining with 203 charge cycles.

On my iPad Pro 13" M4 that I got on launch day, it has been limited to 80% charge. It is at 100% health with 173 charge cycles.

 

[Mizouse]

15PM
Maximum Capacity: 87%
Cycle Count: 611
Manufacture Date: August 2023
First Use: September 2023

when I got my phone I initially used the 80% limit and charged via MagSafe and the occasional max wattage by USBC when I needed a quick top off. I only turned it off about 5 months ago when I got tired of having to top off the phone in the afternoon.

The only time I turn it on is if I’m doing something where my phone is constantly plugged in for long periods of time. Such as GPS for a road trip.

 

[NvidiaIntelPC]

It wasn't worth it for me.
Used the 80% limit on my iPhone 16 Pro Max for 10 months (200 cycles) and ended up at 99% battery. Others with more cycles and no limit are still at 100%.

Same with my previous M1 MBA—kept it at 80% religiously and the battery degraded like any other.if not more. The 80% charge limit is a myth.

 

[dead flag blues]

iPhone 16 Pro here. 99% and 223 cycles. Manufactured August 2024, first use September 2024. I plug it in to the usb-c at night or random charging in the car. Really happy with this!

 

[Wolf Puppy]

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

I’m 190 cycles, with no limit and I’m 100%.

 

[twanj]

16 Pro
92%
480 cycle count

Mix of magsafe and usb-c charging

Frequently had to charge around 3-4pm before going out

 

[GtrDude]

That’s a lot of iPhone usage.
I’m usually at about 70% on an iPhone 16 Pro Max when I go to bed.

 

[hokuspokus]

I wouldn't bother with the limit. Although I don't charge overnight and I charge sporadically throughout the day at work so the charge is often between 20% and 80% anyway. I also don't charge wirelessly except for a MagSafe vent mount with the AC on.

When out on weekends or travel, I do charge overnight to make sure it's 100%. I have a power bank just in case when traveling but it's also wired only.

After some years, the max capacity eventually just stays at the same level for years. My last phone reached 90% and stayed there for several years until I finally got a new phone.

Outside of extreme cases like plugged in 24/7 for weeks at a time, prolonged/repeated heat (bad wireless charger, heavy gaming, generally very hot environments, etc.), often left at 0% for weeks at a time, etc., I don't think most people should bother with battery management. I'm guessing your luck with a "dud" battery from the factory plays a larger role on how fast it degrades.

 

[Martin Bland]

Juli, I admire your persistence at testing the feature.

Kudos.

 

[TinyMito]

Limit set to 80% since new my 16 Pro Max. Daily usage running Spotify pretty much 9-10 hours daily, and only charge it in my personal car and at night on my MagSafe Duo charger.

 

[darkslide29]

96% capacity and 343 cycle count on my iPhone 16 Pro Max bought on launch day. I’m pretty shocked it’s so high.

I have the 95% setting where it doesn’t seem to charge past. I never use the battery saver setting where the battery indicator goes from red to yellow. I regularly go below 20%, even 10%. Can I get a 5% warning? I’m lazy and I live dangerously.