Macbook plugged or not?

[vasim]

Hi.

I was wondering if I should working at home with the charger plugged or not? What is the best for the battery life?

I own a MacBook Air 2015 model

 

[Johnny365]

When I'm using it, I keep it off the charger and when not using it for extended periods (i have a main windows machine I use), I then turn the MBA off.

 

[Boyd01]

I think you should use it on battery when needed and plug it in when you can... in other words, don't worry about it. That's what I've done with my 2013 MBA and it still has good battery life, although not as good as new. Most of the time, mine is plugged in. 337 cycles in three and a half years.

 

[Weaselboy]

I think you should use it on battery when needed and plug it in when you can... in other words, don't worry about it.

Exactly. Just use it like you need to and don't sweat it.

OP > Here are couple links at Apple that have more battery info.

https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT204054

http://www.apple.com/batteries/

 

[ZapNZs]

The battery will wear no matter what - whether you use it or not. Given the cost of replacement is not terribly high, the lifespans are reasonably long, and AppleCare covers replacement, IMO the best thing one can do is enjoy it and not allow worry over battery health to cause modifications to usage patterns that cause tremendous inconvenience. At the same time, a basic understanding of lithium cells provides the User with the basic knowledge needed to maximize the lifespan (and safety) of any portable devices powered by rechargeable lithium batteries.

I'm far from an expert here, but here are some things to keep in mind that applies to LITHIUM cells...

• Many of the basic handling/usage/charging/care/safety guidelines that apply to NiMH and NiCad rechargeables are NOT the same with lithium rechargeables.
• If convenient, recharge your battery once it hits around 75% - Light discharges place less wear on the battery than deep discharges, and lithiums cells do not have a memory effect. If you use the battery frequently and only run it down say from full capacity to three-quarter capacity and then recharge, this places little wear on the battery and in some cases may prolong life more than simply leaving it in a constant fully-charged state.
• Frequently running your battery down to the point of being near empty will shorten the service life significantly - Deep discharges place a huge amount of wear on lithium cells. For example, running the battery down to only 5% remaining capacity and recharging it just one time could place more wear on the battery than running it down to 75% capacity and recharging it 10, 20, or 30+ times.
• If your computer is usually plugged in, occasionally running it down to 75% capacity and recharging may extend its service life - Long periods at fully charged capacity causes wear because at 100% capacity, the battery is at its maximum voltage, which is higher than the nominal voltage, and this places stress on the battery. A battery that is never used and always fully charged will still wear even without usage.
• Leaving your battery at extremely low or empty capacity is one of the worst things you can do, and doing this often will rapidly reduce the battery's service life - Long periods at very low capacity causes rapid wear - in some cases, this can destroy the battery.
• Frequently storing your laptop in a hot car or sitting in bright sunlight will dramatically shorten the lifespan - Heat expedites wear and it is arguably the biggest single enemy of lithium cells (ironic, right?)
• There is no such thing as a "calibration discharge" or "battery calibration" on modern Apple laptops - running the battery all the way down on a set schedule only wears the battery and it serves no functional purpose.
• Applications that report on battery health statistics are not necessarily accurate. Further, the metrics that the battery reports (such as a health %) can fluctuate somewhat on a day-to-day basis - The value of these battery metrics are IMO limited, and the biggest single indicator of battery health should be the real-world runtime.

 

[macs4nw]

The battery will wear no matter what - whether you use it or not. Given the cost of replacement is not terribly high, the lifespans are reasonably long, and AppleCare covers replacement, IMO the best thing one can do is enjoy it and not allow worry over battery health to cause modifications to usage patterns that cause tremendous inconvenience. At the same time, a basic understanding of lithium cells provides the User with the basic knowledge needed to maximize the lifespan (and safety) of any portable devices powered by rechargeable lithium batteries.

I'm far from an expert here, but here are some things to keep in mind that applies to LITHIUM cells...

• Many of the basic handling/usage/charging/care/safety guidelines that apply to NiMH and NiCad rechargeables are NOT the same with lithium rechargeables.
• If convenient, recharge your battery once it hits around 75% - Light discharges place less wear on the battery than deep discharges, and lithiums cells do not have a memory effect. If you use the battery frequently and only run it down say from full capacity to three-quarter capacity and then recharge, this places little wear on the battery and in some cases may prolong life more than simply leaving it in a constant fully-charged state.
• Frequently running your battery down to the point of being near empty will shorten the service life significantly - Deep discharges place a huge amount of wear on lithium cells. For example, running the battery down to only 5% remaining capacity and recharging it just one time could place more wear on the battery than running it down to 75% capacity and recharging it 10, 20, or 30+ times.
• If your computer is usually plugged in, occasionally running it down to 75% capacity and recharging may extend its service life - Long periods at fully charged capacity causes wear because at 100% capacity, the battery is at its maximum voltage, which is higher than the nominal voltage, and this places stress on the battery. A battery that is never used and always fully charged will still wear even without usage.
• Leaving your battery at extremely low or empty capacity is one of the worst things you can do, and doing this often will rapidly reduce the battery's service life - Long periods at very low capacity causes rapid wear - in some cases, this can destroy the battery.
• Frequently storing your laptop in a hot car or sitting in bright sunlight will dramatically shorten the lifespan - Heat expedites wear and it is arguably the biggest single enemy of lithium cells (ironic, right?)
• There is no such thing as a "calibration discharge" or "battery calibration" on modern Apple laptops - running the battery all the way down on a set schedule only wears the battery and it serves no functional purpose.
• Applications that report on battery health statistics are not necessarily accurate. Further, the metrics that the battery reports (such as a health %) can fluctuate somewhat on a day-to-day basis - The value of these battery metrics are IMO limited, and the biggest single indicator of battery health should be the real-world runtime.

Good information. I've sinned against those words of wisdom on a regular basis, erroneously thinking a near complete depletion would give me fewer charge cycles, and thus longer service life, until I recently read an article stating Li-ion cells have a pre-determined life span, which is not that much affected by charge counts.

Thanks for the info and I will conduct myself accordingly!

 

[Fabmac]

i use it plugged, always. Unless i use it as a laptop(no external screen)