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ktdgreywind

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 9, 2019
4
0
Hello I am new to using 2018 13" MacBook Pro and I know there is a limit to the amount of times you can full charge and discharge the device before it wears the battery down. So my question is, if I use my MacBook when it is 100% charged and plugged into the charger am I still using a battery cycle? From my understanding at this point it should be taking power away from the outlet and not the battery. Is it any better for the battery than using it off power and charging it when the battery gets low?
 
Hello I am new to using 2018 13" MacBook Pro and I know there is a limit to the amount of times you can full charge and discharge the device before it wears the battery down. So my question is, if I use my MacBook when it is 100% charged and plugged into the charger am I still using a battery cycle? From my understanding at this point it should be taking power away from the outlet and not the battery. Is it any better for the battery than using it off power and charging it when the battery gets low?

I believe that you do still using the battery even when it is plugged in. I believe while plugged in they don't actually bypass the battery, they do a slow discharge/recharge that still results in accumulating cycles, even while plugged in. My wife keeps hers plugged in an on AC the majority of the time, but it still manages to accumulate cycles even while plugged in, albeit at a much slower rate.

I have also heard it said that being plugged in all the time combined with high temps can have a negative impact on battery life.

I believe the best practice is to use it as intended. It has a battery for a reason and a balance of battery use and being plugged in will deliver optimal life.

Just my .2 however :)
 
Hello I am new to using 2018 13" MacBook Pro and I know there is a limit to the amount of times you can full charge and discharge the device before it wears the battery down. So my question is, if I use my MacBook when it is 100% charged and plugged into the charger am I still using a battery cycle? From my understanding at this point it should be taking power away from the outlet and not the battery. Is it any better for the battery than using it off power and charging it when the battery gets low?

I’m not 100% sure but when the battery it’s fully charged in the battery section of the menu bar it says that it’s getting power from the charger and not the battery but it probably still uses the battery, it doesn’t hurt to use it plug in when it reaches 100% but I wouldn’t use it like that all the time
 
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