Who has a high battery cycle count?

[h.gilbert]

My 2016 MBP currently is on it's second battery (Apple store replacement) at 904 cycles. It recently started to say service recommended and battery life is about 3 hours at max brightness. I'm planning on keeping it until the M3 Macbooks come out so likely another year.

Anyone here over 1k cycles? How's battery life?

 

[MacManiac76]

Caring about battery cycles is ridiculous up to a point when buying a laptop computer. Why buy something portable if you are just going to use it plugged in 99% of the time. I have only had my 2023 MacBook Pro for a couple months and have 27 cycles already. If I use up the battery in a shorter period of time than I thought I would have, I will just get a new battery put in. It's not like the laptop becomes useless just because the battery's capacity is below 80% after 2-3 years.

 

[h.gilbert]

Caring about battery cycles is ridiculous up to a point when buying a laptop computer. Why buy something portable if you are just going to use it plugged in 99% of the time. I have only had my 2023 MacBook Pro for a couple months and have 27 cycles already. If I use up the battery in a shorter period of time than I thought I would have, I will just get a new battery put in. It's not like the laptop becomes useless just because the batteries capacity is below 80% after 2-3 years.

You completely missed the point

 

[Graham Caracas]

You don't present a specific point, just ramble on about your fear of cycle counts.

 

[h.gilbert]

You don't present a specific point, just ramble on about your fear of cycle counts.

Ok, 4 lines is rambling lol?

I'll spell it out. I'm waiting for the M3 which will likely come out in a year. I don't know what to expect from battery life in the coming year or so, so I'm asking those with higher cycle counts what their battery life is. I know not all batteries are the same, but just wanted to get an idea. For example are those on over 1000 cycles getting battery life in the region of less than an hour or around a couple of hours.

 

[LeeW]

You don't present a specific point, just ramble on about your fear of cycle counts.

I saw a point and a question that you didn't.

 

[h.gilbert]

I saw a point and a question that you didn't.

Thank you lol. I thought it was quite obvious as to what I was asking.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Thank you lol. I thought it was quite obvious as to what I was asking.

I saw charge cycle counts in your post and as someone who could talk all day about batteries, I like your post.

Sadly, I don't meet your request to get posters who have +1k cycles. I often use my laptops in clamshell mode and use AlDente to keep the charge % low and run off wall power almost exclusively (unless I'm on a work trip).

My only comment is that usage is going to vary wildly between a sample of users who have 1k+ cycles. Someone who uses an adblocker and reads books with brightness way down will get many hours while those who program with a compiler and have databases churning constantly will not last as long.

Not entirely related: My wife's experience with a failing battery just under 3 years of ownership, it starts diving REALLY quickly. We got the service notification and because of covid couldn't get a replacement until 4 months later - and by then the battery was dropping fast and didn't last very long. (It was replaced for free with AppleCare+).

The cost of replacing batteries in these laptops (often needing a top end case replacement) makes it very inhibitive to replace the battery.

Most people I know (family, etc) use their laptops a lot at their desk so their cycle count is pretty low.

My 2020 MBP 13' i7 is on 45 cycles while my 16' MBP M1 Max is in the 20s.

Hope we get more 1k+ cycle posters!

 

[h.gilbert]

I saw charge cycle counts in your post and as someone who could talk all day about batteries, I like your post.

Sadly, I don't meet your request to get posters who have +1k cycles. I often use my laptops in clamshell mode and use AlDente to keep the charge % low and run off wall power almost exclusively (unless I'm on a work trip).

My only comment is that usage is going to vary wildly between a sample of users who have 1k+ cycles. Someone who uses an adblocker and reads books with brightness way down will get many hours while those who program with a compiler and have databases churning constantly will not last as long.

Not entirely related: My wife's experience with a failing battery just under 3 years of ownership, it starts diving REALLY quickly. We got the service notification and because of covid couldn't get a replacement until 4 months later - and by then the battery was dropping fast and didn't last very long. (It was replaced for free with AppleCare+).

The cost of replacing batteries in these laptops (often needing a top end case replacement) makes it very inhibitive to replace the battery.

Most people I know (family, etc) use their laptops a lot at their desk so their cycle count is pretty low.

My 2020 MBP 13' i7 is on 45 cycles while my 16' MBP M1 Max is in the 20s.

Hope we get more 1k+ cycle posters!

Agreed there's definitely a lot of variability. 1,000 full battery cycles where the user hasn't dipped below 20% is going to yield better battery degradation than someone on 1,000 cycles that lets their battery die all the time.

I've also noticed that the degradation is not very linear too. Seems like within the last 100 cycles battery life has taken a noticeable hit.

My 2016 has a slew of other problems too, namely the webcam not working despite a replacement screen a few years ago because of the same flexgate problem. Not worth getting an OEM battery even if Apple will still replace it (which I doubt they do anymore). Third party batteries always seem like a gamble looking at the reviews. I'll just hold out until M3, fingers crossed.

 

[G.GTis]

I have an early 2015 model, it is currently at 1005 cycles and the health is at 81%. I can use it for 2-4 hours depending on usage.

 

[MacManiac76]

You completely missed the point

No I didn't. I was agreeing with you about high battery cycle counts that should be praised in my opinion. I was just making a general statement about the obsession with keeping battery cycles really low for an absurd reason by many that go overboard to do it.

 

[h.gilbert]

No I didn't. I was agreeing with you about high battery cycle counts that should be praised in my opinion. I was just making a general statement about the obsession with keeping battery cycles really low for an absurd reason by many that go overboard to do it.

ok, well either way it's neither here nor there

 

[h.gilbert]

I have an early 2015 model, it is currently at 1005 cycles and the health is at 81%. I can use it for 2-4 hours depending on usage.

Thanks, that just reminded me to check coconut battery and their graph tool:

Not sure what's going on past 900 cycles, I guess the variance becomes quite large after that.

 

[MacManiac76]

ok, well either way it's neither here nor there

Whatever.

 

[saudor]

I saw a point and a question that you didn't.

Same lol. Looking at that other person's signature, they upgrade every 1-2 years so battery cycles is irrelevant. For the rest of us who keep our stuff longer, these things are important.

To answer OP, it depends. If a battery is kept in its ideal state (<80%), it will last longer. You could use something like AlDente so it doesnt charge above 80% until you actually need those extra 20% (not sure if it works on non intel though as it's been a while since I had laptops) I've kept mine on a charger and it got warm a lot due to the intensive tasks and at 400 cycles it was already dropping below 80% health. Friend didnt. Even with almost 2k charges, it was 90%+ health and still lasted a long time

 

[arcite]

My 2015 has 1370 cycles, 44% capacity...although that probably isn't accurate, as it only lasts around 10 minutes unplugged. It's not worth it to update the battery; It will soon be replaced with a new pro.

 

[h.gilbert]

My 2015 has 1370 cycles, 44% capacity...although that probably isn't accurate, as it only lasts around 10 minutes unplugged. It's not worth it to update the battery; It will soon be replaced with a new pro.

Excellent, that's what I like to hear

 

[sumva]

My 13" 2020 intel 4 port MBP is still running the factory battery and is currently at 988 cycles. Coconut battery says ~81%. I had the apple store run the battery diagnostic and it showed up at 83%. Happy that it is still within "spec" given the cycle count but the battery life is poor...lasts on average ~2.5hrs for my use-case. I do have AC+ so hopefully it will eventually trigger the service battery message so that it can be replaced under AC.

 

[Noot]

Still good:

 

[ignatius345]

I don't know what to expect from battery life in the coming year or so, so I'm asking those with higher cycle counts what their battery life is. I know not all batteries are the same, but just wanted to get an idea. For example are those on over 1000 cycles getting battery life in the region of less than an hour or around a couple of hours.

The M-series Macs have dramatically lower power consumption. That means longer battery life day to day, but also means fewer cycles because you're not charging as often. So, even if the battery degrades after the same number of cycles as your 2016 MBP, it's going to take you 2-3x as long to get there because you won't be charging anywhere near as often.

I'm of the opinion that it's just not worth worrying about long-term battery life because it's a consumable part and Apple offers reasonably priced battery replacement service.

 

[h.gilbert]

Still good:
View attachment 2361013

Impressive! What your battery life like lol?

 

[CooperBox]

Still good:
View attachment 2361013

Those stats are great, and still in good health. If your battery is anything to go by, mine too should be good for another 12 years...
My stats follow with the original battery in use daily from 2013.

This pre-Retina MBPro 15" has always been rock solid, never missed a beat, and feels happy with upgraded SSD and increased RAM memory. Imho 2012/13 was truly the 'Golden Year' for these totally repairable Pro machines.
If our MBPro's 9,1 (A1286) are anything to go by, I can't help but wonder how many M1 MBPros will still have their original (and still healthy) battery in 2035/2036, or (dare I say it) even how many of those machines will still be functioning without a hiccup!
Fwiw, I've always used Firefox web browser, and if/when no future updates are available for this machine, I may switch to a Linux flavour.

 

[bobnugget]

I've found most of mine need a battery replacement at 500-750 cycles as the battery either starts swelling (2011 MBP, 2015 MBP 13") or starts suddenly powering off (2015 MBP 15", 2012 15").

I've got an M1 Pro 14" on 88% and 174 cycles, and a 2012 MBP 15" on 91% and over 600 cycles.

 

[CooperBox]

Caring about battery cycles is ridiculous up to a point when buying a laptop computer. Why buy something portable if you are just going to use it plugged in 99% of the time. I have only had my 2023 MacBook Pro for a couple months and have 27 cycles already. If I use up the battery in a shorter period of time than I thought I would have, I will just get a new battery put in. It's not like the laptop becomes useless just because the battery's capacity is below 80% after 2-3 years.

I'm glad you added "up to a point", because when buying a laptop whether it be new or used I've always cared about the battery cycles, and always will. I'm sure many like myself have purchased a portable and keep it plugged in very frequently, but obviously also benefitted from it's portability when travelling. Using it in this fashion (in my experience at least) ensures one gets an excellent life from the battery.
I will eventually be very interested in the future to see how many owners achieve extremely high life from M-series laptops as I understand they run very cool, unlike some of our Intel (and PPC) laptops which run hotter but can still deliver good battery life if treated with respect.
Also, many have taken their laptops into Apple or an authorised service provider only to be told that the top cover needs replacing - in many cases non cost-effective, and results in the laptop being discarded. All the more reason to take all reasonable steps to take care of the battery to enhance it's life.
For sure many owners can afford not to care and just purchase a new battery when necessary, and best of luck to them. I've never done this, although the expense has never been the issue, I just enjoy getting the longevity and playing a very small part in helping to keep the world 'greener' - one more reason I still use ancient PPC and Intel models.

 

[FeliApple]

My 2015 MacBook Pro has 113 cycles in a little over 7.5 years. This is purely lack of use. Battery life is like-new in OS X El Cap.

I’m not somebody who drains batteries quickly because I’m an efficient user, so my cycle counts are generally low.

The highest cycle count I have is on my (same-day purchase as my Mac) 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which hovers at around 750.

I don’t see my Mac increasing to 1000+ cycles for a long, long, long time.

Interesting to see a 2012 MacBook Pro with 1,742 cycles and good health.

The highest number I’ve seen is 3.000-something on some Coconut screenshot.