Mid 2012 13-inch MacBook Pro has "Condition: Replace Soon" on the battery

I have the same mode still in use and I love it, but am facing a similar dilemma.

You cannot get an original Apple battery for that model any more. Apple only sold what they installed; they never offered 2012 batteries as a service part except to Apple Authorized Service Providers while the 2012 was supported. Any originals still left "on the shelf" have certainly degraded badly by now, and no Apple Authorized Service Provider can get the part from Apple any more.

Any sold as "genuine Apple" are counterfeit, so do not buy from auction sites. Even Amazon has listed some low-performing batteries.

The bad news is that even the "best" of the aftermarket batteries cannot hold a candle to what Apple used. Most Apple batteries were DP (DynaPack) or SMP batteries in 2012. Make sure you buy from a trusted vendor with a solid product return policy. OWC comes to mind.

3000+ cycles is amazing! I think you set a record here.

Your current battery will continue to serve but with reduced runtime between recharging. The hazard lies in how batteries die. Some simply have runtimes plummet to minutes. Not a safety issue.

However, some swell, and quite fast. The swelling is so powerful that it bends the stout metal chassis of a Macbook Pro, and a swollen battert can be quite flammable.

If you continue to use your 2012, check daily for evidence of a swollen battery:

• Changes in the hairline gap between the bottom plate and the chassis.
• Unexpected keyboard or trackpad response
• Trackpad bulging
• On a known-flat surface, the computer seems to rock because all four "feet" no longer touch at the same time.

I find the best "known flat surface" in the average home are stone or "quartz" countertops.

I’d be inclined to find either an Apple store with Genius Bar or AASP ( apple authorized service provider) …apple considers your battery to be a consumable product with a finite lifespan, measured in charging cycles… i think you could maybe get a new battery from an Apple Authorized Service provider… Apple store won’t repair it( too old) to find an AASP , go to apple.com, pick your country then go to Repairs/service then “find/look for AASP” that should be about it.. Oh, and Do a Time Machine backup Very soon… hard drives can and do fail without warning

hope this helps

John B

You are most welcome.

Just to be clear, you're suggesting that if I do want to replace the battery, I buy a third party one (from a trustable vendor like OWC for example) and get it replaced at an AASP?

Not exactly. A vendor like OWC with a good rep for handling product returns is mandatory. I'm sure they aren't the only ones, but are the one where I personally had positive experiences.

Your Macbook Pro was the last model in which the battery was NOT glued in. It is held with two or three screws and is fully user-serviceable, even for a novice. Remember that our model was so simple and common-sense that, at one time, Apple had tech articles on how to add RAM and remove the hard drive.

This video instruction posted by OWC show how easy a battery change is:

https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbookpro_13_unibody_mid12_batt/

Two things to remember:

1) when opening that model, you must disconnect the battery cable as soon as you get the bottom plate off and before doing anything inside. Not a big task as you are replacing the battery anyway

2) Although Apple installs pre-calibrated batteries, OWC recommends an initial calibrations for theirs. Instructions are on the OWC site. That may be what a lot of people fail to do who have issues with aftermarket batteries.

FYI, you are correct on your assessment of the meaning of the "Replace Soon" battery condition. At some point it will become "Replace Now" when the battery is at a point most people would find the battery run time to be much too short. If the battery performance is still Ok for your needs, then just ignore it until the battery no longer performs to your expectations.

If the battery condition changes to "Service Battery", then that would indicate a hardware fault has been discovered with the battery. I would definitely replaced a battery listed as "Service Battery". However, with a later patch to macOS 10.15 Catalina Apple changed the battery conditions to only include "Normal" and "Service Recommended". The "Service Recommended" condition is a mix of the three other battery conditions mentioned here so it is less descriptive & informative than the older classifications.

FYI, OWC sells the NewerTech branded batteries which can be purchased elsewhere as well. I've never tried to deal with NewerTech directly so I don't know what you would expect if there were any battery issues, but like the others have mentioned OWC will provide you direct support for the items they sell instead of having to deal with NewerTech directly.

Yes, pretty much so, Cabocet , you’re kinda limited as to what’s out there… as for replacement, AASP is recommended officlally…,you might want to check out iFixit though

John B