Concerning degradation pattern for 2021 MacBook Pro M1 14-inch battery

OrangeAah_40 wrote:

Hello,

I have a MBP 2021 14-inch that I have been using since April 2022. In system information my cycle count is 272 but somehow my battery health is 85%. This seems suspicious as the battery is supposed to be able to do a 1000 cycles before reaching 80%.

My battery health was dropping quickly in the first and second year, so mid last year I decided to get Al-Dente to regulate my battery health and charging.

Should I be concerned or is this normal? I would like to be able to go another 2 years before having to replace the battery with careful use and charging

I would not be concerned. If it drops below 80% you can consider changing it. Not all batteries are the same.

Let the Battery Health Management software work for you.

M1/M2/M3/M4 SoC

About battery health management in Mac notebooks - Apple Support

≤ 80% maximum capacity is when Apple suggests the battery is eligible for replacement

The rule of thumb—if you are near the mains leave it plugged in, if you need the portability then run on the battery only—this is how you help optimize your battery charging and extend the working life of your battery by reducing the cycle count.

Get help with your Mac notebook battery

Learn how to optimize the life of the battery in your Mac notebook, fix battery issues, and get service.

If you see Service Recommended on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro - Apple Support

OrangeAah_40 wrote:

Hello,

I have a MBP 2021 14-inch that I have been using since April 2022. In system information my cycle count is 272 but somehow my battery health is 85%. This seems suspicious as the battery is supposed to be able to do a 1000 cycles before reaching 80%.

FYI, most Lithium batteries need to be replaced around 3-5 years.

Battery Charge Cycle Count is irrelevant except when it is nearing 1,000 charge cycles.

Unless you want to understand how your Apple battery behaves, people should just ignore all the battery information & just use their laptop. When the battery is no longer performing to your expectations, then look at the battery information to see whether the battery condition is "Service Recommended" and/or the Charge Cycles are nearing 1,000 cycles. You can also run the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected (only a failing diagnostic result is useful). Otherwise just ignore the Battery Condition even if it says "Service Recommended"......this condition status unfortunately combines what used to be several different health conditions into one Pass/Fail status so it is a bit misleading these days since some people may be fine using their laptop until the battery's Maximum Capacity reaches 70% or so.

My battery health was dropping quickly in the first and second year, so mid last year I decided to get Al-Dente to regulate my battery health and charging.

If you leave the macOS default settings for Optimized Charging, then you don't need the third party app. macOS already will exercise your battery based on your usage habits. My laptop has been connected to the Power Adapter for a couple of weeks now and macOS drained the battery to 80% and has been holding it there.

Should I be concerned or is this normal? I would like to be able to go another 2 years before having to replace the battery with careful use and charging

It is completely normal. It is certainly possible that the battery will last another two years....perhaps a bit longer. Or it could fail tomorrow for other reasons which will have the Maximum Capacity drop more severely. Lithium Batteries are tricky. So much can affect the internal chemistry & mechanical connections...there is a whole science around it.

I have two M-series laptops:

M1 purchased late 2020 or early 2021:

Reached 85% Maximum Capacity May 2022 (very suddenly).

Today that Battery's Maximum Capacity/Health is at 83%.

M2 purchased Jan. 2023:

Reached 85% around Sept. 2024 (very gradual decline).

Today it is at 83%.

Both batteries have had their Maximum Capacity/Health fluctuate up & down during that entire time (and it can fluctuate every minute or so depending on conditions if you look at the raw data instead of the percentages).

Keep in mind that Apple only started revealing this information to users a few years ago, so the average user had no clue their Apple batteries for years have been behaving this way. I've been monitoring & studying Apple battery behavior long before Apple provided the Maximum Capacity/Health values in order to better support my organization's Macs.

Battery health decline is non-linear. Most of my MBPs have had the battery decline to the 88-92% range over the first 100-200 cycles, then stabilize in that range for a few hundred more cycles before starting to drop again somewhere north of 700 cycles. At unboxing, I've had batteries that started at 98% health and batteries that started at 108% health (health is measured against design capacity, and as leroydouglas stated not all batteries are the same).

I'd say 85% seems a bit low, but as long as it stays ≥80% the battery is 'healthy' per Apple's policy. Personally, I'd remove Al-Dente and just stick with Apple's battery health management. My 2021 M1 16" MBP has 183 cycles on the battery and is at 94% health.

Batteries are a wear item, like the soles of your shoes and the tires on your car. Their expected lifetime depends on use (as reflected in Charge cycles) and also in the passage of time, used or not. After a while, you should expect to have to replace the battery.

Battery life also depends on two factors you may be able to control a bit better. Lithium polymer batteries deteriorate when they get too hot, and when they are subject to very deep discharge. These should be avoided when possible.

Despite using these batteries in millions of Apple devices, there is still a lot of of randomness in exactly which battery will fail when.

Apple SUGGESTS (but does not Warrant) that your battery MAY last as long as 1000 charge cycles, provided all other factors are well-controlled.

Apple uses the criterion that a battery that doesn't consistently hold 80 percent of its original charge capacity should be serviced, and likely replaced. But the initial warranty is a ONE year warranty, so if you insist on replacement, you will be paying the bill.

About battery health management in Mac notebooks - Apple Support

About battery health management in Mac laptops - Apple Support

Battery Health Management feature tracks your usage history and detects that you do not generally run your battery down to low levels. So when you see less than 100 percent as a full charge, it is charging less than the highest level for longest battery lifetime.

NOTE that charging to 80 percent is a side-effect, NOT the GOAL.

The goal is to have some hurly-burly (percolating activity) around using your battery, either by your actually using it, or by leaving it less than fully charged, so that the cells are not 100 percent charged 100 percent of the time. Battery Health Management will also from time-to-time let the battery decline slightly to 'get some exercise' and run lower (thought to be around twice monthly) if you do not do so by your ordinary use.

The feature tracks you actual usage. If you continue to not require 100 percent charge for a few weeks, it generally will revert to a lower "full" level. but it takes some experience, which takes some time

If your recent usage patterns demand top battery capacity, the battery will charge completely to be sure you are not stuck out in the wild with no power.

[In my opinion] hacks like Al Dente take a too-simplistic attitude and are attempting to optimize the wrong parameters. I recommend Apple Battery Health Management for computers 2018 model and later.

etresoft wrote:

OrangeAah_40 wrote:

Is this just due to aging and not the cycling?

With the demise of mechanical hard drives, this topic doesn't come up as much. But it still exists, and batteries are now the primary culprit.

Electronic devices are machines. Machines wear out. There's no way to prevent this. In some respects, the battery is a mechanical component like a fan or mechanical hard drive. As such, it can behave like other mechanical devices such as cars. You have to change the oil on your car after either a certain cumulative distance of travel, or after a certain period of time. Both use and time cause degradation. Batteries are exactly the same.

As soon as your Instagram-worthy unboxing experience concludes, the computer starts degrading internally. Your battery health is no different than your physical health. No matter your level of exercise, probiotics, or antioxidants, the reaper comes for us all.

Well said. I always enjoy reading your posts.

OrangeAah_40 wrote:

Is this just due to aging and not the cycling?

With the demise of mechanical hard drives, this topic doesn't come up as much. But it still exists, and batteries are now the primary culprit.

Electronic devices are machines. Machines wear out. There's no way to prevent this. In some respects, the battery is a mechanical component like a fan or mechanical hard drive. As such, it can behave like other mechanical devices such as cars. You have to change the oil on your car after either a certain cumulative distance of travel, or after a certain period of time. Both use and time cause degradation. Batteries are exactly the same.

As soon as your Instagram-worthy unboxing experience concludes, the computer starts degrading internally. Your battery health is no different than your physical health. No matter your level of exercise, probiotics, or antioxidants, the reaper comes for us all.