Hey everyone! I just bought a MacBook Pro with M4 Pro, and the activation date is today. But the battery cycle count is already at 10. Is this normal?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: Cycles count on new macbook pro
KeanuWind wrote:
Hey everyone! I just bought a MacBook Pro with M4 Pro, and the activation date is today. But the battery cycle count is already at 10. Is this normal?
Normal enough. it can vary coming out of the factory testing.
You have an expected 1000 cycle count— more than likely your battery will out last the computer.
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.
M1/M2/M3/M4 SoC
About battery health management in Mac notebooks - Apple Support
Check Device Coverage
View Coverage - AppleCare & Warranty
for comparison only—my cycle count since 2019 MBP: System Information>Hardware>Power> Cycle Count: 323
KeanuWind wrote:
Hey everyone! I just bought a MacBook Pro with M4 Pro, and the activation date is today. But the battery cycle count is already at 10. Is this normal?
Normal enough. it can vary coming out of the factory testing.
You have an expected 1000 cycle count— more than likely your battery will out last the computer.
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.
M1/M2/M3/M4 SoC
About battery health management in Mac notebooks - Apple Support
Check Device Coverage
View Coverage - AppleCare & Warranty
for comparison only—my cycle count since 2019 MBP: System Information>Hardware>Power> Cycle Count: 323
Yes, a battery cycle count of 10 on a new MacBook Pro is normal. It can happen during quality checks or testing before purchase.
Haudeda wrote:
Yes, a battery cycle count of 10 on a new MacBook Pro is normal. It can happen during quality checks or testing before purchase.
Can you link to your source information?
KeanuWind wrote:
I’ve seen responses from other users, and most mentioned 4-5 battery cycles on a new laptop. My MacBook has 10, which seemed odd to me. Could you clarify: does the activation date guarantee 100% that my MacBook is brand new? Or could it have been a display model for some time?
You give no indication where you bought the Mac— I can not speculate further.
If you bought it brand new in an un-opened box you can reasonable expect it is brand new.
If in doubt then query the location you bought it(?)
Or Return it—
you have a limited 14 days for an exchange or refund for any reason—see Returns & Refunds Order status
Returns & Refunds - Shopping Help - Apple
Only items that have been purchased directly from Apple, either online or at an Apple Retail Store
Further—
Call Customer Support (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)
or on line https://getsupport.apple.com/
or call AppleCare Support at 1-800-APLCARE (800-275-2273)
Outside the USA—Contact Apple for support and service by phone
See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world.
Contact Apple Support - Apple Support
Check Device Coverage
View Coverage - AppleCare & Warranty
its like buying a "new" car and having it show up with 100 miles on the odometer.
Your Mac has been throughly tested, without impacting its useful life an any meaningful way.
Hi! At the moment, this story ended with the seller taking back the MacBook with 10 battery cycles and issuing another one, which was also new. In the presence of the seller, I activated the MacBook and checked the number of cycles—it had 2, which was acceptable to me. Next, the seller will make a request to Apple to find out how many charge cycles a new MacBook can have. Personally, I think that testing the claim about 10 cycles—meaning charging and discharging it around 10 times (roughly 10 days' worth)—is excessive and suggests something is wrong.
From what I noticed:
1. Both MacBooks are intended for the Indian market and were purchased there.
2. The charging cables in the two boxes seemed different. In the MacBook I kept, the cable straightened out normally, while in the first one, it remained coiled in a spiral even a day after unboxing.
If you bought it new from Apple or an Apple Authorized retailer, it’s new. If you bought it through another channel, including for example a 3rd party seller on Amazon (even though Amazon themselves are authorized), it might not be. Especially if the price was better than you’d normally expect.
I’ve seen responses from other users, and most mentioned 4-5 battery cycles on a new laptop. My MacBook has 10, which seemed odd to me. Could you clarify: does the activation date guarantee 100% that my MacBook is brand new? Or could it have been a display model for some time?
Thanks, everyone. I live in Russia, where we no longer have official Apple sellers or authorized resellers. During business hours, I’ll contact the seller to ask how the device was originally purchased. Yes, the box was opened—but only to add Cyrillic engraving. The seller also has video proof of breaking the original Apple seal, which I’ll review. They’ve offered to exchange it for an identical, unopened (seal-intact) device. The issue is that Apple left Russia long ago, and we no longer have a reference for what an official Apple seal should even look like.
KeanuWind wrote:
Thanks, everyone. I live in Russia, where we no longer have official Apple sellers or authorized resellers. During business hours, I’ll contact the seller to ask how the device was originally purchased. Yes, the box was opened—but only to add Cyrillic engraving. The seller also has video proof of breaking the original Apple seal, which I’ll review. They’ve offered to exchange it for an identical, unopened (seal-intact) device. The issue is that Apple left Russia long ago, and we no longer have a reference for what an official Apple seal should even look like.
So out of curiosity— what was your resolve here KeanuWind ???
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Is a battery cycle count of 10 normal for MacBook Pro?
