New MacBook Air M2 battery drains 1% every 3-5 minutes

Question

Level 1

4 points

New MacBook Air M2 battery drains 1% every 3-5 minutes

I honestly expected the battery to last around 8-10 hours for basic stuff like Word, Excel, and Chrome (usually 5-7 tabs open). But it’s not holding up as I thought it would. At first, I figured maybe it was just the system adjusting since it’s new, but even after a few days, the battery still drains super fast like 1% every 3-5 mins. I called the store earlier and the owner said it might be because of the macOS Tahoe update since her MacBook Pro also drains quickly when it's on sleep. She suggested downgrading to Sequoia OS, which I tried. Now I’m back on Sequoia to see if it’ll improve, but I’m starting to think the battery might really be defective. This is my first time using a Mac (I switched from Windows) and honestly, I’m starting to regret it a bit. Too bad it’s already past the 7 day replacement period.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: So, I just bought a Brandnew, sealed MBA M2 last Oct 18 from a reseller here in our place

MacBook Air, macOS 15.7

Posted on Oct 28, 2025 8:33 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Level 9

68,078 points

Oct 28, 2025 9:12 PM in response to k3ntoi_

Did you purchase the laptop from an Apple authorized reseller? If it was not an authorized reseller, then you cannot be 100% certain the laptop was not used or an open box item that someone resealed. With an official authorized reseller you should see the warranty valid for a year from the date you purchased it (sometimes it can take a while for the purchase to be registered on Apple's website), but if you see the warranty is expired or only has less than six months remaining, then you are not the first owner of the laptop....the seller was the owner (perhaps not even the first).

According to MacTracker, the M2 MBAir 13" (2022) was discontinued back in March 2025, the other M2 MBAir 15" (2023) model was discontinued in March 2024. Best case scenario your laptop has been sitting in the box for over six months. This is more than enough time for the battery to have become completely drained since the batteries are not at full charge from the factory. This can cause permanent damage to a Lithium Battery.

Unfortunately macOS and the Apple Diagnostics (even the service diagnostics) are not able to identify many battery failures. So just because the diagnostics & macOS report no battery issues does not mean the battery is healthy.

Now, on to other possibilities. Run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report here so we can examine it for possible clues.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting an EtreCheck Report - Apple Community

Reply