16" MacBook Pro Battery Capacity Dropping

Taxi Driver · Jun 23, 2020

Hi guys,

My Macbook Pro "16's battery life is down to 90% on 150 cycles. It's dropped 5% in the last month. It has fluctuated from 93-95% a fair bit but never dropped to 90%. Is this something I should be concerned about? I bought it in December. I'm not sure if I should contact Apple support or not. I cannot go into an Apple store because of the current pandemic, and I've also got a concussion that'll probably keep me in bed for a while. I'm just wondering how to manage this.

Thanks!

Rod · Jun 23, 2020

That is a bit excessive. I would not be too concerned about it immediately but while you still have the automatic warranty and support cover I think I would contact Apple Care to ask what your options are.

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ferrarr · Jun 23, 2020

What percentage do you let the battery drain down to before you plug it in?

Start here, Batteries - Apple. Also, check out the link for "Maximizing Performance".

Rod · Jun 23, 2020

Ferrari, I see where you're going and I agree that good charging practices may improve battery life but a loss of 10% capacity in 6-7 months is not normal no matter what charging habits one has. My wife leaves her MBP plugged in constantly, also not advised but after 2.5 years her battery is still at 98.6%.

ferrarr · Jun 23, 2020

Rod said:
Ferrari, I see where you're going and I agree that good charging practices may improve battery life but a loss of 10% capacity in 6-7 months is not normal no matter what charging habits one has. My wife leaves her MBP plugged in constantly, also not advised but after 2.5 years her battery is still at 98.6%.

Right, but some people drain their batteries down to 10% constantly. That's not good for modern Lithium-ion batteries.

Taxi Driver · Jun 24, 2020

ferrarr said:
What percentage do you let the battery drain down to before you plug it in?

Start here, Batteries - Apple. Also, check out the link for "Maximizing Performance".

It's a mixture of sometimes I let it drain all the way out of necessity (I am using it out) and sometimes I only let it drop to 30/40%.

I still feel this is an excessive loss as mentioned before. It was down to 94-95% like it was a month ago I'd be fine. But 90.4% is way too low. I'm hoping it'll creep back up as it has before, but it's not a good sign. I'm really not sure what to do.

MacInWin · Jun 24, 2020

Take it back to Apple, at least to have them check it. It is under warranty, they should make it good. It won't "heal" unit's own.

Rod · Jun 24, 2020

Necessity? I see. I might have to reconsider my response in light of that but it still seems a little extreme.

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iggibar · Jun 25, 2020

Apple's(as well as other manufacturers that use lithium batteries) own recommendation for preserving battery life is to never let your battery drain completely.
However, it's near impossible to do these 2 things at the same time:
1. Use your computer for extended times on battery power until it dies.
2. Maintain a good battery life.
It's just chemistry and science. There's no way around it until carbon batteries come out.

If I don't need to be on the move, I plug my computer in. When I now it's full, I unplug it. I know I will be using it soon, so storing a full battery isn't an issue for me. Sometimes though, you just don't have the ability charge, and the battery will completely die.
That is the WORST, and one of the easiest ways to prematurely reduce the life of your battery.

The 3 quickest ways to degrade the life of your battery are these- worst being #1:
1. Running down your battery down to the point it has no more chemical energy.
2. Draining your battery at a rapid rate.
3. Adding cycles to your battery.

The outlier to battery life is heat! If you are in a hot environment, or your computer is running hot and exposes your battery to excess heat, ESPECIALLY DURING FULL CHARGE, it is detrimental to its life!

It's just life though, and good lithium batteries will all behave the same. If you take good care of your battery, it will last years.

It doesn't hurt to take it to Apple though, especially since it's under warranty. Just don't go too in detail about how you use it. Say you use it like normal