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I bought a MacBook Pro 13'' with touch bar 2 years ago and only now (for several circumstances) I had the chance to unbox it and connect it (it remained in an unopened box for two years).

I plugged the computer and started to use it normally but noticed that the battery stays at 0% and the battery status reads: "Condition: Replace Now". I just did a reset of the SMC and that did not fix it?

Are there alternatives to servicing / replacing the battery?

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Lithium ion batteries should be kept at 50% charge for long term storage and it's possibly your battery had permanent damage if the voltage went too low - or into deep discharge state. Ideally, you would charge the battery up to 50% once every 6 months to avoid this (which isn't helpful news now that it's been 2 years for yours).

The good news is Apple warrants batteries for 1 year from purchase and 3 years with AppleCare and occasionally will cover a battery even out of warranty.

I would seek service, but you might have to pay for the repair if it's outside the time window for Apple to cover the cost. They can check on AppleCare or any other special circumstances and offer you more detailed advice on the cost for your repair if that's needed.

You've done all the things I would check:

  • one reset of SMC
  • charge for a day, try to run off charge and then charge for a second day
  • check the System Profiler / System Information to see the cycle count / full charge capacity and condition details

The next step is official service for a diagnosis and repair quote.

Here are the relevant parts of Apple's battery page on maximizing perfoance:

  • Do not fully charge or fully discharge your device’s battery — charge it to around 50%. If you store a device when its battery is fully discharged, the battery could fall into a deep discharge state, which renders it incapable of holding a charge. Conversely, if you store it fully charged for an extended period of time, the battery may lose some capacity, leading to shorter battery life.
  • If you plan to store your device for longer than six months, charge it to 50% every six months.

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