6

My MacBook Pro 2020 M1 is showing some issues related to battery.

Earlier, its battery health started falling abnormally from 95 to 85 percent while charge cycle counts being 124 only.

Now it wont open up without being plugged in and the fans also start when turned on.

The battery shows a cross icon.

It seems this is repeated issue with some M1 MacBooks which Apple hasn't identified yet.

If someone else has found a solution to this issue please help.

Update: My MBP is somehow healing ? I mean earlier it won't last a second without being plugged in. Now it lasts for nearly 25 minutes. Coconut battery app shows the battery health is about 3.1 % now which was earlier reduced to 0 % (My MBP system stats still show my battery health as 85%). Could this be a software or minor hardware issue?

I took it to the Apple Service Centre and the guys told me that I'll need to get the complete keyboar (which comes with battery) replaced for this and that will set me back by 510$ which is pretty high in my opinion in India.

Improve this question
1
  • I'd agree that the battery needs replacing. 124 cycles suggests that you've had it plugged in most of its life; though the OS normally pauses charging at 80% to reduce the detrimental effect of being permanently 100%. Unless there's some other factor in the usage -- heat, certainly; extreme workload, possibly; running it down to 0%, definitely -- I'm afraid it's just bad luck that it has had a short life. You can expect one replacement within 4 years or so. Hopefully, the replacement will see you through for much longer.
    – benwiggy
    Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 13:17

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

That battery is dead.

Earlier, its battery health started falling abnormally from 95 to 85 percent while charge cycle counts being 124 only.

First, battery count is just a convenient convention for users to gauge the longevity of a battery. It “should” last 1000 cycles assuming you fully charge and discharge the battery every time. A certain number charge cycles is not a hard and fast (nor guaranteed) number.

The fact that you saw a massive drop in capacity was a clear sign that your battery was rapidly failing. It’s a chemical reaction and there’s no certainty as to the life span or rate of deterioration.

You can expect 3 to 5 years life out of a battery. It can fail much sooner or much later; the average lifespan is within 3 to 5 years. Given that you are barely pushing the three year mark, it’s clear your battery is dying prematurely of the median battery life expectation.

The important question is, are you still covered by AppleCare?

Given that your particular model is pushing 3 years old even with a low cycle count, it’s not unexpected that your battery needs to be replaced. So, if you have an AppleCare plan, your battery is covered. If not, you’re on your own for the repair.

It seems this is repeated issue with some M1 MacBooks which Apple hasn't identified yet.

Not really. Based on the above information, this is not unusual and not considered a defect to identify. I highly doubt Apple will do a recall or implement a service program for this. Looking at that site, there’s only one MacBook battery recall and it’s for overheating, not for lifespan or capacity.

Improve this answer
15
  • 1
    The first M1 MBPs were introduced in November 2020, so it's 2 years 2 months at most. I'd agree it's premature.
    – benwiggy
    Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 13:09
  • 3
    I had some success with having Apple replace a battery out of warranty at no cost by being polite/extra nice to the Apple support rep I talked to. There is no guarantee but it is possible they will make an exception. It is certainly worth a try.
    – Steve Chambers
    Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 16:18
  • @rudraksh doesn’t say where they’re based, but it’s quite possible that this would be covered under warranty in a non-US market. Worth checking, before paying for a replacement.
    – Robin Whittleton
    Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 16:29
  • 1
    The definition of a "cycle" is actually not a "full discharge" because that'll immediately destroy a battery. Modern Li-Ion actually degrades rapidly when fully drained. You're supposed to use it in small bursts. The definition is really the use of 100% of the battery capacity but it isn't necessarily in one go.
    – Nelson
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 1:07
  • 2
    @PeterCordes You don't need to do this. The % power display on phones and computers are all heavily managed and they simply don't show you the "real" numbers". They automatically do power cycling when near full but will simply display "100%" to you. You don't need to manually plug and unplug the charger every day.
    – Nelson
    Commented Jan 17, 2023 at 0:58

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .