There have been a number of threads, and highjacked conversations, about the benefits, or lack thereof, of keeping a laptop plugged in. With Big Sur, is there any reason why I should not leave my MBP plugged in while working in my office? I have a MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017) running Big Sur.
In the past I understood that it was beneficial to run on the battery as much as possible but based on recent threads, this may no longer be a consensus opinion.
Any additional thoughts on this matter? Are things different now under Big Sur?
A few months ago, I sold my 2012 MBP. I really mistreated it (often plugged in, never cared about cycles,…). I was surprised there was still a lot of juice left in that battery. That said: how much does replacing the battery cost? $70?
Since 2007 (2000 if you count non-Macs) I have kept every notebook of mine plugged in nearly the whole time that they’re being used. In that time I’ve had only two issues with batteries, so my experience is that it’s fine to keep them plugged in. That’s just one data point though.
@Lars I may be wrong on this but I don’t think the battery in the MBP 2017 can be replaced. Am I mistaken? If so, it would be the first time this year.
You can bring it to Apple for replacement but the cost is $199. I know because I asked them, I have a late 2016 ready to sell which needs a battery soon.
With Big Sur and optimize battery on it should be ok to leave it plugged in all the time. I kept my 2011 MBP plugged in most of the time and finally had to replace the battery a couple of years ago. $75 and 15 minutes and the swap was done.
That’s an expensive battery replacement. I plan to buy an M1 MBP in the fall or early next year when updated ones are released. Given the long battery life of those machines, battery life will increasingly become a non-issue. I’ll just hold on for a while and keep my current MBP plugged in most of the time.
It isn’t the cheapest. I see it this way: if the battery becomes “unusable”, but otherwise there are still 2-3 years of use left in the computer, I’d do it.
My 2014 MBP was plugged in for 2-3 straight years hooked up to an external monitor, clamshell mode. I never moved it, never cycled it. The battery was swollen, trackpad, keyboard became unusable. Took it to Apple, they kept it a week, worked back to normal, it was $199 to repair and fix. During this time I purchased the new Mac Mini because I needed to finish my research papers. My Mac Mini is now my daily go-to. The MBP has been wiped clean and is essentially the guest computer / emergency device to use if someone needs to finish work.
Nope, no reason.
I traded in my 2015 MBP that stayed plugged in most of the time and still had about 70% battery life left.
Apple puts a lot of engineering into the battery and charging technology. That combined with today’s lithium ion battery chemistry means we don’t have to worry about it. Just use your device.
I plan to buy an M1 MBP in the fall or early next year when updated ones are released. Given the long battery life of those machines, battery life will increasingly become a non-issue. I’ll just hold on for a while and keep my current MBP plugged in most of the time.