- To maximize your Mac’s battery life, connect it to AC power as soon as possible
- Also beware of temperatures that are too high or too low
- Limiting the brightness or volume of the sound can also help
While the battery of the iPhone 14 Pro is acting up, why not take an interest in that of the MacBooks? Designed by the same manufacturer, Apple, these laptops are among the most popular in the market. But even in this case the autonomy is often at half mast already after a few months of use. Here are our tips to preserve your battery for as long as possible, whether you have a model with a variant of the M1 chip or one of the M2 chip.
1 – The sector above all
To begin, know that like any component, the more the battery is used, the more it consumes. It is therefore better, as soon as possible, to avoid using the computer without it being connected to the mains. Whenever the battery is almost completely empty, the system considers it as a “cycle”, a parameter that can be measured for free with the “coconutBattery” app on MacBook.
Don’t hesitate to consult your statistics: they will tell you how many cycles have been recorded. A data often related to the health of the battery, this time available from the macOS settings in the form of a percentage.
2 – Beware of extreme temperatures
In this regard, keep in mind that Apple does not recommend using its MacBook M1 and M2 in environments that are too hot or too cold. Better not turn on the laptop below ten degrees Celsius or above thirty-five degrees Celsius. If the computer is turned off, the temperature should not exceed forty-five degrees Celsius.
In addition to temperature, Apple also explains that it must also meet certain conditions in terms of frequency, voltage or relative humidity with its laptops. For example, for the thirteen-inch MacBook Air M2, the numbers to look at are:
- voltage: one hundred to two hundred and forty volts AC
- relative humidity: never greater than ninety percent (non-condensing)
- frequency: fifty to sixty Hertz
3 – Favor original components
To go further, please note that replacing your current battery (or any other component) with third-party hardware is not recommended. Apple therefore recommends that you favor your own spare parts.
The developers have already shown that resorting to alternatives can have a negative impact on the performance of Apple devices. An anti-competitive positioning by Tim Cook’s company, which is also being investigated by the European Union.
4 – Update
Obviously it is also better to update your Mac as soon as Apple offers it to avoid any problems on the battery (or elsewhere). Indeed, if a previous version of the operating system contained a bug that caused a loss of autonomy, users may have reported it and a patch is on the way with the next version.
5 – Our advice for limiting energy consumption
Finally, keep in mind that there are some best practices for slowing down battery drain when your computer is not plugged in:
- lower screen brightness
- limit wireless connections (for example: prefer Ethernet cabling to Wi-Fi network)
- enable power saving mode when possible
- turn down the speaker sound
- turn on the air conditioning to cool the room and limit the power of the fan (reasonably, for environmental reasons, of course)
Leave a Reply