The iPhone Battery Dilemma: Is Sacrificing Capacity Worth It?
I embarked on a two-year journey to test the limits of my iPhone's battery life, following Apple's recommended practices to a T. But here's where it gets controversial: my battery health took a nosedive, leaving me with a device that couldn't even last a full day. And this is the part most people miss: I'm not alone in my frustration.
When I first got my iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023, I was determined to make its battery last. Little did I know, an unexpected accident would set the stage for a fascinating experiment.
Obsession with Battery Life
In the world of iPhones, battery life is a hot topic. It's the subject of countless articles, blog posts, and YouTube videos, and it's the issue that generates the most questions and comments. People have been fixated on their iPhone's battery performance since the very beginning.
Apple has tried to address this concern by adding various metrics and tweaks to iOS, even introducing a feature that allows users to cap battery charge levels to prolong battery life. But here's the catch: is it worth sacrificing 20% of your battery's capacity for the promise of extended lifespan?
The Trade-Off
Apple claims that iPhone 15 models and later can retain 80% of their original capacity after 1,000 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions. Intrigued, I decided to give my battery the best shot possible by setting the charge limit to 80%.
Initially, things went well. After a few days of adjustment, I hardly noticed the reduced battery level, and I rarely ended the day with less than 35% charge. However, after over a year and 355 recharge cycles, the battery's maximum capacity had dropped to 91%.
The Pinch Sets In
By this point, I started feeling the strain. The combination of charging to only 80% and the natural wear and tear on the battery was taking its toll. Those rare occasions when my iPhone charged to 100% for calibration purposes felt like a much-needed respite.
As a heavy iPhone user, I knew that my usage pattern was accelerating battery degradation. The increased recharge cycles and the intensity of usage were reducing the overall lifespan of the battery cells.
The Turning Point
Fast forward to September of the following year. The iPhone was 17 months old, and the battery had almost reached the halfway mark of those 1,000 recharge cycles, with a maximum capacity of 89%. Battery life had become horrendous. I'd start the day with an 80% charge, only to find myself hovering around or dipping below the 20% zone by mid to late afternoon.
Power banks became my new best friends, an essential part of my daily routine. Even temporarily raising the charge limit to 100% didn't provide much relief.
The Realization
At this point, I realized that the effective lifespan of a top-of-the-line iPhone Pro Max was less than two years for me. So, I made the decision to upgrade to an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the difference was like night and day. I could once again make it through a full day without needing a charge.
A Shared Experience
Maybe my battery was particularly weak, or maybe it's a common issue. Either way, I'm not alone in feeling that sacrificing 20% of my battery capacity wasn't worth the promise of better battery life. Juli Clover, writing for MacRumors, has also conducted a similar experiment and reached a similar conclusion.
The Alternative Approach
I've decided to go back to 100% charging and utilize optimized battery charging, a feature that delays the final 20% charge until it's time to start your day. This feature, along with the vapor chamber cooling, might just be the key to keeping my new battery healthy for longer.
I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best!
