How is your iPad Pro 10,5” battery health?

[Aydy]

I don't think it's the battery, at least not that it's performing or aging badly.
Either it's the battery reporting inaccurate readings, or it's iOS misinterpreting those readings, maybe both.

I had Apple run a diagnostic on mine. They wouldn’t give me specifics but when I asked about cycle counts as I wanted to see if they correlated with imazing’s result they told me that the battery “looked good” but had reached something like 40% the limit of cycles it’s tested for.

I assume he was meaning the 500 cycles = two years which would be somewhere in line with the 263 figure I got from imazing but imazing is showing its closer to 50+%..if that makes sense?

Tbh, I wish Apple support were more forthcoming with the battery info..I’ve no idea why he was being so elusive with the diagnostic result, other than saying it was “looking good”

edit: When asking for info on the batteries cycle count I was given the following quite confusing response from Apple.

 

[MrUNIMOG]

I’ve just recalibrated the battery in my iPhone SE. I know it’s no longer advised or considered necessary, but I thought I’d share the results.

Prior to recalibration, coconutBattery showed a full charge capacity of 89.3%, that’s on a cycle count of 148. After recalibration, the figure had risen to 95.4%.

I wasn’t able to leave the phone to drain as long as I’d like and I had to disconnect during the recharging phase, so it’s possible that the final results could have been even better.

I don't know if that will translate into longer battery life, but I still think it’s worth considering recalibrating the battery ever so often, especially after upgrading to a new version of iOS or iPadOS.

I noticed that capacity readings can be way off for batteries that have not been used for some time – I have an old iPhone 4 that's still at very good battery health (96-97 % capacity, almost a miracle at that age) which after some months in the drawer (shelved at around 50 % charge level as it should) reported a rather bad remaining capacity of just over 70 %. After performing a full consecutive charge cycle, it was back to 97 %.
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I had Apple run a diagnostic on mine. They wouldn’t give me specifics but when I asked about cycle counts as I wanted to see if they correlated with imazing’s result they told me that the battery “looked good” but had reached something like 40% the limit of cycles it’s tested for.

I assume he was meaning the 500 cycles = two years which would be somewhere in line with the 263 figure I got from imazing but imazing is showing nearer to 50%..if that makes sense?

Tbh, I wish Apple support were more forthcoming with the battery info..I’ve no idea why he was being so elusive with the diagnostic result, other than saying it was “looking good”

edit: When asking for info on the batteries cycle count I was given the following quite confusing response from Apple.

View attachment 886325

Like Mac or Watch, iPad batteries are rated for 1000 cycles (500 cycles for iPhone, 300 for iPod).
So what you've been told amounts to about 400 cycles. Did they say anything about the capacity remaining?

 

[Aydy]

Like Mac or Watch, iPad batteries are rated for 1000 cycles (500 cycles for iPhone, 300 for iPod).
So what you've been told amounts to about 400 cycles. Did they say anything about the capacity remaining?

Nah, other than saying the battery was currently looking good he was quite reluctant to be specific when I attempted to push for more info.

The results I have from iMazing as I mentioned earlier show my battery health at 85% with 263 cycles. Tbh, I’m not particularly worried about it. I can have the battery replaced if & when performance is degraded but I was kinda curious as it’s not yet 2 years old

 

[MrUNIMOG]

Nah, other than saying the battery was currently looking good he was quite reluctant to be specific when I attempted to push for more info.

The results I have from iMazing as I mentioned earlier show my battery health at 85% with 263 cycles. Tbh, I’m not particularly worried about it. I can have the battery replaced if & when performance is degraded but I was kinda curious as it’s not yet 2 years old

Well that's strange then, at least the cycles should be accurate. Perhaps the support person wasn't aware the rating for iPad batteries is 1000 cycles, but even then 40 % doesn't quite line up with 263 cycles.

 

[Aydy]

Well that's strange then, at least the cycles should be accurate. Perhaps the support person wasn't aware the rating for iPad batteries is 1000 cycles, but even then 40 % doesn't quite line up with 263 cycles.

I think you may be right..it would seem like he is thinking the battery is tested for 500 cycles. He also asked what it said under the “battery health” tab, when I reminded him iPad doesn’t have the health info like iPhone he asked me to go to settings>battery>battery health like I was ignoring His earlier question 😁😁 So it would appear the guy thought he was dealing with an iPhone enquiry..even after running the iPad diagnostic. I guess we’re all slightly rough around the edges today
though 😉

 

[EugW]

When it's sitting on my desk, I often just keep it plugged in, so there aren't a lot of cycles. I bought it as an Apple refurb back in March 2019, but manufacture date is July 2018.

 

[emembee]

I have certainly noticed a difference in battery not lasting as long under iOS 13. During the day it used to be 50+% by evening or 10 hours use. Today it is down to 55% at midday and was charged fully by 10pm yesterday.

 

[Traverse]

Granted my iPad Pro 10.5" is a bit dated (2.5 years old now), I've noticed the battery life is much much worse than it was even a year ago. You can see the Coconut Battery reading below. If I'm reading it correctly, I still have 80% of my maximum capacity, but I can promise you I only get about 60% of the run time.

Were the 2018 Pros supposed to offer any improvement over the 2017?

 

[JonnyBlaze]

mines looking pretty bad now too. this is definitely the worst battery life I’ve seen on an iOS device. wonder What Apple would say if I took it in? Shame I don’t live anywhere near one!

 

[MrUNIMOG]

mines looking pretty bad now too. this is definitely the worst battery life I’ve seen on an iOS device. wonder What Apple would say if I took it in? Shame I don’t live anywhere near one!

View attachment 888402

If Apple's diagnosis confirms the capacity reading, you'd be getting a replacement under warranty, but given its manufacturing date your iPad is probably out of warranty?

If you don't live near an Apple Store that doesn't have to be an issue though, there's AASPs (Authorized Apple Service Providers) in probably every major city. Or you could chat with support to have them diagnose it via the Apple Support App.

 

[JonnyBlaze]

If Apple's diagnosis confirms the capacity reading, you'd be getting a replacement under warranty, but given its manufacturing date your iPad is probably out of warranty?

If you don't live near an Apple Store that doesn't have to be an issue though, there's AASPs (Authorized Apple Service Providers) in probably every major city. Or you could chat with support to have them diagnose it via the Apple Support App.

yes out of warranty now. I keep wondering about the UK consumer rights act which give 6 years to sort out faulty stuff. I did an Apple support app appointment with a phone call. The advisor said the battery condition was fine, but that they couldn’t read the cycle count or something. They said I could take it in to an apple shop to get a more detailed check. I’m going to do that when I’m next near one.

 

[MrUNIMOG]

So I've had my iPad Pro replaced again, due to an issue unrelated to the battery..

The replacement unit was manufactured 43 days ago, came charged to about 80 % and with 0 cycles of course. When I first plugged it into my Mac, coconutbattery read the capacity as 7914 mAh which is 97 % of the design capacity. Now one cycle later it's at 94 % capacity, supposedly. Very curious.

I really doubt the batteries are all bad, at least not chemically. It must be something misreporting the capacity, either the battery itself, this iPad model's charge management hardware, or iOS. I'd vote for the second.

 

[aakshey]

The batteries are indeed all bad. You’ll notice massive deterioration real quick. Wait a few months. This is being done intentionally by Apple.

 

[MrUNIMOG]

The batteries are indeed all bad. You’ll notice massive deterioration real quick. Wait a few months. This is being done intentionally by Apple.

I've had the 10.5" iPad Pro for 2.5 years now, with several replacements. It's not that they deteriorate quickly, it's that the capacity readings they report are completely erratic, right from the start. At least that's what I noticed.

Intentionally? Yeah sure, that's some tinfoilhattery..

 

[JBGoode]

I've had the 10.5" iPad Pro for 2.5 years now, with several replacements. It's not that they deteriorate quickly, it's that the capacity readings they report are completely erratic, right from the start. At least that's what I noticed.

Intentionally? Yeah sure, that's some tinfoilhattery..

Agreed. He's been spreading this and other nonsense for quite a while now. It's become sad.

 

[aakshey]

I’ve probably owned more iPads alone than most families combined. I know more than most. Check your run time every 200 cycles or so. You’ll quickly notice the run time will be a bit over half by the time you reach 100 cycles. With very light usage the run time wont change. With heavier usage it will have a greater impact.

 

[Aydy]

The batteries are indeed all bad. You’ll notice massive deterioration real quick. Wait a few months. This is being done intentionally by Apple.

What would they be intentionally this for. Just curious?

Admittedly, I had thought something similar due to my 10.5s battery degrading significantly quicker than other iPads Ive owned..Mine is currently showing 85%. I’ve owned it around 14 months (used lightly) and wondered if Apple were using inferior batteries but I assume battery tech is consistent across devices and still wouldn’t explain why this model in particular has an issue with premature degrading batteries.

This coupled with the bright spotting issue unfortunately render an otherwise superb device from Apple, a problematic device.

 

[aakshey]

All iPads since 2017 have used poor quality batteries. And I think the case it the same with MacBooks from what I’ve heard. The only devices that definitely don’t have this issue are iPhones.

The reason is simple:

These are very few devices. Unless there is something wrong, you won’t upgrade for 5+ years. That won’t work for Apple.

Not many people are aware. Because:

1. Most users do light use like browsing. A poor battery doesn’t offer much worse runtime for that.

2. Heavy users often keep them plugged in.

3. Many heavy users upgrade very often.

4. For users who use it moderately/heavily and plan to keep it for 2+ years, you can’t. Check all the battery threads regarding Pro 10.5. The same is the case with all iPads. Pro 11 is newer right now. Non Pro isn’t as common on MR except for use by super light users.

 

[Aydy]

All iPads since 2017 have used poor quality batteries. And I think the case it the same with MacBooks from what I’ve heard. The only devices that definitely don’t have this issue are iPhones.

The reason is simple:

These are very few devices. Unless there is something wrong, you won’t upgrade for 5+ years. That won’t work for Apple.

Not many people are aware. Because:

1. Most users do light use like browsing. A poor battery doesn’t offer much worse runtime for that.

2. Heavy users often keep them plugged in.

3. Many heavy users upgrade very often.

4. For users who use it moderately/heavily and plan to keep it for 2+ years, you can’t. Check all the battery threads regarding Pro 10.5. The same is the case with all iPads. Pro 11 is newer right now. Non Pro isn’t as common on MR except for use by super light users.

“These are very few devices. Unless there is something wrong, you won’t upgrade for 5+ years. That won’t work for Apple.”

So a kind of planned obsolescence then..Apple hedging their bets that most will upgrade rather then replace the battery?

 

[JBGoode]

“These are very few devices. Unless there is something wrong, you won’t upgrade for 5+ years. That won’t work for Apple.”

So a kind of planned obsolescence then..Apple hedging their bets that most will upgrade rather then replace the battery?

Don't believe this guy. He's a conspiracy monger/Apple basher and has zero proof of 'planned obsolescence'. He's had many people tell him their batteries are fine but it doesn't matter to him and his agenda and he keeps perpetuating this nonsense. Look at his posting history; it's tin foil hat material.

 

[Brammy]

I brought my 1st-gen 12.9 in to Apple around the time of iOS 13 launch. My battery was crap, and Coconut Battery showed health in the 50%s. Apple's diagnostics showed it to be around 87%.

I had a good chat with the tech who told me that Coconut Battery basically takes its best guess, but doesn't have access to the detailed device calls their diagnostic tools did. This is compounded by iOS not reporting on battery health for iPads, which it should.

My battery life got better around 13.2, but has fallen off a cliff again. I am seeing lots of battery issues, and even my iPhone 8 with 92% health isn't lasting as long as it should. My feeling is iOS13's bugginess is really throwing battery life off.

 

[jbachandouris]

Honestly, I have no idea. My iPad Pro 10.5 is over 2 years old and I've never had any problems with it so I never bothered to check battery health. Guess maybe it's time to check. If it's bad, I'll have an excuse to replace it.

I understand, but don't understand the obsession with battery health. If my battery goes bad, I repair or replace the device. Not judging as I obsess over other things.....

 

[aakshey]

I brought my 1st-gen 12.9 in to Apple around the time of iOS 13 launch. My battery was crap, and Coconut Battery showed health in the 50%s. Apple's diagnostics showed it to be around 87%.

I had a good chat with the tech who told me that Coconut Battery basically takes its best guess, but doesn't have access to the detailed device calls their diagnostic tools did. This is compounded by iOS not reporting on battery health for iPads, which it should.

My battery life got better around 13.2, but has fallen off a cliff again. I am seeing lots of battery issues, and even my iPhone 8 with 92% health isn't lasting as long as it should. My feeling is iOS13's bugginess is really throwing battery life off.

Get a fresh battery/device/same model, I guarantee it will be a lot better even with iOS 13. Though yes iOS 13 doesn’t last that long on any iPhone older than the 11 series. But for iPads it’s mostly your health.

 

[Brammy]

Get a fresh battery/device/same model, I guarantee it will be a lot better even with iOS 13. Though yes iOS 13 doesn’t last that long on any iPhone older than the 11 series. But for iPads it’s mostly your health.

Last time I went, it didn't qualify for the replacement plan, and I wasn't going to pay the non-$99 price.

I may schedule another appointment in a month and see if it has slipped closer to 80%.

 

[AutomaticApple]

iOS 13 doesn’t last that long on any iPhone older than the 11 series. But for iPads it’s mostly your health.

Could you back this information up?