iPad Pro iPad battery IS an issue…

[Abazigal]

At the same time phones are supported longer and are likely to be used longer so that might be one reason they are making it easier to exchange batteries on those type of devices.

I suspect that was it. This wasn't an issue when consumers were replacing their iPhones every 2 years like clockwork, but once people started to hold on to their phones longer, the issue of battery longevity started to become more important, and therefore phones had to be designed to make battery swaps possible (and prepare Apple Stores to be capable of handling the influx of customers).

Perhaps Apple just felt that with the larger battery of the iPad, a battery replacement would be less frequent, and therefore less of a design consideration.

 

[1rottenapple]

Really? Models like M2 air is like that? It’s very similar to M1 air, so i will be surprised if battery is changeable. Anyways if that is the case it’s a big thing, as i keep my devices for a long time.

This is why I HATE Apple faux environmental virtue signaling they ram down our throats meanwhile AirPods are showing up in a whale’s stomach with it’s no replacement battery and we can’t even replace perfectly good iPads batteries without getting a replacement.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I think it was around 84%.

I can definitely see the difference on mine , that is at 83%. It still is perfectly usable, but requires to be charged more often then usual.

The 2018 iPad Pro would have been designed under Jony Ive's era, and he was infamous for his love of thin form factors, often at the expense of repairability.

I won't say Apple screwed it up. They simply made a design decision, and decided on a thinner device even though it would make the battery harder to replace.

iPad Pro M4 are here to contradict you 😉
They are thinner but the battery is serviceable quite easily.
I’m an Apple lover, you know that, but we cannot justify something it’s been made out of greedy and not for customer satisfaction.
Apple WANT their devices to be disposable, to sell more.

It's a shame Apple don't have the same type of battery exchange fee and rules as they do with the iPhone.
I would have thought its tricker to make a design for a phone where every micrometer and gram counts, but not for an iPad.
At the same time phones are supported longer and are likely to be used longer so that might be one reason they are making it easier to exchange batteries on those type of devices.

Maybe EU and/or other countries can push more for making battery replacement cheaper and easier in the future so that devices can have a longer lifecycle along with longer support.

I really hate EU witch hunting, but in this case it could be useful : batteries MUST be serviceable in every electronic device.

This is why I HATE Apple faux environmental virtue signaling they ram down our throats meanwhile AirPods are showing up in a whale’s stomach with it’s no replacement battery and we can’t even replace perfectly good iPads batteries without getting a replacement.

It’s poor engineering, not caused by bad engineers but because of marketing decisions.

 

[Abazigal]

iPad Pro M4 are here to contradict you
They are thinner but the battery is serviceable quite easily.
I’m an Apple lover, you know that, but we cannot justify something it’s been made out of greedy and not for customer satisfaction.
Apple WANT their devices to be disposable, to sell more.

Well, it has also been six years, so I like to think that some progress has been made in its internal design during this time.

It’s all part and parcel of design iteration. If you want Apple to wait until the design of a product is perfected before it’s released (think iPhone 4 to 4s, or 6 to 6s), a lot of products would either get delayed or simply not make it out the door.

 

[ScanTheNavian]

This is why I HATE Apple faux environmental virtue signaling they ram down our throats meanwhile AirPods are showing up in a whale’s stomach with it’s no replacement battery and we can’t even replace perfectly good iPads batteries without getting a replacement.

I have the M1 iPad Pro, and it's around 86% after 250 cycles and 3 years of usage. I'm pretty satisfied with the battery time, but i sense there has been a dip after iPadOS 18. I've decided that I'll never buy a tablet, laptop or phone that doesn't have an easily replacable battery. And I hope EU makes it mandatory on most devices, including ereaders.

 

[FlyingDutch]

Well, it has also been six years, so I like to think that some progress has been made in its internal design during this time.

It’s all part and parcel of design iteration. If you want Apple to wait until the design of a product is perfected before it’s released (think iPhone 4 to 4s, or 6 to 6s), a lot of products would either get delayed or simply not make it out the door.

I don’t really think it is progress. I think apple has been somehow “forced” by regulators like EU and reviews to made some design changes.
I’m not asking for a perfect product: I’m an engineer myself and I know it is not possible. I’m just asking for a serviceable device, which is another thing.

I have the M1 iPad Pro, and it's around 86% after 250 cycles and 3 years of usage. I'm pretty satisfied with the battery time, but i sense there has been a dip after iPadOS 18. I've decided that I'll never buy a tablet, laptop or phone that doesn't have an easily replacable battery. And I hope EU makes it mandatory on most devices, including ereaders.

Wow I have more than double your cycles in the same time frame. You are not using it a lot.
86% after 250 cycles is not a very good result… (just to give you a comparison, I’m at 84% after 540 cycles).

 

[ScanTheNavian]

Wow I have more than double your cycles in the same time frame. You are not using it a lot.
86% after 250 cycles is not a very good result… (just to give you a comparison, I’m at 84% after 540 cycles).

Yeah, I was wondering a bit about that. I've had a habit of letting it run out of battery before charging so that might have something to do with it. As I've not used it daily I've not had a habit of charging like I do with my phone.

 

[FlyingDutch]

Yeah, I was wondering a bit about that. I've had a habit of letting it run out of battery before charging so that might have something to do with it.

Yes, that could be. It is better not to discharge it below 20/30% if you can.
Or it can be just bad luck with the battery…
But generally speaking it is better to avoid deep discharge when not absolutely needed.

As I've not used it daily I've not had a habit of charging like I do with my phone.

That’s explains the low cycles number

 

[rachislenska]

This is why I HATE Apple faux environmental virtue signaling they ram down our throats meanwhile AirPods are showing up in a whale’s stomach with it’s no replacement battery and we can’t even replace perfectly good iPads batteries without getting a replacement.

Well billion dollar corporates are hypocrites. I have come to terms with that. My ipad 10.5 pro battery is still decent. So i hope the current M2 air lasts atleast as long as that.

 

[Edouard Perreault]

The battery of my iPad Air 2016 still holds its charge very well for several hours. As if to say that 9-year-old Apple device batteries still hold up very well…
Of course, updates are no longer supported, but the device is still quite usable.

 

[1rottenapple]

The battery of my iPad Air 2016 still holds its charge very well for several hours. As if to say that 9-year-old Apple device batteries still hold up very well…
Of course, updates are no longer supported, but the device is still quite usable.

That’s the original?

 

[Edouard Perreault]

This is the iPad Air 2nd.

 

[FlyingDutch]

The battery of my iPad Air 2016 still holds its charge very well for several hours. As if to say that 9-year-old Apple device batteries still hold up very well…
Of course, updates are no longer supported, but the device is still quite usable.

It is very good indeed that’s still working, but the “ holds its charge “ is quite subjective. It would be very nice to see the actual wear level of that battery, but I think it is no longer supported by the bunch of utilities that could show us.

 

[FrozenDarkness]

Also, to extend your battery life, apple has given us the 80% charge capability. So you can travel forward in time to see what using an ipad with bad battery life is like right away.

 

[Andy_2341]

Also, to extend your battery life, apple has given us the 80% charge capability. So you can travel forward in time to see what using an ipad with bad battery life is like right away.

If you don’t use that extra 20%, why charge to it?

 

[FlyingDutch]

Also, to extend your battery life, apple has given us the 80% charge capability. So you can travel forward in time to see what using an ipad with bad battery life is like right away.

It doesn’t work on iPad… I don’t know about the M4, but it surely doesn’t work on M1 and 10th gen 🤔

 

[topocalypse]

It doesn’t work on iPad… I don’t know about the M4, but it surely doesn’t work on M1 and 10th gen 🤔

it's exclusive to M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air at the moment.

(this is because the M1 chip is too weak to process the monumental task of limiting the battery charge. it simply isn't able to calculate the trillions of processes needed to limit the voltage and ampherage.

and totally not because apple wants your battery to degrade faster so you can get a new iPad!!!!!!!)

 

[MacCheetah3]

I don't understand why their policy is below 80% SoH only though.

I have no doubt expense calculations are involved — they are a company, not your friend. Nonetheless, also:

I can definitely see the difference on mine , that is at 83%. It still is perfectly usable, but requires to be charged more often then usual.

BAM! Therein lies the key. The degradation may add a little inconvenience but it’s far, far from a critical situation.
My segue...

This is why I HATE Apple faux environmental virtue signaling they ram down our throats meanwhile AirPods are showing up in a whale’s stomach with it’s no replacement battery and we can’t even replace perfectly good iPads batteries without getting a replacement.

Foremost, a company can be primarily focused on profits, such as reducing packaging and accessories, and also legitimately claim the actions are environmentally (less un)friendly, many people do already have piles of chargers and cables laying around, plus have different charger needs and preferences. In this discussion context, whether Apple’s primary intent or not, their policy helps reduce users prematurely replacing batteries.

In other words, pot meet kettle.

Yeah, I was wondering a bit about that. I've had a habit of letting it run out of battery before charging so that might have something to do with it.

In and of itself, no. Although, the caveat is how long the battery remains at the extremes, near 0% or near 100%. Hence why Apple and some others have peak charging limits (i.e., namely for devices that are plugged in more than not).

As a matter of fact, I typically do use my devices until they auto-shutdown due to low battery charge and charge them to 100%. However, they normally don’t stay at these edge situations long.

Here are the results:



Even during the 40-something-percent estimated battery health period, the runtime would be up to three to four hours of online video streaming, Web surfing (including the MR Forums), and turn-based online gaming.

* At one point the iPad was dropped, flipped through the air and landed on a tile floor, and was an Apple refurbished — however, I think the latter is coincidental in relation to battery degradation/quality.


It’s still in use, though primarily for an offline slots game by my elderly mother. It not being readily available is why I haven’t added to the log.

Actually, I haven’t replaced the batteries in any Apple devices. My MacBook (Mid 2007) doesn’t have a battery because it eventually swelled. At that point, like usual, it felt time to ‘upgrade’/replace the entire computer.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I have no doubt expense calculations are involved — they are a company, not your friend. Nonetheless, also:

BAM! Therein lies the key. The degradation may add a little inconvenience but it’s far, far from a critical situation.
My segue...

Being perfectly usable means it doesn’t shut itself down during usage, but endurance clearly is affected, so it is NOT a little inconvenience for people using it all day long.

 

[Andy_2341]

it's exclusive to M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air at the moment.

(this is because the M1 chip is too weak to process the monumental task of limiting the battery charge. it simply isn't able to calculate the trillions of processes needed to limit the voltage and ampherage.

and totally not because apple wants your battery to degrade faster so you can get a new iPad!!!!!!!)

Also the mini 7, with its A17Pro.

 

[inglishmayjur]

So I guess what now? How does someone choose the iPad with the best battery life? I traded in an iPad 8th gen (I think?) that had too little storage but the battery lasted forever using reading apps, light browsing and occasional videos, especially in airplane mode. I now have a gift card but reading posts like these I have no idea what to get.

Edit: I have also used the search function extensively on this topic both within this forum, on Google and Reddit and can't seem to find a decent recommendation.

 

[Andy_2341]

So I guess what now? How does someone choose the iPad with the best battery life? I traded in an iPad 8th gen (I think?) that had too little storage but the battery lasted forever using reading apps, light browsing and occasional videos, especially in airplane mode. I now have a gift card but reading posts like these I have no idea what to get.

Edit: I have also used the search function extensively on this topic both within this forum, on Google and Reddit and can't seem to find a decent recommendation.

I suppose it really comes down to how you use the iPad and how you lucked out on that particular battery. Two batteries could both be in spec, but one could have 102% capacity from factory and the other only 100%. This is how it is from battery to battery. My mini 6 was this way, and through light usage and conscious charging it stayed above 100% for a good 6 months of basically daily use.

Buy the iPad that best fits the features you want. Only charge to 80% if you don’t need 100%, and don’t leave it on the charger for extended periods once full. Minimize connections as well, especially cellular if you go that route.

However, don’t hold yourself back from really using the iPad in hopes of extending battery life. The battery and device will be dead one day anyways. Enjoy it, just don’t be unnecessary with it. That’s the best I’ve got.

 

[FlyingDutch]

So I guess what now? How does someone choose the iPad with the best battery life? I traded in an iPad 8th gen (I think?) that had too little storage but the battery lasted forever using reading apps, light browsing and occasional videos, especially in airplane mode. I now have a gift card but reading posts like these I have no idea what to get.

Edit: I have also used the search function extensively on this topic both within this forum, on Google and Reddit and can't seem to find a decent recommendation.

When they are new, every iPad has a good battery life. The problems start when the iPad is 3+ years old and some batteries degrade faster than others.

 

[Andy_2341]

When they are new, every iPad has a good battery life. The problems start when the iPad is 3+ years old and some batteries degrade faster than others.

This is where replacements come in. It doesn't have to be Apple, just a reputable repair shop. That's how my grandmother used an 1st gen iPad Air until the summer of 2024. It had two battery replacements in that time, and finally she upgraded to a 9th gen regular iPad because it didn't make sense to do another battery replacement.

 

[FlyingDutch]

This is where replacements come in. It doesn't have to be Apple, just a reputable repair shop. That's how my grandmother used an 1st gen iPad Air until the summer of 2024. It had two battery replacements in that time, and finally she upgraded to a 9th gen regular iPad because it didn't make sense to do another battery replacement.

Do you trust third parties for Apple servicing ? I’m very skeptical… because we know Apple doesn’t like that.