Bought a new 14" MacBook Pro from Best Buy. New factory sealed and was shipped to me. The first day the battery had 12 cycles is this considered normal or should I be concerned?

12 is a little high. My M1 MBP 16 had 3 and I bought mine straight from Apple (sealed).

I wouldn't worry about it. Most of my MBPs that I've gotten from Apple have usually had at least 3 cycles on the battery. Only one had 0.

Edit: I just checked my records - most of the MBPs I got had at least 3 cycles on them, 1 had 0, and my 16' MBP had 3. Not 6-7 like I thought.

Yes that was what I was expecting so when I saw the number 12 I was taken aback. Thanks

I had 0 when I bought mine. 12 is a bit high and I would return/exchange unless I got a really nice discount on it - then I would keep it

I wouldn't worry too much about 12 cycles. Even if I had gotten one with 12, I'd just AppleCare+ it and use it. Just me though. If it bothers you, can't hurt to ask Apple about it and see what they'll do for you.

Did purchase with a $300 discount but I would think an exchange would not effect price.
I have another couple weeks to return or exchange from Best Buy.

BigMcGuire said:

Batteries - Service and Recycling

Learn about battery service and recycling for Apple devices. All rechargeable batteries need to be serviced eventually.

www.apple.com

View attachment 2040568

I wouldn't worry too much about 12 cycles. Even if I had gotten one with 12, I'd just AppleCare+ it and use it. Just me though. If it bothers you, can't hurt to ask Apple about it and see what they'll do for you.

Click to expand...

For me, it's mores about 12 cycles saying somebody tried it out and returned it, not necessarily about the battery longevity. I bought a used M1 MBA with 8 cycles on it and didn't think twice about it - but I paid a used price for it.

NewtoMac4 said:

Did purchase with a $300 discount but I would think an exchange would not effect price.
I have another couple weeks to return or exchange from Best Buy.

You realize that if you exchange it, you'll get another "new" one, with 2 cycles on it... that will eventually have some catastrophic failure right after warranty/AC+ expires, right?

NewtoMac4 said:

Did purchase with a $300 discount but I would think an exchange would not effect price.
I have another couple weeks to return or exchange from Best Buy.

might be worth a call to best buy to see if you can get a further discount? (and keep it if all is well)

Misheemee said:

For me, it's mores about 12 cycles saying somebody tried it out and returned it, not necessarily about the battery longevity. I bought a used M1 MBA with 8 cycles on it and didn't think twice about it - but I paid a used price for it.

Did ship to me in an Apple shipping box with the center pull tab. The computer box sealed with the side pull tab.

NewtoMac4 said:

Did ship to me in an Apple shipping box with the center pull tab. The computer box sealed with the side pull tab.

I bought my 14" MBP on 10 March 2022, have been using it consistently (for personal use) since then - just checked my battery cycles and I'm on 16 cycles (I don't leave it on charge - I just charge when it needs it, and use it).

Do whatever you're comfortable with 😊 My thoughts are it wouldn't hurt to call best buy and get a few additional dollars back in your pocket and put it towards AppleCare for your Mac. Alternatively give Apple a call, explain the situation and see what they can do (If anything). The worst they can say is "no"😉

While I wouldn't be worried about 3 or 6 or even 12 cycles in and of itself (what's 12 over the 1000 cycle lifetime), it does seem sketchy for a supposedly brand new product. 12 cycles is quite a lot of use... many hours of charging and discharging. Seems pretty unlikely unless it was used. I'd ask the vendor for sure.

can you also check the SSD age, that will give you an idea if it was actually used & returned,
brew install smartmontools smartctl -a disk1s2

My refurb 14" MBP came with 14 cycles ...12 seems high for a "brand new" MBP imo.

Probably because of testing / quality control at the factory. I wouldn't worry about it

NewtoMac4 said:

Bought a new 14" MacBook Pro from Best Buy. New factory sealed and was shipped to me. The first day the battery had 12 cycles is this considered normal or should I be concerned?

While it is on the high side, it is normal for batteries to have some cycles due to QC testing at factory.

sumarlidason said:

can you also check the SSD age, that will give you an idea if it was actually used & returned,
brew install smartmontools smartctl -a disk1s2

I do know the age of the battery which was manufactured April 18, 2022 so less than 4 months old.
May call Apple to see what their take on this is. Thanks

As a follow up talked to Apple and they say that this is normal(surprise) and the maximum capacity
is at 100% so I should be fine.