Unexpected battery health drop on MacBook Air M2 (2022) – 86% after only ~90 cycles

Question

Unexpected battery health drop on MacBook Air M2 (2022) – 86% after only ~90 cycles

Hi everyone,

I’m experiencing a battery issue with my MacBook Air (2022, M2) and I’d like to know if this behavior is normal or if anyone has gone through something similar.

My Mac currently shows:

macOS Maximum Capacity: 90%

coconutBattery Health: 85.9%

Full Charge Capacity: 3919 mAh

Design Capacity: 4563 mAh

Cycle Count: 91

Battery Condition: Normal

What concerns me is the health drop to 85–90% with fewer than 100 cycles, which seems lower than expected for this model and usage. The decline happened relatively quickly.

I’m also unsure why macOS reports 90% while third-party tools show around 86%.

Is this difference normal due to macOS smoothing, or could it indicate an underlying issue with the battery calibration or the hardware?

I’d appreciate any insights, similar experiences, or advice on whether I should bring the device to an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Thanks in advance!

MacBook Air (M2, 2023)

Posted on Dec 8, 2025 7:28 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 8, 2025 7:39 PM in response to PedroRobinson123

Charge cycles are only a part of battery aging. Other factors include build quality, age, patterns of use and environmental factors like heat and cold. Every battery is different, even when they come from the same manufacturing batch.

If you continue to get respectable usage time on battery then all is good. Apple considers a health of 80% to be the replacement threshold. All batteries will die. Some faster than others. The battery health drop rate may not be linear, and battery health may even increase from time to time.

However, if you find that your battery health drops to 80% or less and the cycle count is well below the estimated 1000 cycle lifespan of a MacBook battery, then by all means arrange to have Apple Genius Bar personnel or Apple Authorized Service Provider evaluated the computer for battery replacement.

Meanwhile, here is some of Apple's guidance regarding battery health and management:

Batteries - Maximizing Performance - Apple Support

About battery health management in Mac laptops - Apple Support

In a nutshell, to get the most from your battery:

• Let the OS and charging circuits manage the charging.

• Plug in when using the computer near available power.

• Use on battery when ac is unavailable or when you must be mobile.

• Don’t subject the computer and battery to extreme temperatures.

• Don’t allow the battery to regularly discharge deeply before plugging in. Yes, it may happen from time to time, just don't make it a habit.

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