iPhone 12 mini Abnormal Battery Health Decline?

[Channan]

I‘ve had an iPhone 11 Pro since November of 2019 and an iPhone 12 mini since launch day last year. My iPhone 11 Pro currently shows 90% battery health after 320 charge cycles, while my iPhone 12 mini shows 91% after only 135 charge cycles. Apple says the batteries are designed for up to 80% health after 500 cycles. I realize that says “up to” and not “at least” but at the rate it’s declining, my 12 mini won’t even be close to 80% after 500 cycles while my 12 Pro will easily be over that.

Is this typical of the iPhone 12 mini or do I have a defective battery?

 

[RRC]

Do you use Apple car play? Or charge the mini more often?

I have seen a few posts over time of the mini battery health dropping quicker, although that’s also to be expected as it’s a smaller physical battery in itself I guess.

 

[Channan]

Do you use Apple car play? Or charge the mini more often?

I have seen a few posts over time of the mini battery health dropping quicker, although that’s also to be expected as it’s a smaller physical battery in itself I guess.

I keep it charged as much as possible, but my usage with my 12 mini is no different than my 11 Pro. I even checked my iPhone 7, which has over 400 cycles (don’t recall the exact number), and it still has 86% health.

 

[now i see it]

Battery degradation isn't linear. I personally wouldn't even check the battery health app until you notice an obvious reduction in run time a few years from now. If staying away from the battery health app proves to be too excruciating, you don't need to fret about the battery until the app reports its in the low 80s.

I have an iPhone 7 with a battery health score of 75% and it works fine. It just doesn't last quite as long as it did when it was new.

 

[Spetsgruppa]

The battery health in settings isnt accurate... it shouldnt be used to benchmark the battery.

 

[Channan]

The battery health in settings isnt accurate... it shouldnt be used to benchmark the battery.

I’d say there’s a difference between not being accurate and being completely wrong. I understand that it’s not entirely accurate and if we were talking a difference of a couple %, I could accept that. But almost 10% is pretty significant to write off as just not being accurate.

Also, I posted just under a month ago when I noticed my battery health showed it was at 94%, so it definitely seems like it’s rapidly declining. I guess I’ll give an update in another month or so and see if it continues.

 

[nn88]

honestly I'm worried too

 

[Channan]

honestly I'm worried too

Does coconut show the same health percentage as the battery settings on your phone? Just curious.

 

[Ipadlover29]

My battery health is really Weird on my iPhone 12 Pro. After installing iOS 14.5 it went down to 97% from 98%. My previous iPhone 11 Pro which I owned for 1 year was still at 100% when I sold it. Also my iPhone X was at 98% when I sold it after 2 years.

 

[nn88]

Does coconut show the same health percentage as the battery settings on your phone? Just curious.

Coconut is actually lower than what the phone is saying.

iOS is saying 92 but Coconut is saying like 89%.

Its insane that its even that low.

This is a day one purchase.

 

[Ipadlover29]

Just checked on imazing since i dont have a mac any more. Its showing just 50 charge cycles and 96% battery health on my iphone 12 pro purchased on october 30th 2020. My usage is definetly different with this phone than previous iphones because of the pandemic, but still 96-97% after just 6 months doesnt make sense to me.

 

[firedept]

I will second that the Battery Health app in Settings is way off, actually wrong. Now I realize you are talking phones. My wife’s series 5 watch was showing 79% battery health yet when we sent it in to replace the battery Apple refused to do it saying the battery was perfectly fine. Yet her watch would not last the full day.

Battery Health app is out to lunch.

 

[Tsepz]

Battery degradation isn't linear. I personally wouldn't even check the battery health app until you notice an obvious reduction in run time a few years from now. If staying away from the battery health app proves to be too excruciating, you don't need to fret about the battery until the app reports its in the low 80s.

I have an iPhone 7 with a battery health score of 75% and it works fine. It just doesn't last quite as long as it did when it was new.

This! It’s honestly one of the worst features Apple has ever put on a device, here and on Reddit there are endless threads about abnormal battery health and people coming up with all sorts of crazy remedies to try slow it down “NeVeR cHaRgE OvEr 80%” “nEvEr LeT tHe BaTtErY gO uNdEr 20%”, “dOnT cHaRgE oVeRnIgHt” lol, absolute craziness and then some are using those old 5W chargers (I made this mistake to) on their brand new phone.

People don’t understand that not only is battery degradation not linear but each and every battery in each and every phone is slightly different, no 2 iPhone 12 Minis have the exact same capacity, there can be a full 100mAh difference in either direction of the design spec and not to mention how old the battery is. There is so much at play that you really don’t have a great base of where the battery health really should be, but rather just enjoy the device and replace the battery when you feel Performance has become sluggish and health is below 80%.

Many people will see fast drops of battery health followed by it sitting on a specific number like 93% for many many months afterwards. Others will sit at 100% for a year and then see a huge drop to 95% after an update when the health actually corrects itself lol, others will see more gradual movement, there is no cure, the battery will degrade no matter what you do.

 

[Sanforized]

I'm in a similar situation to OP with my 12 Mini. I got it the first week of December and it's at 93%. I primarily charge it via wireless charging on my MagSafe Duo or Anker stand.

 

[prazakj]

I'm in a similar situation to OP with my 12 Mini. I got it the first week of December and it's at 93%. I primarily charge it via wireless charging on my MagSafe Duo or Anker stand.

Same date here, same charging overnight, just health shows 98%.

 

[mrochester]

I’ve got a launch day 12 mini and according to coconut battery I have 101 charge cycles and 91.8% battery capacity from new.

 

[mlody]

This! It’s honestly one of the worst features Apple has ever put on a device, here and on Reddit there are endless threads about abnormal battery health and people coming up with all sorts of crazy remedies to try slow it down “NeVeR cHaRgE OvEr 80%” “nEvEr LeT tHe BaTtErY gO uNdEr 20%”, “dOnT cHaRgE oVeRnIgHt” lol, absolute craziness and then some are using those old 5W chargers (I made this mistake to) on their brand new phone.

People don’t understand that not only is battery degradation not linear but each and every battery in each and every phone is slightly different, no 2 iPhone 12 Minis have the exact same capacity, there can be a full 100mAh difference in either direction of the design spec and not to mention how old the battery is. There is so much at play that you really don’t have a great base of where the battery health really should be, but rather just enjoy the device and replace the battery when you feel Performance has become sluggish and health is below 80%.

Many people will see fast drops of battery health followed by it sitting on a specific number like 93% for many many months afterwards. Others will sit at 100% for a year and then see a huge drop to 95% after an update when the health actually corrects itself lol, others will see more gradual movement, there is no cure, the battery will degrade no matter what you do.

explain to me please how using 5watt charging brick is a mistake? That is what I have been exclusively using on my iPhones since I can remember and have no battery problems with any of our iPhone.

 

[ISKOTB]

This! It’s honestly one of the worst features Apple has ever put on a device, here and on Reddit there are endless threads about abnormal battery health and people coming up with all sorts of crazy remedies to try slow it down “NeVeR cHaRgE OvEr 80%” “nEvEr LeT tHe BaTtErY gO uNdEr 20%”, “dOnT cHaRgE oVeRnIgHt” lol, absolute craziness and then some are using those old 5W chargers (I made this mistake to) on their brand new phone.

People don’t understand that not only is battery degradation not linear but each and every battery in each and every phone is slightly different, no 2 iPhone 12 Minis have the exact same capacity, there can be a full 100mAh difference in either direction of the design spec and not to mention how old the battery is. There is so much at play that you really don’t have a great base of where the battery health really should be, but rather just enjoy the device and replace the battery when you feel Performance has become sluggish and health is below 80%.

Many people will see fast drops of battery health followed by it sitting on a specific number like 93% for many many months afterwards. Others will sit at 100% for a year and then see a huge drop to 95% after an update when the health actually corrects itself lol, others will see more gradual movement, there is no cure, the battery will degrade no matter what you do.

+1 here that battery health is useless!

 

[Tsepz]

explain to me please how using 5watt charging brick is a mistake? That is what I have been exclusively using on my iPhones since I can remember and have no battery problems with any of our iPhone.

Using the 5W charger does not help in anyway reduce the battery degradation, whether you use the 5W, 18W or 20W your battery will more than like still degrade at a similar rate. I used the 5W when I first got my 11 Pro Max as I figured I would keep the 18W for traveling but then Covid-19 hit and I saw that no matter if I had as 5W of 18W battery health still goes down similarly. The 18W charger actually seems to work well for Optimized Charging, as the phone reaches 80% charge quicker and stays there until it needs to go to 100% before you unplug.

 

[RRC]

Using the 5W charger does not help in anyway reduce the battery degradation, whether you use the 5W, 18W or 20W your battery will more than like still degrade at a similar rate. I used the 5W when I first got my 11 Pro Max as I figured I would keep the 18W for traveling but then Covid-19 hit and I saw that no matter if I had as 5W of 18W battery health still goes down similarly. The 18W charger actually seems to work well for Optimized Charging, as the phone reaches 80% charge quicker and stays there until it needs to go to 100% before you unplug.

Incorrect… using the 5W charger produces a lot less heat, which is a major cause of battery degradation.

The 5w charger works the same with optimised charging as any other Apple charger too.

 

[one more]

My 12 mini has been in constant use since 5 December 2020 and its battery health in Settings shows 99% right now. I am one of those people charging it overnight with a slow Apple 5W charger and also keeping it plugged to the car charger about 4 times a week for about 90 minutes during the ride. I agree with previous posters’ idea that the cooler the iPhone is (during charging and in general use), the better this must be for the battery.

This Apple article might be helpful:

iPhone Battery and Performance - Apple Support

Understand iPhone performance and its relation to your battery.

support.apple.com

 

[Tsepz]

Incorrect… using the 5W charger produces a lot less heat, which is a major cause of battery degradation.

The 5w charger works the same with optimised charging as any other Apple charger too.

Fast Charging measures are in place to dynamically adjust charging speed to ensure heat does not reach temperatures that damage the phone or battery. It would be utterly stupid of Apple to sell a charger that will quickly ravage your battery.

Personally I would advise simply using the latest charger you have for your iPhone, if that’s the old 5W then go ahead but even better if your have the newer 18W or 20W, they to can bring the wattage all the way down under 5W if required to do so.

 

[canuckRus]

The battery health in settings isnt accurate... it shouldnt be used to benchmark the battery.

Coconut Battery likewise.

 

[Channan]

Within a week of posting this, my 12 mini was down to 90% and a few days ago dropped to 89%. My 11 Pro is still at 90%.

I get that the built-in battery health indicator isn’t entirely accurate, but my battery’s health is consistently going down and never back up. Battery life is becoming noticeably worse than when I first got the phone and occasionally will drop several percentage points in a short amount of time, similar to, but not as extreme as, what you’d see in old batteries.

 

[canuckRus]

Within a week of posting this, my 12 mini was down to 90% and a few days ago dropped to 89%. My 11 Pro is still at 90%.

I get that the built-in battery health indicator isn’t entirely accurate, but my battery’s health is consistently going down and never back up. Battery life is becoming noticeably worse than when I first got the phone and occasionally will drop several percentage points in a short amount of time, similar to, but not as extreme as, what you’d see in old batteries.

My 12 mini purchased 6 months ago remains at 100% according to its reading.