When it came out, the M1 MacBook Pro 13 was famous for its battery life. Apple rated its 58.2-watt-hour battery for up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 20 hours of movie playback. Six years later, a lot of these laptops are nowhere near those numbers. The good news: a new battery is usually the cheapest way to make an older Mac feel new again.
What it costs
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Apple battery service | $249 |
| With AppleCare+ | $0 below 80% capacity |
| Defective battery in the first year | Covered by Apple's one-year warranty |
| Independent repair shop | Varies, get a written quote |
Check your battery before you book
- Open System Settings > Battery, then click the info button next to Battery Health. You'll see Normal or Service Recommended, plus your Maximum Capacity.
- Hold Option, click the Apple menu, choose System Information, then Power. Your Cycle Count is under Battery Information.
Apple lists 1,000 cycles as the maximum cycle count for this model and says the battery is "considered consumed" once it hits that limit. Apple also designs its notebook batteries to keep up to 80% of their original capacity at 1,000 complete cycles.
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Normal, capacity well above 80% | Battery's fine. Look at apps and settings first |
| Cycle count closing in on 1,000 | Wearing out. Start planning for a replacement |
| Service Recommended, or capacity under 80% | Time for a new battery |
Easy things to try first
- Find the power hog. Open Activity Monitor and click the Energy tab. One runaway app or browser tab can drain a healthy battery fast.
- Turn the brightness down a notch. The display tops out at 500 nits, and the backlight is one of the biggest power users.
- Update macOS and restart. It clears stuck background processes.
- Keep it cool. Apple says MacBooks work best at 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C). Using it on a bed or blanket traps heat, and heat ages batteries.
If the battery still dies early after all that, it's the battery, not you.
What the repair involves
In Apple's repair manual for this model, the battery is covered under a procedure called Top Case with Battery and Keyboard. That tells you how the laptop is built: the battery sits deep in the top case, underneath the keyboard. It's not a ten-minute swap, which is part of why the price is what it is, and why it isn't a casual weekend DIY project.
Apple or a local shop?
Apple's $249 gets you a genuine battery and Apple's warranty on the work. A shop may charge less. Ask whether the battery is brand new, who made it, and what warranty you get. Here's a neat trick: after any battery job, check System Information > Power again. A brand-new battery should show a cycle count at or near zero.
Is $249 worth it on a 2020 laptop?
Be honest about the rest of the machine. If the screen is perfect, the keyboard works and it still runs your apps without a fuss, $249 buys you a couple more good years. If it also needs a display repair, or you're constantly out of memory or storage, that money may do more toward a newer Mac. Run your numbers through our repair or replace calculator.
One more thing: AppleCare One, Apple's newer plan that can cover Macs you already own, only takes devices less than 4 years old. This laptop is past that, so there's no shortcut to a free battery.
Cracked the screen too? Read our M1 MacBook Pro 13 screen guide. All prices are on the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) page. Apple prices checked October 14, 2026.
