My MacBook M1 Pro w/ 441 cycles started doing a fun thing where if the battery gets under about 50% and you put it to sleep, the ONLY way to power on the device is to use the exact charger it came with. Higher powered Apple Studio Display PD, or even good 3rd party chargers, do not bring it back to life. This occurs even when the battery has 40-60% remaining if the laptop goes to sleep.
Had a similar issue with my 2018 MBP Intel - the 86/87 Watt Apple charger was the only thing it would come to life with as the battery aged if the device got too low.
My dad had similar trouble with an M1 MacBook Pro that got a depleted battery. Two chargers he had wouldn’t work, but fortunately the Anki charger that I used for my laptop did work with one of the cables that I had (though not another). Once it got a little juice into it, then it was fine and he could switch back to his. But I think he was a bit more careful to avoid total depletion after that.
In 2018 I had a phone that entered a boot loop: battery depleted, plug it in, it automatically starts booting, it stops charging while booting, it dies due to depletion, it recognises it’s plugged in and starts charging, boot, stop, die, start, boot, stop, die… I tried every combination of the four or five cables that I had with a car USB power adapter and someone’s power bank, nothing worked. Diverted on my way home (an 8 hour journey) to buy another phone because I needed one the next day. When I got home, I tried two or three power adapters with all the cables and finally found one combination that worked. I learned the lesson that day that allowing devices to deplete completely can be surprisingly hazardous.
> I learned the lesson that day that allowing devices to deplete completely can be surprisingly hazardous.
The solution is to keep your devices charged. This is feasible if you have a few devices. Not practical for someone like me. I have too many devices. I don't use every device daily.
Yes, I don't often let batteries deplete but the issue I'm having on my MacBooks is that they will "die" with plenty of charge (often 40-60% left). But the computer thinks it is at 0% and won't boot past the "plug me in!" screen with anything except the OG charger from the Apple box. As soon as you connect the OG charger, it boots automatically and you see 0% battery go to 40-60% battery. At this point, you can uplug the macbook and use it - as long as you don't put it to sleep. Obviously battery/power related, but the only fix is using the charger that says/does exactly what my MacBook wants. I wonder how Apple handles this on the M5.
In my experience a low-power charger will revive, you just must wait for it to hit enough SOC since it is effectively starting off the battery. This does take a while, but starting dead on a supply that can't guarantee enough power would be dumb.
My M1 Pro with 441 battery cycles won't power back on without the Apple charger it came with if I close the lid or put it to sleep and the battery isn't over 60%... something happens and the computer goes into a sleep state where the battery doesn't drain but no charger except the OG brings it back to life.
Even a Studio Display, which can provide more power than my M1 Pro can use, won't wake it from this state. Apple wants $300 for a replacement battery so I'll just buy a new MacBook at that price, but the charger situation doesn't bode well for M5 MacBook buyers who wonder why their Mac is dead one day (and they just need the exact charger the system wants, but Apple didn't provide it)
Replacing a MacBook battery is a lot of delicate work. Not everyone has steady hands, great eyes, etc. For $300, the Apple Store is a better deal for most (and guaranteed to be a quality battery with warranty) compared to the difficulty of a $110 battery kit.
I don't want to use a 3rd party battery in a device I carry with me most places I go...
I re-did the battery on my 2013 MBP well after the Apple support period (~2020). I don't think I'd try it on a still-supported Mac unless I was very price sensitive.
Had a similar issue with my 2018 MBP Intel - the 86/87 Watt Apple charger was the only thing it would come to life with as the battery aged if the device got too low.