A battery cycle count refers to the number of times a rechargeable battery can be discharged and recharged before it starts to degrade in performance. Each time a battery is cycled, it experiences a small amount of wear and tear, which gradually reduces its capacity to hold a charge and deliver power. For example, when you use and recharge a smartphone with a lithium-ion battery, it counts as one cycle. The more you use and recharge the battery, the more cycles it goes through, and the shorter its overall lifespan becomes.
Knowing the battery cycle count is useful because it can help you determine the expected lifespan of your devices battery and whether it may need to be replaced. Different laptop models and brands have different cycle count limits, which indicate how many cycles your battery can handle before it needs to be replaced. For example, Apple provides a cycle count limit for its Mac laptops, and once the battery reaches this limit, it is considered consumed. Similarly, on all iPhone 15 models, Apple has made it possible to check the number of completed battery cycles, which is a valuable metric to determine your devices battery condition.
