Battery replacement for any 13-inch MacBook Pro, from the 2009 Unibody to the M2. Tell us the year and we will tell you which of these it is.
Batteries are ordered per model and usually arrive the next working day. Book ahead and we will have yours ready for your visit.
Service Details
13-inch MacBook Pro battery replacement - every generation
“MacBook Pro 13” has meant five quite different machines since 2009, and the battery job is different in every one of them. This page is here to work out which one is on your desk. If you already know, go straight to the page for it; if you do not, the year on the About This Mac panel settles it in a few seconds.
Which 13-inch is it?
- Unibody, 2009 to 2012 (A1278) - the last 13-inch with a removable hard drive and an optical drive. 60 watt-hours on the mid-2009 model, 63.5 on everything after it. The battery is screwed into a tray rather than glued down, which makes this the most straightforward battery in the whole line. Unibody battery replacement.
- Retina, 2012 to 2015 (A1425 and A1502) - MagSafe 2, no Touch Bar, 74 watt-hours on the late-2012 A1425 and 74.9 on the early-2015 A1502. Bonded to the top case, so it is a slow removal with adhesive solvent rather than a lift. Retina battery replacement.
- 2016 to 2017, function keys, no Touch Bar (A1708) - the first USB-C 13-inch, 54.5 watt-hours, and the only machine of that era whose storage can still be removed. Function-key battery replacement.
- Touch Bar, 2016 to 2020 (A1706, A1989, A2159, A2251, A2289) - 49.2 watt-hours on the 2016 and 2017 models, 58 from 2018 onwards. The cell is bonded into a top case that also carries the keyboard and the speakers. Touch Bar battery replacement.
- M1 and M2, 2020 to 2022 (A2338) - 58.2 watt-hours, glued in, and still USB-C rather than MagSafe 3. M1 and M2 battery replacement.
When a battery is actually finished
Apple rates every one of these at 1000 charge cycles, and says a battery is designed to hold about 80 per cent of its original capacity by the time it gets there. In practice the signs arrive earlier and read plainer than the numbers: a machine that shuts down with charge still showing, a percentage that jumps, a laptop that runs hot doing very little, or “Service Battery” and “Replace Now” in the battery panel.
A swollen battery - stop using it
If the trackpad has gone stiff, has stopped clicking, or the machine no longer sits flat on a table, the cell underneath is swelling. Stop using it, do not charge it, and do not press on the trackpad or the bottom case. A swollen lithium-polymer cell is under pressure and can rupture if it is punctured. Bring it in and we will deal with it - there is no surcharge for a swollen cell.
What the replacement involves
On the Unibody the bottom case comes off and the battery lifts out of its tray. On everything from the Retina onwards it is bonded to the top case, so it comes out with adhesive solvent and patience rather than force - which is exactly the point where a rushed job punctures a cell or bends a case. The new battery goes in on fresh adhesive, and the machine is reassembled and tested rather than handed straight back.
What we test before handover
- Charging at low, medium and high power levels
- Battery percentage accuracy - no erratic jumps
- Cycle count reading zero and condition reading Normal
- Sleep, wake and power management
- The charge port, MagSafe or USB-C depending on the model
- Operating temperature under load
Common questions
- How do I find out which model I have? Apple menu, About This Mac - the year is on the first line. If you would rather not look, send us the serial number and we will tell you.
- Do you fit genuine Apple batteries? No, and nobody outside Apple’s own service chain does. We fit premium cells matched to Apple’s capacity specification, with a 12-month warranty on the part and the work - longer than Apple’s own cover on a battery-only service.
- Will my data be safe? A battery replacement does not touch the storage, and we never intentionally delete anything. We still cannot guarantee data through any hardware repair, so back up with Time Machine or iCloud before you bring it in.
- Will the battery health reset? Yes. A new cell reports zero cycles and full capacity, and macOS treats it as new.
- Can I have a bigger battery than Apple fitted? No. These cells are built around the chassis and its thermal design. “High capacity” cells from unknown sources are the ones that swell.
- Do you need my password? To test charging, capacity reporting and power management properly we have to get into macOS. A guest account is fine. Without any access we can only confirm the machine powers on.
Not sure it is the battery? Power problems come from chargers, charge ports, the power management controller and the SMC as often as from cells, and none of those need a new battery. MacBook diagnostics will tell you which it is, and the fee is credited towards the repair if you go ahead.
Tell us about any other damage
Mention anything else when you book - a cracked screen, keys that stick, liquid the machine has met, a dented case. If we find liquid damage and corrosion once it is open, liquid damage cleaning may be needed at extra cost, and a badly swollen cell can distort a case enough to need work of its own. We tell you and get your agreement before any of it.
