MacBook battery replacement:
yes, even the new models get there

Why the “new models” are not exempt

Apple Silicon changed one thing about the battery: how fast you drain it. An M1 Air can run 15 hours on the same capacity an Intel Air ran 8. But the chemistry is the same — lithium-ion, with a lifespan measured in cycles (one cycle = 100% of capacity used, over one or more charges). Apple rates every MacBook since 2010 at 1,000 cycles to 80% of original capacity.

Workshop reality says something else than the spec sheet. On the 2018–2020 Intel batches we typically saw 85–90% after 500–600 cycles. On M1 and M2 MacBooks we see, on many units, capacity under 90% after only ~300 cycles — that is one year of daily use. At 2–3 years, with 600–900 cycles, real battery life is down to 2–3 hours, from the 15 promised at launch. It is not a fault and it is not “just your laptop”: it is a pattern we see every week, across models.

“I own a 14-inch MacBook Pro M1 and had the battery replaced at this company. I am very pleased with how everything went, from communication and booking through to the service itself (labour + parts). Congratulations to the Radical Service team!”

A 14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro is from 2021 — a €3,000+ laptop at launch, “the best laptop on the market” in its day. Three years later, the battery needed replacing. Not an isolated case; it is the rule.

There is one more reason specific to the new models: the battery is glued to the case, in 4 or 6 cells (see the photo above), sandwiched between the trackpad and the logic board. A cell that starts to swell pushes on the trackpad first — which is why “the trackpad doesn’t click any more” is often the first symptom of a dying battery, not a trackpad fault.

How to check in 30 seconds

What we fit — and why we can afford a 12-month warranty

The MacBook battery market is full of 150-lei “compatibles” with recycled or undersized cells that report 100% on day one and 70% after three months. We do not sell or fit them. We use Apple Service Pack batteries where they exist and premium OEM batteries otherwise — same cell count, same mAh capacity as the original, from suppliers we have filtered over years, not by price.

The figure we track: fewer than 3% of the batteries we fit come back under warranty, over 12 months. That is the figure that lets us give 12 months instead of 3 and keep batteries in stock for all current models — we do not order them after you show up. Every battery is capacity-tested before fitting, and after fitting we show you the system report: 100%, 0 cycles.

On glued-in models the job is done with solvent, cell by cell, without forcing the case or the trackpad; the new adhesive is the dedicated one, not double-sided tape. That is why it is not an on-the-spot job: usually ready the same day, at most 24 hours from drop-off.

What it costs, per model

Final price, VAT included, battery + labour, updated automatically from stock. 12-month warranty on all.

Can’t find your model? See the MacBook battery replacement page or send us the A-number from the bottom of the laptop on WhatsApp.

Is it worth it, or should I buy a new one?

An M1 MacBook Air with a fresh battery is, in 2026, still a very good laptop for 90% of people — and stays supported by macOS for years. The gap between 290 lei and 5,000+ lei for a new model answers the question by itself, if the rest of the laptop is fine. If the display or logic board also has issues, we tell you straight at diagnosis; there is a separate guide: repair or buy a new MacBook.