A1280 Apple MacBook 13" Replacement Battery 10.8V 4200mAh
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A1280 Apple MacBook 13" Replacement Battery 10.8V 4200mAh - is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
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Battery Care Tips
Battery Care Tips
🔹 Getting Started
Charge your new battery fully before you use it for the first time. Over the next few charge cycles, run your device down to around 20% before you recharge—this helps the battery perform its best. After that, charge whenever you need to.
🔹 Keep It Healthy
Avoid letting your battery completely drain or staying plugged in constantly. Both extremes wear it out faster. Store the battery in a cool, dry place when you're not using it, since heat damages batteries quickly.
Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
🔹 Most orders ship the next day, and we use FedEx, UPS, Purolator and other carriers to get them to you. Lithium batteries have to ship by ground only, not air or USPS. Make sure your address is right before you order, because if we have to send it back, you pay for shipping again.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
⚠️ Disclaimer: All product names, trademarks, and registered trademarks belong to their respective owners.
🔹 We use these names, brands, or model numbers only for identification and compatibility purposes.
A1280 Apple MacBook 13" Replacement Battery 10.8V 4200mAh - is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Voltage
10.8V
Amp
4200mAh
Apple MacBook 13" A1278 — 10.8V Li-Polymer Replacement Battery (A1280)
This is a 10.8V, 4200mAh Li-Polymer replacement battery for the Apple MacBook 13" A1278, including the Aluminum Unibody 2008 version and MB466 variants. It replaces OEM part A1280 and fits the physical bay and connector without modification. Capacity is 45.36Wh, matching the original cell specification.
- A1278 and MB466 series fit: These models share the same 10.8V three-cell Li-Polymer configuration, identical connector pinout, and the same BMS communication protocol over the SMBus line — so one cell works across all listed variants without adapter or firmware conflict.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this cell on an A1278 board and confirmed the SMBus handshake completed, charge current accepted at the expected rate, and the BMS did not trigger a fault or refuse-to-charge condition during initial cycles.
- First-cycle discharge on the A1278: After installing, run the laptop on battery alone until it reaches hibernate-cutoff, then charge uninterrupted to 100%. This forces the MacBook's fuel gauge IC to relearn the new cell's actual capacity range and clears the inaccurate health warning that appears in System Information after every cell swap.
Why macOS shows a different Wh rating than the battery label after replacement
The Wh figure macOS displays in System Information is pulled from the EEPROM on the battery's BMS board, not measured in real time. OEM cells write their rated capacity into that register at the factory. Replacement cells may carry a different EEPROM value depending on the manufacturer, which causes macOS to show a Wh figure that doesn't match the label on the cell. This is a data mismatch, not a fault — the cell still charges and discharges at full capacity. After two to three full calibration cycles the fuel gauge IC will report a value closer to actual measured capacity.
MacBook A1278 shutting down at 20–30% charge shown on the menu bar
This happens when a cell — old or new — cannot hold voltage under combined CPU and display load as it approaches the lower end of its charge range. The fuel gauge IC estimates remaining charge based on voltage curves, but a voltage cliff under load causes the board to cut power before the displayed percentage reaches zero. It is not a fault in the replacement cell itself — it means the fuel gauge IC has not yet mapped the new cell's discharge curve. Run two full discharge-to-hibernate then charge-to-100% cycles; after that the shutdown threshold should track accurately above 5%.
Compatible Models
Replaces Part Numbers
Technical Specifications
Product Highlights
- Brand: Apple
- Manufacturer: CS
- Series: Standard
- Color: Silver Grey
- Product Type: Li-Polymer
- Battery Type: Li-Polymer
- Warranty: 12 Months
- Bulk Orders: sales@batteryweb.com
Frequently Asked Questions
macOS System Information says my new A1278 battery is in "Poor" condition right after I installed it — is it actually faulty?
No. macOS reads battery health from EEPROM data written by the original cell's BMS board, and a replacement cell presents different cycle count and state-of-health values. The MacBook treats unfamiliar EEPROM data as degraded. Run one full discharge to hibernate-cutoff, then charge uninterrupted to 100% — this resets the fuel gauge IC learn cycle and the health status in System Information will update to a normal reading within one or two cycles.
The battery percentage on my A1278 jumps around wildly — it shows 60%, then suddenly drops to 15% without warning. What is causing this?
The fuel gauge IC on the A1278 logic board calibrates its percentage estimates against the discharge curve of the installed cell. After a cell swap, the IC is still using curve data from the old battery, so its percentage readings are inaccurate until it maps the new cell. Run three complete cycles — discharge fully to automatic hibernate, then charge uninterrupted to 100% each time — and the readings will stabilise. After the third cycle, check that the reported capacity in System Information is within 10% of 45Wh.
My replacement A1278 battery stops charging at 80% and will not go higher, even when plugged in overnight. Is the new cell defective?
This is almost always a BIOS-level charge limit, not a cell fault. Apple's power management firmware can cap charge at 80% when it detects the battery as unrecognised or when a "Battery Health Management" setting is active in macOS Energy Saver preferences. Open System Preferences → Battery → Battery Health and confirm "Optimized Battery Charging" is set to your preference. If the cap persists after disabling that setting, reset the SMC by holding Shift + Control + Option + Power for 10 seconds with the charger connected, then attempt a full charge cycle.
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