To estimate the potential lifespan of these devices, we scoured each manufacturer’s website and then asked the companies two key questions. First, how many empty to full charges (or “cycles”) can a product’s battery reach before it reaches its capacity? Drops to 80%? (The battery usually degrades quickly after that.) Second, if the device’s battery is out of warranty, what are the options the owner has to repair or replace the device’s battery?
For example, Bose says its popular QC noise-cancelling headphones last 20 hours on a single charge and can be fully charged 500 times. Therefore, it was estimated that if the headphones were used 5 days a week, without official service options to replace the batteries, the headphones could start to fail in 5 years.
Several manufacturers have refused to share battery cycle counts.
