A lithium battery positive electrode material precursor and its preparation method and application are provided. The positive electrode material precursor has the chemical formula NixCoyMzTp(OH)q and contains secondary particles in the form of microspheres formed by agglomeration of primary particles. The microspheres have a three-layer structure from the inside to the outside, namely an inner core layer, a middle layer and an outermost layer. The ratio of the intensity of the (110) and (102) crystal planes diffraction peaks expressed as peak height in the XRD diffraction pattern of the inner core layer of the microsphere is 1.0-8.0. The positive electrode material prepared by using the positive electrode material precursor has high discharge specific capacity and good cycle stability and can be used in high-performance lithium batteries.