Any smartphone battery, no matter how good it is and no matter how well we treat it, has an expiration date. With simple normal use it deteriorates until it reaches a point of no return and then the time comes to replace it with a new one. But, How much does it cost to change the iPhone battery?
Changing the iPhone battery can be something very simple or tremendously complicated, it all depends on our knowledge and our ability. In any case, when in doubt, it is always better to leave it in the hands of the technical service or a professional who knows what to do.
An important point: if we decide to make the change ourselves, we must know that the phone warranty it will be canceled the moment we open its guts to carry out a repair. So you have to think very well before taking action.
How to know when the time has come
The decision to change the battery is not made overnight. First, there are a number of señales that are warning us: the charge lasts less and less, the phone turns off or restarts unexpectedly, etc. These are unequivocal clues that our battery has already started an irreversible process. You have to act.
It's a good idea to check the rate of battery degradation (inevitable in the lithium-ion batteries used in Apple phones) from time to time through the iPhone Settings. This is the way to do it:
- First of all, let's go to the Adjustments
- Then we select Drums.
- Finally, there we go to the option "Battery status" (Which in iOS 16.1 or later comes with the heading "Battery Health and Charge").
This last screen shows all the information we need to know: the maximum battery capacity and peak performance capacity. The first is a kind of countdown. When we buy the new iPhone, it is at 100%, but that percentage decreases with use and the passage of time. Either way, don't start worrying until the figure has dropped below 80%.
Performance is also affected by battery deterioration. On the "Battery Status" screen we must look to see if there are any alert messages. When everything is normal, it reads: «The battery is currently providing normal peak performance." On the other hand, when other messages appear that allude to risks of unexpected shutdowns and the like, we will know that the time has come to change the iPhone's battery.
According to experts, under normal conditions the battery of an iPhone degrades at a rate of 2-3% every year.
Price of changing an iPhone battery
As for the price, as we will see below, it can also grow a lot depending on the circumstances. Many times it is cheaper to get a new iPhone than to change the battery. And it is that this type of spare parts are not cheap.
The price of a new battery can fluctuate between 49 euros and 119 euros, depending on the iPhone model. These prices usually already include the costs of repair, shipping, etc. To avoid going blind in this matter, Apple offers its customers a web page where they can calculate all costs. This table can also serve as a reference:*
- iPhone 5s: 55 euros
- iPhone SE: 55 euros
- iPhone 6 and 6 Plus: 55 euros
- iPhone 6s and 6s Plus: 55 euros
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: 49 euros
- iPhone 8 and 8 Plus: 49 euros
- iPhone X, XS, XS Max and XR: 75 euros
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max: 75 euros
- iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max: 75 euros
- iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max: 75 euros
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 pro Max: 119 euros
(*) Prices updated in August 2023
To start the process, you must enter the type of iPhone and the specific model. The website calculates a audiovisual which will be confirmed by the technical service once they have received and inspected the phone (we can send it by mail or access an Apple Store). In some cases, this repair may have an additional cost in the case of having to change other damaged components.
Finally, it should also be mentioned that there is the option of going to an external repair service. Probably, the price is much more affordable in that case, although it will lack the guarantees that Apple offers us.
Tips to extend the life of an iPhone battery
What we said at the beginning of the article is true: all batteries have an expiration date, although it is also true that we, the users, can do a lot to make that time take a long time to arrive. To get started, just follow these tips and recommendations that will be of great help if what we want is to extend the life of our iPhone:
- Keep iPhone in a suitable environmental environment. Not too cold and not too hot. As long as the iPhone is within a temperature range between 15 C and 25 C the battery will not suffer. It is also important to avoid environments with excessive humidity.
- Avoid overheating, the number one enemy of the battery. Here, in addition to the environmental factors mentioned above, we must add excessive and prolonged use of the phone, especially when we use it to play.
- Activate automatic lock so that the screen turns off when we are not using the phone. This way we avoid wasting energy uselessly.
- Disable vibration mode, which many people still use.
- Use low power mode, implemented for the first time in iOS 9. This mode is used to prolong the autonomy of the iPhone when the battery reaches low levels, alerting us when we reach 20% and again when it drops to 10%.
- Charge iPhone properly. Whenever possible, avoid turning off because the battery has been depleted. Likewise, it is not necessary to charge the phone to 100%, we can unplug it before.
- Always keep iPhone up to date. In this way, the phone will always work with the latest version of iOS, which will result in consumption savings and harmonious operation.