iPhone 7/Plus Replace battery or wait???

[Jxdawg]

First post on here, guidelines are TL;DR so be kind to me please.

Any way...

I currently own an iPhone 7 that is well over two years old. Battery health is at 82% running iOS 13.3. If I use it lightly, I can use it all day w/out low power mode and still get nearly 12 hours of battery life out of it.

Here’s the sitch...I would prefer to give my phone heavy usage and maximze its capabilities without having to worry about heading to my car for a quick recharge.

I don‘t NEED any of the new features of the current iPhones, FaceID is cool but not necessary. I cant justify spending that money, I’m a bit of a penny pincher.

My question to you is this: Do I shell out $60 and replace the 7’s battery or should I wait for the 2020 iPhone 9/SE that will supposedly be a budget phone?

 

[Shirasaki]

iPhone 9 in 2020 might be compelling but the cost of replacing that device will 100% be more than $60 even with the best deal possible when selling your old iPhone. If I were you I would go for battery replacement.

 

[JPack]

Battery health is at 82% running iOS 13.3.

Most people will stop reading there and tell you to replace the battery.

It's like driving a car with two cylinders and a quarter tank of gas.

Spend that $49 and get a new battery.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Get the battery replaced if you’re satisfied with your phone. $50 is cheap for a couple more years of use

 

[now i see it]

I've got an iPhone 7 with battery health at 86% and when I took it into an Apple Store (to fix the screen) they said the battery was "fine" and really discouraged me from replacing it. Suspiciously though, they went out of their way to try to convince me to buy a new iPhone- even a new iPhone 7.

If plugging the phone in more frequently is really getting you down, replace the battery. But it's not going to be a night/day difference.

 

[rui no onna]

Used to be, battery replacement was $100 while a phone upgrade was $200 on contract so you were better off replacing the phone.

That's not the case anymore so it's actually worthwhile replacing batteries if device performance is still good. That said, even with a fresh battery, an iPhone Plus or iPhone XR/11 can handle heavier usage than the iPhone 7 (and I expect the upcoming SE2/9) thanks to their bigger batteries.

 

[MoreRumors?]

Apple website shows it is $49. If you are in no rush to replace the battery, you can wait a few more months to see how much the “SE2” will cost and make a final decision in which direction that fits your needs.

 

[3SQ Machine]

My battery health in my 6s plus was around 81% which apple said was "fine." However, I pushed it and took advantage of the $29 deal they were running last year because at that price, why not? I've wasted more on a bad meal.

Surprisingly, the new battery was not THAT much of a dramatic improvement in battery life. Sure, it was better but still didn't "feel" like a brand new phone. Not sure why, but I'm sure Apple is not giving us the "best" batteries for these phones, but probably just batteries that (barely) meet the specs of the ORIGINAL phone. Of course, Apple could hook us up with better batteries but why do that when they can steer us to a the same class of phone that now costs $400 more?

P.S. -- gave in and 6 months later bought an XS Max--which definitely was a dramatic improvement in many ways--including price.

 

[Ericdjensen]

Yeah, what everyone else has said. You like the phone and $60 is still much much cheaper than what a new SE is gonna be. Replace that battery

 

[maxjohnson2]

I have a different opinion about this. Considering the SE2/9 rumor is true and the price is not too high. The 7 is a 2016 phone, it’s over half of its support cycle (presumably). Assuming you don’t want the keep the 7 plus, I would trade it in for the SE2.

If it was an iPhone 8 then there’s a better justification to not upgrade.

 

[tt061282]

Replace the battery. You can still get the iPhone 9(SE) as well when it comes out but replace the battery to hold you over. I want to get the new one as well when it comes out and I am using my iPhone 7 right now. Something about carrying the phone case less is something I like. With my XR and Max I have issues carrying case less lol.

so I replaced the iPhone 7 battery and it’s not at 100% and it still runs like a new iPhone. If you don’t care about bezel less and FaceID then replace the battery and wait for the iPhone 9(SE).

 

[Jxdawg]

Thanks for the advice y’all! I am going to wait until my battery gets bellow 80% used and then decide if any performance hits require replacement or upgrade.

 

[gkarris]

Thanks for the advice y’all! I am going to wait until my battery gets bellow 80% used and then decide if any performance hits require replacement or upgrade.

I was just over at the Apple Store 2 days ago to try to replace my SE Battery.

They won't replace it if it is over 80%..

They just help you with the settings to get the most out of what you have.

They said if you want longer life - wait for it... Get a newer iPhone with newer chips and a larger battteries.

 

[JPack]

I was just over at the Apple Store 2 days ago to try to replace my SE Battery.

They won't replace it if it is over 80%..

They just help you with the settings to get the most out of what you have.

They said if you want longer life - wait for it... Get a newer iPhone with newer chips and a larger battteries.

Apple confirmed to MacRumors they would replace batteries regardless of health. You probably spoke to someone who wasn’t aware of the policy. You can even confirm this policy by chatting with AppleCare support online or by phone.

 

[rui no onna]

Apple confirmed to MacRumors they would replace batteries regardless of health. You probably spoke to someone who wasn’t aware of the policy.

I thought that policy was until Dec 31, 2018 only?

 

[JPack]

I thought that policy was until Dec 31, 2018 only?

That date reflects the $29 pricing only.

I’ve had a similar experience trying to replace a battery on an iPhone X with a non-OEM display. Two Apple Stores insisted they would not touch the battery simply because it had a non-OEM display installed. It wasn’t until I contacted Apple support to confirm the policy and asked them to add notes associated with the serial number. I also showed them a print out of the chat log before the Apple Store relented.

 

[gkarris]

Apple confirmed to MacRumors they would replace batteries regardless of health. You probably spoke to someone who wasn’t aware of the policy. You can even confirm this policy by chatting with AppleCare support online or by phone.

She said my iphone is an "older model" and they won't replace the battery because a new one won't really make a difference with the chip only an A9 and the battery being so small. iOS 13 is a power hog...

It would be a waste of $49. Now it would make a difference if the battery is <80%.