iPhone XS Max XS Max battery is almost dead. Buy new phone or change the battery?

[Retskrad]

My XS Max is still rendering fluid animations and there’s little to no stutter but the battery health has reached 83% and I either need to buy a new phone or change the battery. Right now I get 2,5 hours of screen-on-time.

Will it be a waste of money if I change the battery when the phone has the A12, which is quite inefficient for iOS 16 and future iOS versions? Will the phone still have bad battery life on a new battery life?

 

[Andeddu]

The A12 will be a good chip for at least another 3 years therefore a new battery is the only logical choice for you. If you are trying to talk yourself into getting a new phone, do it, but I can assure you that you don’t need a new phone.

 

[Retskrad]

I am completely happy with the phone. My only concern is, there's a high chance that the phone with a new battery will still have poor battery life because the A12 is quite inefficient today and Apple doesn't optimize new iOS updates for older hardware.

 

[Shirasaki]

However Apple optimising A12, it’s not gonna matter. I’m using iPhone XS Max, just got battery replaced. Works like a champ. No issue whatsoever In terms of battery life. Much with my expectation.
You can go for new phone and that’s perfectly fine. Use iPhone XS Max as backup phone if you desire. It will still be a capable device for most people needing a phone as a phone, not a jack of all trade device doing literally everything, but poorly on every front.

 

[Retskrad]

However Apple optimising A12, it’s not gonna matter. I’m using iPhone XS Max, just got battery replaced. Works like a champ. No issue whatsoever In terms of battery life. Much with my expectation.

That sounds promising. How many hours of screen-on-time do you get with the new battery?

 

[now i see it]

$100 replacement battery or $1000 new phone

 

[Andeddu]

However Apple optimising A12, it’s not gonna matter. I’m using iPhone XS Max, just got battery replaced. Works like a champ. No issue whatsoever In terms of battery life. Much with my expectation.
You can go for new phone and that’s perfectly fine. Use iPhone XS Max as backup phone if you desire. It will still be a capable device for most people needing a phone as a phone, not a jack of all trade device doing literally everything, but poorly on every front.

Are you saying the A12 performs poorly? I think you need your phone checked, lol. I have an iPad Mini 5 with the same chip and it’s blisteringly quick even on iOS 16.1. I can’t see much of a difference between it and the A14 in my 12 Mini as software hasn’t come anywhere near to catching up with the hardware.

The A12 will certainly be a very good performer for at least 3 more years.

 

[Motionblurrr]

The Apple A12 was a nuke when Apple launched it in 2018 lol. $1,100 in 2018 money, you bet your butt that A12 is still holding it's own in 2022. It punches near and exceeds current Android flagships believe it or not.

I would switch the battery for a new one, bonus points is that you get a 1 year warranty and you get new gasket/seals for water resistance.

You could do a few settings tweaks to squeeze out extra battery life with the 100% new battery health from Apple.

 

[reppans]

That sounds promising. How many hours of screen-on-time do you get with the new battery?

So much depends on how you use (game vs text/video; wifi vs cell); efficiency-tune (turn-off marginal-benefit/power-consuming features); and charge/cycle the batt (multiple top-off charges vs Apple optimization vs automated custom optimization).

Here’s an A12 chip XR after > 3yrs, 500cycles, 7000hrs SoT. iOS 15.6.1 though - typically advise waiting for version xx.3 for the bugs to be worked out.

 

[profcutter]

Switch the battery. It’s a great phone for sure. I miss mine.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Get Apple to replace the battery. No need to replace a phone that will be strong for years to come

 

[Student of Life]

Yeah just get the battery replaced by Apple. The only reason I would want to upgrade from my iPhone XS Max is the periscope camera/usb c. I looked at the 14 pro and while it does get rid for the notch im still not moved to replace my XS Max.

 

[Shirasaki]

Are you saying the A12 performs poorly? I think you need your phone checked, lol. I have an iPad Mini 5 with the same chip and it’s blisteringly quick even on iOS 16.1. I can’t see much of a difference between it and the A14 in my 12 Mini as software hasn’t come anywhere near to catching up with the hardware.

The A12 will certainly be a very good performer for at least 3 more years.

Im not targeting A12 specifically. A phone is best at doing phone stuff. Expecting it to do every single task we can imagine perfectly is unrealistic, such as gaming at 90-120fps without thermal throttling or processing complex documents or spreadsheets On those tiny 6.1” screen or even 7“ folding screen.

Also, to say A12 can last at least 3 more years is a bit of stretch, unless that person using iPhone XS Max without using heavy apps (game or video processing for example). App support may not even last that long if iOS 17 cuts off support for that phone.

 

[Shirasaki]

That sounds promising. How many hours of screen-on-time do you get with the new battery?

I don’t use phone that much ever since I switch to iPad, but I vaguely remember roughly 5 hours of screen on time with medium to high brightness With a new battery. And instead of having to charge 5 times a day with old battery (also 83% according to apple, which is likely to be 70% or lower), I don’t need to worry about charging much for a full working day with new battery.

 

[iamMacPerson]

I had the Xs Max and was debating on upgrading last year to the 13 Pro Max but I waited until the 14 Pro Max after hearing about the 48 MP camera rumors. I can tell you, it is a major jump in performance - both speed and battery wise. With my Xs Max, I had 93% health or so and I would rarely get through the day with the phone on Low Power Mode from when I woke up to when I went to bed. If I wanted to be able to use my phone with LPM off, I had to use the Smart Battery Case to make it through the day. With my 14 Pro Max, I have been going to bed with 50-60% charge left, no LPM needed. It also wasn't a software bug. I was still on iOS 15 and restored the phone as new (not from backup) and still had terrible battery life.

When it comes to batteries in devices I use everyday (and especially ones I keep in my pocket) I would be wary of third-party batteries. And considering the cost to replace a battery through Apple is $80 with tax, that is about 1/4 of the value of the phone, and its age, *personally* I would think twice. To each their own. If you're happy with the phone, by all means, fix it. If I had the money, and was in your shoes, I would upgrade personally.

 

[Andeddu]

Im not targeting A12 specifically. A phone is best at doing phone stuff. Expecting it to do every single task we can imagine perfectly is unrealistic, such as gaming at 90-120fps without thermal throttling or processing complex documents or spreadsheets On those tiny 6.1” screen or even 7“ folding screen.

Also, to say A12 can last at least 3 more years is a bit of stretch, unless that person using iPhone XS Max without using heavy apps (game or video processing for example). App support may not even last that long if iOS 17 cuts off support for that phone.

I agree that certain things such as games may begin to push the A12 however I was talking more about regular use such as web-browsing, media streaming, video chat, music & podcasts, social media, instant messaging, etc… there is literally zero difference between an A12 and newer chips when dealing with the above.

I downgraded to an SE1, as a 12 Mini user, and I can say that the A9 performs reasonably well in everything minus video processing and gaming. These chips are very well optimised under iOS and are capable of lasting a very long time so when I say the OP has at least three years of comfortable use out of the device, I don’t think I am stretching the truth.

 

[ChoiMinji]

I have a 14, thinking about going back to the Xs because it’s so much more comfortable to handle compared to the 14, and I see little difference in the performance between the two

 

[Tsepz]

My XS Max is still rendering fluid animations and there’s little to no stutter but the battery health has reached 83% and I either need to buy a new phone or change the battery. Right now I get 2,5 hours of screen-on-time.

Will it be a waste of money if I change the battery when the phone has the A12, which is quite inefficient for iOS 16 and future iOS versions? Will the phone still have bad battery life on a new battery life?

Get a new battery for Xs Max, wait for iPhone 15 Pro Max with USB-C and completely new 3nm A17 Bionic chip.

 

[HackMacDaddy]

Replace the battery and get the Smart Battery Pack if you can find it for cheap. You'll be able to use your phone for 2-4 days depending on usage.

 

[Choco Taco]

It's still a solid phone. Just replace the battery and continue enjoying your functional device. There's no reason to lay down a bunch of money for no reason. Especially in this magical world economy.

 

[Shirasaki]

I agree that certain things such as games may begin to push the A12 however I was talking more about regular use such as web-browsing, media streaming, video chat, music & podcasts, social media, instant messaging, etc… there is literally zero difference between an A12 and newer chips when dealing with the above.

I downgraded to an SE1, as a 12 Mini user, and I can say that the A9 performs reasonably well in everything minus video processing and gaming. These chips are very well optimised under iOS and are capable of lasting a very long time so when I say the OP has at least three years of comfortable use out of the device, I don’t think I am stretching the truth.

Something you have to keep in mind is, Demand growth is not linear. The experience we enjoy today, similar experience 3 years down the line, I doubt A12 will hold just as well as it is today. Website loads more stuff to support whatever. Video streaming uses different codecs that benefit newer devices more. Even for your so-called "basic" tasks, older electronics may not be able to comfortably handle it. Yes, YMMV, but past 3 years is not the same as next 3 years, and I tend to be conservative on this one.

Also, calling "OP has at least 3 years of comfortable use out of the device" as "truth" in and out of itself is already a stretch. I'd call them "educated predictions" or simply "opinion", cause we have no idea what will happen exactly in the next 3 years. Your overall demand may remain relatively stable, but that's not what the tech world goes.

 

[Andeddu]

Something you have to keep in mind is, Demand growth is not linear. The experience we enjoy today, similar experience 3 years down the line, I doubt A12 will hold just as well as it is today. Website loads more stuff to support whatever. Video streaming uses different codecs that benefit newer devices more. Even for your so-called "basic" tasks, older electronics may not be able to comfortably handle it. Yes, YMMV, but past 3 years is not the same as next 3 years, and I tend to be conservative on this one.

Also, calling "OP has at least 3 years of comfortable use out of the device" as "truth" in and out of itself is already a stretch. I'd call them "educated predictions" or simply "opinion", cause we have no idea what will happen exactly in the next 3 years. Your overall demand may remain relatively stable, but that's not what the tech world goes.

Yes, it is my educated opinion that the A12 will perform well in normal phone tasks for the next three years because I personally cannot see any massive resource hogging innovation occurring within that time period. The A12 is probably twice, or more than twice, as powerful as the A9 and the A9 performs perfectly fine in all normal phone functions in 2022.

There is a massive ceiling available in the A12 which is untapped by software developers as yet in tasks other than the resource intensive applications you’ve mentioned.

I was even able to complete Alien Isolation, which is a PS4 game, on my iPad Mini 5 equipped with an A12 and the game performed extremely well. I can assure you that I am very confident the A12 will provide at least 3 years of solid use.

I know that the main way of making the chip redundant is to retire it from iOS updates however if the A11 is going to be unsupported with iOS 17, there will be a possibility that the A12 will not see iOS 18.

That’s fine as app support will continue for at least a minimum of a year as security updates are provided to unsupported devices. A lot of posters here are still stuck on iOS 13 and declare their phones to be fully supported by apps.

To those with an iPhone XS who want to save money — don’t bother purchasing a new phone until Sept 2025.

 

[I7guy]

I have both the Xs max and iPhone 14PM. The PM kills the max in every department. That said I recently had the battery replaced on my max as it was starting to shut off when battery got to around 33%.

I’m glad I did that as now I decided I will hold on to the max until the iPhone 15. The biggest thing about the PM other than the screen, and speed and other miscellaneous improvements is the camera. But I have that when I need it.

 

[Retskrad]

I have both the Xs max and iPhone 14PM. The PM kills the max in every department. That said I recently had the battery replaced on my max as it was starting to shut off when battery got to around 33%.

What is your average screen-on-time with the new battery?

 

[clueless88]

My XS Max is still rendering fluid animations and there’s little to no stutter but the battery health has reached 83% and I either need to buy a new phone or change the battery. Right now I get 2,5 hours of screen-on-time.

Will it be a waste of money if I change the battery when the phone has the A12, which is quite inefficient for iOS 16 and future iOS versions? Will the phone still have bad battery life on a new battery life?

Are you close to an Apple Store? They will replace the battery for $69 plus tax--shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. May want to make an appointment. Even if you do replace the phone soon, you'll have a back up with a decent battery.