I paid Apple $ 69 to replace the battery on my 3-year-old iPhone. Here’s what happened

My iPhone X has just celebrated its third anniversary, which is significant for some reasons. First, it is the longest time I have held on a single phone; I usually update every year or two. Second, like any three-year-old model, its battery is not what it used to be.

So I found myself thinking about a new phone, an extremely common reaction to low battery life. Check out the results of a Twitter search I did recently:

Quick poll: what is the biggest reason for you to buy a new phone now? (I am not intentionally including an “all of the above” option … curious to know your only primary driver.)

– The Cheapskate (@cheapskateblog) January 29, 2021

It turns out that I really like my iPhone X. It’s very fast and it fits perfectly in my pocket. Take great photos, including portraits. It doesn’t support 5G, but so what? I don’t need this, at least now.

Best of all, it’s paid for. So, do I really have to buy a brand new phone just to get a new battery? It’s not like I can remove the back of the X and change the old one. Anyway, it is not easy – I have tried this delicate surgery a few times with previous generation iPhones and have never been successful.

Read More: Is it worth changing the iPhone battery? Here’s what you should consider

Fortunately, Apple offers battery replacement service in the store and in the mail. And most local phone repair shops will do that, too. Because I’m Cheapskate, of course I went shopping first. Apple would obviously be the most expensive option (because it’s Apple!), So I asked for quotes from three nearby stores. To my surprise, fees ranged from $ 89 to $ 129 – the high side, I thought, but still a lot cheaper than buying a new phone.

So I checked with Apple and surprise, surprise: $ 69. (Prices vary depending on age and model; Apple charges only $ 49 for iPhone SE, iPhone 8 and most previous models.)

The other victory: I felt a little more comfortable with Apple doing the job. A few years ago, I hired a local store to replace my daughter’s phone battery; he came back with a broken front camera. At the same time, my sister used a different store for a replacement battery; a few months later, the phone started to break due to a defective glue.

This is no an accusation from phone repair companies, just a little anecdotal experience. And the best price available at Apple itself meant that this choice was not contested, at least for me.

Read More: Does fast charging affect battery life? 6 phone battery questions answered

My encounter with apple

Using Apple’s online scheduling tool, I quickly and easily book an appointment at my local Apple Store. I actually got an appointment on the same day on a weekday. (Your mileage can vary, of course, the same as with all this experience.)

When I arrived at this busy store, I discovered that there were two queues open outside: one for online shopping pickups and another for inquiries at the Genius Bar. Due to COVID, it is no longer a retail operation, having been condensed in about eight walk-up windows.

A security guard registered me, and although there were about four people in front of me in line, I waited only about five minutes. As soon as I got to the window, a friendly employee ran some diagnostics on my phone, checked to see if it would benefit from a new battery, and sent me away.

Read More: 6 easy ways to make your phone last as long as possible before you need to replace it

I was told that the repair would take about two hours; I was supposed to return at precisely the appointed time, at which point I could skip the line and go straight to a departure window.

And that is exactly how it happened. The whole transaction was smooth and efficient, and $ 69 later, my iPhone X looks like it just came out of the box – at least from a battery standpoint. Normally, around 5 pm, I would have about 10% remaining. Yesterday, I still had 55% – at 8pm

Will this give me another three years? Very possible. Even if I only keep the phone for another year or two, I think that was the smart move.

Therefore, before you throw away your old phone because of a defective battery, I strongly recommend that you investigate your battery replacement options.

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CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for big deals on technology products and more. For the latest offers and updates, follow him on Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up to receive business texts delivered directly to your phone. Find more great shopping on the CNET Deals page and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest Walmart discount codes, eBay coupons, Samsung promotional codes and even more than hundreds of other online stores. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Live responses on our FAQ page.