• OK, battery on my trusty iPhone SE (not the new one) is on the way out, 72% max capacity but it can be on charge all evening and then turn off within minutes of use complaining of 2% battery, then it turns back on and recovers to ~85% within minutes of being plugged in again and then works fine for hours.

    Fixing it hasn't been a concern as it mainly sits next to me on my desk all day whilst I'm WFH.

    Do I:-
    a) Get a cheapo battery from eBay and replace it myself (~£10 or so)
    b) Book an appointment at an Apple Store and get them to do it (£49 plus travel faff)
    c) Just get a new iPhone SE 2020 on a 2 year contract for ~£24/mo more than my current contract (and moving to unlimited data)

    I think I've bought second hand iPhones for the last 6 years or so, so I've saved a boat load over the years. Don't need a new iPhone SE 2020 but they're shiny.

  • The new iPhone 12 (including a mini version) are being announced next Tuesday.

    Whatever you do, it’s probably worth waiting until then.

  • Get a cheapo battery from eBay and replace it myself

    ..might want to give this a go even if you would actually buy a new phone; old iPhones are great MP3-players, emergency flashlights, meditation timers, etc.

    I did go with "Hagnaven", they weren't the cheapest of them all but had good reviews; replacement was a tad fiddly (don't do it when you're in a rush / just had two coffees), but definitely doable.

  • For what it’s worth, I’ve had batteries replaced by Apple a couple of times. On both occasions they gave me brand new phones instead, as the battery removal tab inside the phones ‘snapped’, which causes the entire phone to be condemned and scrapped due to ‘fire risk’.

    Genuine, warranted battery fitted for £49, with a high chance of a brand new phone instead? No-brainer in my book.

  • Have you taken a phone apart before?

    It's very fiddly and you need to buy a quality set of screwdrivers.

    Also if the phone is old and not in good general condition you can get stuck quickly.

    Not to say don't give it a crack, but just know it's not going to cost a tenner and if others are getting new phones for £50, it seems hard to justify the £20-30 saving unless you really need that money.

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