I’ve had an iPhone 12 mini since launch and the battery life has become pretty abysmal. However, I’m reluctant to replace it with a newer, bigger model. My battery health is sitting at 86%, which really doesn’t sound that bad, but I feel like the actual battery life is way worse than when I bought it. Has anyone replaced their battery around this percentage, and did it give a noticeable boost?
If your battery health is below 80% and you plan on not buying a new phone within the next year then you absolutely need and should get a battery replacement. Both for function, and safety. Don’t want an expanding battery in your pocket!
I’ll probably get something in the iPhone 16 lineup next year, since I do understand I’ll eventually have to give up on the small form factor. Battery health shows 86%. Also downloaded CoconutBattery on Mac and it says the phone is at 88.5% design capacity. I’m torn between spending $89 on the replacement or just sticking it out for another ~14 months, maybe using a portion of that money on a portable battery pack which could be used with another device once I retire the 12 mini.
If battery health is the ONLY problem with your phone and it is in otherwise great shape then yes it will get you another 2-3 years out of your phone and apple typically supports full OS updates for 4-5 years. Again only if you are fully happy with your phones performance etc…
I got 4+ years out of my iPhone 7
Oh man, my 7 was a TANK. No case, battery lasted forever (or I didn’t notice it), just had a scratch on the screen.
My lighting port wore out which apple will not repair. Took it to a 3rd party place to repair and they messed up the antennas in the phone breaking NFC and wrecking the reception on it. Went direct to an iPhone 14. I have had iPhones since the 3G was released the years between replacement has been getting longer as time passes.
Thanks. I am satisfied with the performance as I don’t do intensive gaming or anything like that. That being said, I’ll probably want to upgrade to the iPhone 16 lineup as the screen/camera/etc. upgrades should be substantial by that point, and I know I can’t cling to the small form factor forever. That’ll put the mini at 4 years which I feel is respectable.
I know I can’t cling to the small form factor forever.
The SE models are still in that size, will be interesting to see if they stay that way when they go to the next Gen.
When I upgraded from the 7 to the 14 I didn’t even notice till I got it that the “normal” 14 was so much larger LOL.
Batteries are weird. Once they get into the 80s when it comes to maximum battery health/capacity they need to be replaced.
I had an older iPhone 8 battery replaced at a battery shop near me before I sold it and it allowed me to ask for another price. I’ve got an “older” iPhone 12 that I gave to my mom and I’m planning on passing it down to my little brother this year but before I do I’ll probably have the battery replaced. But this time I’ll have Apple do it. It’s possible to do it myself but the price to effort ratio isn’t there, especially since I care about keeping the water resistance.
I replaced the battery in my iPhone 6s+ when the phone was a few years old. It was like getting a new phone. I kept it as my daily until the 12 came out. The 6 still works fine, I use it for drone flights.
It’s worth it if you plan to keep your phone a few more years and notice either diminished life or performance.
Yes, and it works.
I would only replace it when the phone’s battery degrades such that performance becomes limited, unless you really need that extra juice during the day.
