So I am receiving a hand-me-down 5S where the battery health is less than desired. And my current 4S has only a slightly better battery.
So the decision is whether I should spend $80-$120 for a battery replacement (yes I know about the ifixit $35 kit but I would prefer not to do it myself), or should I get a new phone such as the Xiaomi Mi A1 or something similar. (probably whichever wins the best budget phone for 2018)
Repair iPhone 5S or upgrade?
LDoubleHeadshot on 29/04/2018 - 21:06
Poll Options
- 1Repair
- 27Upgrade
Comments
Depending on where you're buying from, many ebay sellers are selling fakes, even at somewhat ripoff prices.
e.g I've purchased one last year for $34 dollars from an Aussie seller. At thirty four dollars you would be convinced that the battery would be genuine as it's so expensive, but it turned out to be a copy which is worth only $10 at most.
Anyway, replacing a phone battery only restores the usage time, but unfortunately it doesn't fix the issues related with the phone's age - falling behind in software updates, lack of security patches and also the lag associated with it when you do update to a new OS.
I bought the phone knowing it would need a new battery and was dubious of the numerous eBay sellers listing "genuine" batteries for ~$10 but couldn't see any other option without going to an apple store and paying them a lot more money. After the battery I purchased being less than desired I contacted the seller and he said that I must have received one with a bad cell and offered to send me another battery which I accepted. The second battery turned out to be a dud also and now I am left with the option of getting someone else to charge me $40 to in all likelihood install a non-genuine battery with the same outcome or buy a new phone.
Out of interest, what app did you use to obtain those analytics?
Mi A1 all the way.
… unless you really need ios$39 for the replacemnt .. possibly refer link
https://support.apple.com/en-au/iphone/repair/service/pricin…
regarding the $39 dollar "Apology" special rate, … that does not cover the 5s. Only the IP6 and onwards.
I've repaired and swapped out battery for quite a few iphones (~15).
a month ago replaced the battery in my eldest childs iphone 6s. I went for an elcheapo ($10.85) battery from ebay and so far so good.
iphone 5s - i just replaced the touch screen and my youngest childs iphone 5s on tuesday. the 5s/se is a tad different to the other iphones as it has a flex cable from the home button so you can only open up the phone about 4 or 5 cms at first, unlike other iphones that will open to almost 90 degrees.
the battery replacement is easy. 2 pentalobe screws to allow the screen to be lifted up. disconnect the home button flex cable, open up the phone. undo 2 screws holding the metal cover for the battery connection. then lift off the battery connector (it's the top one of the 2 cable/connections). the battery is held in place by double side tape so you have to get a butter knife/blunt but flat implement to get under the battery and slowly break the sticky holding the battery down. once the battery is removed is insert new battery and reverse the process to reassemble..
I'd go for this battery for $6.65 delivered from china. why this one? why not. it's not advertising itself as genuine or having a higher capacity than it could possibly have (like those "gold" iphone batteries which have "double" the capacity. the don't . a website had a good break down of one them. - regular battery rewrapped. this battery has the tools for the replacement.
$6.65 is a small price to pay and the battery you pay $20 for is probably the same manufacturer. so far I haven't had a crap battery experience.
the $35 ifixit kit is unnecessarily expensive (though I use -and contribute to- their guides as they are fantastic)
I would get the ifixit kit, they have a much higher quality supply chain esp with batteries. Yes yo ucan get much cheaper batteries from ebay etc, but they're crap. I've taken that road before.
I'm not a fan of Apple, but assuming there's nothing else wrong with the iPhone 5S, then getting Apple to replace to the battery for $80 to $120 isn't so bad.
Even if you could get a good deal on an android phone, switching to a different ecosystem (Android) isn't just a matter of the handset price itself. You'll need to take into consideration how much you've currently got invested in the iTunes apps/music store. You won't be able to use any of your previous purchases on an android phone.
That's a very balanced reply bobbified. I think that's pretty cool.
Fwiw, I agree with you, including if the situation were reversed and the OPs phone was Android or another.
I know you said it wasn't an option but you can get a kit for about $10 off eBay and it's relatively easy to watch and follow along with a YouTube video. Hell if you were near Central Coast, NSW I'd swap it over for you for free.\
To answer your question though. Definitely upgrade.
I purchased my iPhone 4S in 2010 and the original battery is still going strong. Admittedly, I'm not a heavy phone user. What's the consensus on achieving maximum battery life? Waiting until the battery gets into the red zone (i.e. discharges) before recharging, or keeping it topped up at all times?
Apple on its batteries: https://www.apple.com/au/batteries/
Under Why Lithium-ion?, it says "There’s no need to let it discharge 100 per cent before recharging" — something I try to do around once a month but maybe no longer need to.
If you can hold out I would wait for the next release of the phones and see if people are ditching the iPhone 6 at a better price - I think it is a much better phone than the iPhone 5s. It might be worth looking at getting a refurbished phone or one from officeworks etc.
Personally I hang on as long as possible and then jump to the latest level of technology when there is a significant upgrade. I went from a iPhone 4 to an iPhone 6+. It may not be the cheapest option but it means the IOS upgrades are maximised and I get the technology I want.
Depends if you want to stay Apple or switch ecosystems to Android. Depends if you want to spend minimal money or not. Or if you want to get a bigger screen on the cheap. The Mi A1 is a pretty decent phone for the price.
It's very simple to replace the 5S battery for about $10 from eBay for battery and tool set. I usually get another 2-3 years out of the phone. Currently have a 5 and a 5S that have had their life extended and work perfectly. Done the same for multiple relatives. Takes about 10 mins to swap out the battery, sometimes the battery can be adhered in pretty tight, just need to heat the back carefully with a hairdryer to save a lot of time. In my experience I cannot tell any difference from the original Apple battery to a $9 one from eBay.
I have just recently installed 2 different batteries I purchased from eBay in my 5s and it hasn't been a good experience as initially I was getting half a day with moderate usage and now the battery is totally dead and the phone won't power on. I was considering getting a local guy to put yet another battery in costing $40 but think I would be better off just buying a new I phone such as the Xiaomi mi A1 or redmi 5 plus.