iPhone Battery Replacement

Ambiguous on 08/08/2011 - 20:43

Hey guys - I need to replace my iPhone 3GS battery and was wondering if anyone has used any of the generic $5-15 ones you can get on ebay. The price is so cheap that its actually making my slightly weary of trying them (ive met my match in cheapness haha), does anyone have any experience with them?

In terms of installation, ive watched a few videos on it and it doesnt seem too hard, ive modded wii's and playstations (without any soldering) successfully and I think I could manage it (assuming there arent any catches that im not aware of - are there?), im more just concerned with the quality of the aftermarket battery.

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • cheapgeek on 09/08/2011 - 09:31

    Hi Ambiguous

    I am an electrical engineer, so felt confident replacing the battery on the wife's iphone 3GS using one I got from ebay ($13) & following the youtube directions. That turned out to be a big mistake… ever since then it reboots every few minutes. So I took it to an iphone repairer ($90), who said my battery (from ebay) was a dud, so he replaced it… and the problem continued… so now I am upto a new motherboard ($250)… perhaps I just had bad luck…

    if you do go ahead, the electrical connector I found the most difficult to do was the very last one, which connects the motherboard to the "back plate" where the battery itself is stuck (sticky tape!) . There is relatively little space here & aligning these two pieces was challenging. So when you pull it apart, look & think very closely about how these 2 pieces in particular are connected!

    good luck!

  • dukeman on 09/08/2011 - 10:37

    A couple of months ago I sent off my Iphone 3g to get the battery replaced after it was lucky to last a day after full charge.It was sent to iphonespecialist (yes one word) in Sydney.I'm in Vic.Was around $50 from memory.Had it back within a week and hasn't missed a beat since.Oh,and I don't work for them either :)

  • grantly2010 on 09/08/2011 - 11:16

    Hi there, electronics guy here also. Also thought how hard could it be ? Changed wifes battery….kept rebooting. Turns out there are actually a couple of compatible battery type sold for 3GS. I'd have to dig up the numbers, but most of the ones on ebay are the one with low compatibility. I say low, as some people use them without a hitch. For the majority (me included) they were a pain in the backside. There are however the correct ones on ebay as well….you have to check the part numbers. The only way I got it in the end was by asking th part numbers from the sellers (many don't volunteer it in their listing). Having come accross a seller who knowingly reports the issue either…they all say….never heard that before :) The other problem I saw was replaced battery in a 3GS, it worked a treat. Upgraded to latest IOS4 and it just froze…device stuck in recovery mode and could not get out. Put in the OEM battery, and this allowed the upgrade. Again this issue was fixed with the correct battery. I still have 3 or 4 on me if anyone wants one. This was took me around 2 days to resolve….and plenty of lost sleep. I have heard of a few motherboards being fried by the wrong type….but this is a rare incidence. In the vast majority of cases though, the problems can be reversed by swapping back your OEM battery…at least for test to prove your MB is ok. I think I can now disassemble an iphone with my hands behind my back though :)

  • Ambiguous on 09/08/2011 - 18:00

    Thanks for the replies guys, given what you've told me I think ill just get it fixed using one of the iphone repair services. Found one near my office willing to do it for $50 including a genuine apple battery, I can live with that price.

    Cheers.

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