Buying a replacement battery for MacBook Pro Retina (Model A1502) 2014
Where should I buy a replacement MacBook Pro Retina (Model A1502) 2014 battery? Is OEM ok? I see a ton on eBay but are they quality? Thanks!
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.6
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The 2014 laptop is now considered "Vintage" by Apple, but repairs may still be possible if the necessary parts are still available. Plus Apple recently changed the rules slightly by providing battery replacements for up to 10 years (assuming the part is still available). Go for the official Apple Battery repair if at all possible. I have seen mentioned that Apple does not support mail-in repair for Vintage products so any Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider who mails repairs to an Apple mail-in repair depot won't be able to fix the laptop. Only Apple Stores or AASPs who perform the repairs within their own shop can repair a Vintage product.
If you cannot get an official Apple repair, then your next best option is getting a battery from OWC. However, it is very difficult & risky to replace the battery yourself since the battery is glued to the underside of the palmrest & Trackpad. It requires using a solvent to remove the battery. OWC provide video installation guides, but keep in mind the videos make things look much easier than they really are. The batteries can be easily damaged since they just have a very thin mylar covering. Puncturing a battery can cause a fire and/or release toxic chemicals. The battery on this model also has multiple cells which have nothing holding them together except for thin narrow "plastic" flex cables making them very awkward to handle without damaging them. After removing the battery you must be very careful on storing and disposing of the battery. You cannot toss the battery in the trash, but must have it properly recycled. Many people have posted on these forums after replacing their batteries in the Retina laptops and found out their laptop no longer works properly due to accidental damage to the Logic Board, Trackpad, one of the fragile cable/connectors, or even the battery.
The quality of third party Lithium-ion Batteries is extremely poor even when purchased from a reputable vendor such as OWC. I personally will always choose an official OEM battery whenever possible. While there may be some decent third party Lithium-ion batteries out there from other vendors, finding them is nearly impossible. A vendor may have a good batteries one time, and junk batteries the next time so product reviews don't mean much. Many vendors out there just sell junk.