iPhone Battery Health at 83% - When do I replace it?

I am currently using a iPhone 12 which battery life is at 75% now someone I know is selling a iPhone 13 Pro Max for $400 with a 83% battery life. Is that worth doing knowing I will soon have to change the battery because for all of that I could just keep the phone I have. Change this battery and or wait to get a brand new more recent iPhone.

I bought an iPhone 14 Pro Max on August 16 2023 so I have been using this phone for 5 months. In this period, my battery capacity dropped 1% after 4.5 months and another 1% dropped within 1 week my capacity is 98 after almost 5 months. So is that normal or something? And yes in this 1 week I used another random cable which is not from the original iPhone cable. And it heats up a lot to my charger. Was it relative to using the random cable?

When my battery is lower than 80% if I replace the battery with good quality, will it be 100% again?

98% is normal aging within 4.5 months?

I've been an Apple fan since '90, doing Star Trek sound FX on a Mac SE30. But... my iPhone battery went to 83% after one year. now almost a couple years later it's still at 83% although it requires charging 2-3 times day. Apple won't let you replace battery with an Apple battery until 80%, so appears to me that Apple sticks it above that so you CAN'T get a new battery and will buy a new phone. Bought over 20 macs and like a dozen phones and iPads over the years but getting not happy about this...

I don’t think it’s fair to assume that this is standard and what happens with everyone. The soonest I have ever had an iPhone battery degrade to the low 80% range was 23.5 months (one was 82% at that point and was one that my autistic son used daily to do a lot of gaming and playing music as that is his comfort zone. The other was 81%. ). Now of course it really is going to be various different experiences others may have based on their usage and everything but to imply that there is a conspiracy to force users to buy a new phone versus replacing the battery solely off of your experience is a bit of a reach. Every other iPhone in our household has remained well above the 80% threshold with my mom’s 3.3 year old iPhone at 84% when we finally upgraded her last month.

Point being, as disappointing as your experience with your iPhone and its battery has been it doesn’t mean that’s common. The fact that yours has stayed at the same percentage for a couple of years after reaching 83% seems to imply something else was going on making the reading not seem accurate but that’s just a guess.

It's getting close, you will want to replace it withing the next few months.

Batteries degrade over time with usage due to chemical aging, that's just how they work.

You can expect about a 1% drop per month with average use on an iPhone.

Apple recommends replacing it when it reaches 80%. To check your battery health, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health.

iPhone Battery Replacement.

iPhone Battery Repair & Replacement - Apple Support

About Lithium Ion Batteries

iPhone Battery and Performance - Apple Support (IN)

"98% is normal aging within 4.5 months?"

Yes, perfectly normal.

Hello~ What model iPhone out of curiosity?

~Katana-San~

My iPhone 14 battery health went down about 1% a month since I got it and then has been frozen at 85% for several months so I’m guessing it’s going to pop to 79 as soon as the Apple care expires….

Your battery is fine, nothing to worry about. 91% is great for a now two year old battery. Don’t spend time fretting about how you use your iPhone or what its battery health is. ALL batteries wear out eventually, fact of life. iPhones are engineered to get the most performance possible for their batteries. My iPhone 13 battery health is at 90% after three years. Don't worry, be happy.

gle wrote:

I've been an Apple fan since '90, doing Star Trek sound FX on a Mac SE30. But... my iPhone battery went to 83% after one year. now almost a couple years later it's still at 83% although it requires charging 2-3 times day. Apple won't let you replace battery with an Apple battery until 80%, so appears to me that Apple sticks it above that so you CAN'T get a new battery and will buy a new phone. Bought over 20 macs and like a dozen phones and iPads over the years but getting not happy about this...

You can ask Apple to run diagnostics on the battery. The tests they run are more accurate than the information you see on the phone. My battery was at 81% when I had it replaced. Of course, I was also seeing sudden shutdowns.

gle wrote:

LOL you're right, I was ranting and venting when in a poor mood, not acceptable to do in public :) and I should have them test it. and of course i did that after saying I'd had 30 years of great apple experience. now that i think about that, that's buffoonery (sp?) and if a moderator is reading this, you can delete my original post, or if I can figure out how to I will.

Don't worry too much about it! Everyone gets frustrated at some point.

"You can’t replace iPhone batteries"

Sorry, yes you can replace iPhone batteries yourself. iFixit is the premier provider of repair parts and batteries for Apple products.

iFixit iPhone Battery Kits

Users can also buy batteries directly from Apple and can even rent specialized tools to do it yourself.

Self Service Repair - Apple Support

Hello~ As to your question about replacing your battery… yes a new battery will be at 100%. Only have it replaced by Apple or one of their Authorized Service Providers.

~Katana-San~

I've always wondered why this is the case; why wouldn't apple want to replace the battery over 80%? Surely if the customer doesn't find it lasts long enough especially on smaller models like the 12 mini or SE.. And it is extra business for them, no?

Batteries, like people are individuals. No two people age exactly the same and batteries don’t age the same either. The exact usage, chemical make, storage conditions, exposure to heat and cold and about a dozen other factors mean that every battery ages differently. Battery aging is not a linear (straight line) and degrades at different rates as the chemicals in the battery age and the other factors mentioned above. Apple expects your battery health to be at 80% after 24 months. If your battery health misses that expectation, contact Apple Support.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support