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Thread: iPhone 5 battery replacement question

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    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    iPhone 5 battery replacement question

    I know we have some folks on here with good technology backgrounds, so I am seeking opinions. My DH has been using an iPhone 5 for about 4 years now. It's a hand-me-down from my sister. It doesn't hold a charge for very long, but he is perfectly satisfied other than that, i.e. no real urge to upgrade. Our local Bulb & Battery store will replace battery for about $60 with a Ray-o-vac brand battery.
    Does it make sense to replace battery in a device this old?
    If so, is it OK to replace with a Ray-o-vac?
    Is it unwise to not go to an Apple store?
    Any other comments or suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

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    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    The iPhone 5 has been declared "vintage" by Apple, which means (among other things) that they no longer offer hardware service for that model. "Vintage" is a term Apple applies to models which are between 5 and 7 years old, and the 5 dates back to around 2012. It also cannot support an OS version newer than 10.x (now two versions behind), which becomes an issue as far as things like security and privacy, and severely limits possible upgrades to apps DH likes to use.

    If the security issues and lack of app upgradeability don't bother DH, then $60 likely will buy him at least another 2-3 years of use with that phone. I guess the question I'd ask is if he chose not to repair the 5, what would he replace it with? A more current iPhone? An inexpensive Android phone? An expensive Android phone? Be aware that, in the iPhone lineup, there is no phone as small as the 5 anymore; a consideration if DH likes to jam the phone into a pocket. There are some Android phones that size, but the majority of phones anymore are significantly larger.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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    Senior Member jp1's Avatar
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    Personally I have an iphone 6 that I bought new just over 4 years ago. Last spring, after the kerfuffle about Apple supposedly slowing down older phones, I had Apple replace the battery for the then just reduced price of $29. I was, and still am, perfectly happy with the functionality of the phone.* And the new battery is still going strong. Unlike a 5 model I can still upgrade to the latest iOS so I don't have to worry about security concerns and the like. I'm hoping to get another one to two years use out of it. (Unlike a lot of people on this forum my phone is in constant use, and the most sensitive details of my life are on it. Your DH's mileage may differ.)

    My thoughts are that it would depend on what your DH does with the phone. Does he do banking or other stuff where security could become a serious concern? I'm assuming other concerns like not having the latest bells and whistles aren't an issue if he's still using an older phone like this, but security is something I'd worry about. I have apps for all my banks, my home/car insurance company, my doc, the three airlines I fly, etc, on my phone so a failure of its security would be a major headache. If all I was doing with it was browsing the web, using google maps, reading casual email, and so forth, I wouldn't care about that.

    As far as replacing the battery in DH's phone, the phone is old enough and far enough out of warranty that I wouldn't worry about it not being Apple installed or an Apple battery. Any new battery is likely to give at least a year or two of additional use out of the phone. $60 to stretch the phone's life that much seems reasonable to me. (and heck, if I recall correctly when I had Apple replace my battery I had to sign off that I agreed that if they opened my phone and destroyed it that I couldn't hold them liable. so there are no guarantees in life...)

    *I wish the camera was better in low light situations. But I'm not willing to buy a new phone just because of that. Frankly, with that exception the camera is fantastic and has given me much joy over the last 4 years.

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    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    Thanks for the input, Steve and JP. DH doesn't do any banking or business with his phone. He just surfs the net, makes calls and sends texts. I think the battery replacement is probably a good option for him.
    His next phone will probably be either a cheap android like my LG Rebel from Tracfone, or a second-hand slightly newer iPhone. Actually, maybe we'll wait for my sister to upgrade again.

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    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Sound decision, rosa. If you feel comfortable with the store techs handling the repair, go for it. Other independents around your area can replace the battery, too, but it's a fair price for a name-brand battery.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveinMN View Post
    Sound decision, rosa. If you feel comfortable with the store techs handling the repair, go for it. Other independents around your area can replace the battery, too, but it's a fair price for a name-brand battery.
    I agree. We have had great luck with our local battery store, and they have replaced computer batteries, camera batteries, and car remote batteries. They also do all my watches, after Walmart broke my Tissot replacing the battery.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rosarugosa View Post
    Thanks for the input, Steve and JP. DH doesn't do any banking or business with his phone. He just surfs the net, makes calls and sends texts. I think the battery replacement is probably a good option for him.
    His next phone will probably be either a cheap android like my LG Rebel from Tracfone, or a second-hand slightly newer iPhone. Actually, maybe we'll wait for my sister to upgrade again.

    A few years back I got my "battery" replaced by the apple store. I say "battery" because they ended up just giving me a brand new iPhone 5 instead of actually just replacing the battery. It has been going strong for 3 years since then and I don't plan to replace it. I did have to do a factory reset a couple of months ago because it started freaking out and wouldn't let me see or send any texts. But since then I have been good!

  8. #8
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    I probably should have updated this thread, but DH did go for the replacement battery and is as happy as can be with the result. I would think he is all set for another couple of years at least!

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