2 year old iPhone SE showing 100% Maximum (battery) Capacity -- Should I still replace?

[laorulez]

Hello, I have an iPhone SE that has been used for over two years now. It has always been on. The battery is showing a 100% Maximum Capacity when I use the Battery Health option in the Settings.

Do you think I should replace the battery? I was going to take advantage of the $29 deal they have for changing batteries before the end of the year. The phone is used daily for talking and once in a while, text messaging. It is never used for anything else like internet or GPS etc. I thought maybe the 100% was wrong since the phone has been used/on for over two years, but I talked to one of the Apple people at the Apple store, and he said well yeah, it's possible for it to read 100% if it is lightly used...

I believe that there are two different meanings when it comes to battery age. The first is what is indicated by the Maximum Capacity, which decreases the more you use the phone. The other is the absolute age of the battery, that is, how many days or months or weeks etc. since the battery was created. It is the second type of age that I am concerned about, because a battery only "lasts" so long, even if you don't "use" the device much...

 

[chscag]

Batteries do not last forever... simple fact. Even though the battery shows 100% capacity now does not mean it will go on like that. You can't beat Apple's $29.00 battery replacement deal. You should take advantage of it before the offer expires.

 

[Minho]

I don't know, why bother changing something that works perfectly. If this is the original battery, then there's no real reason to change it. If it is an aftermarket battery, then sometimes the data reported is "not real data" and just cloned into the battery management IC.

Making batteries is like baking, you follow the recipe but you never really know what you get until it comes out of the oven. Some "new" batteries are crap while others are superheroes. It sounds like you got a superhero battery the first time around. If you change it, it's unlikely you'll get another one of those. Besides, think of the environmental footprint it takes to build batteries in the first place. Li-ion batteries are nasty stuff and it is currently very difficult to recycle them properly as well.

 

[AxlTJ]

I personally don't rely too much on those gauges. The best gauge is YOU. Since you own the device, you should be able to tell if the battery is getting weaker.

If the battery still works great, then why bother replacing it. You won't be saving money if go for the deal, you are still going to shell out $29 and it's still money out of the pocket. But if the battery is underperforming, then, by all means, replace it.

 

[JPack]

Have the battery replaced. Batteries deteriorate the moment they leave the factory, even if you don't use them.

In all likelihood, the battery health value is incorrect.

 

[guesswho183]

There is no need to replace battery. Obviously you're not a heavy user and this battery will last at least 2 years.
Never touch something that works perfectly, during battery replacement they can damage screen cable and then you'll get replacement phone which quality is questionable.

 

[myrtlebee]

There is no need to replace battery. Obviously you're not a heavy user and this battery will last at least 2 years.
Never touch something that works perfectly, during battery replacement they can damage screen cable and then you'll get replacement phone which quality is questionable.

I second this. Every time I’ve had Apple “repair” a phone it was returned to me in worse shape than I gave it to them. Don’t mess with a good thing.

 

[Richdmoore]

My iPhone se battery was showing 95% until about a month ago, then did a reboot (on it’s own) and I got the service battery message. I still had 94% battery health.
I think the phone was a few months past applecare, maybe 2 1/3 years old.

If you are planning on keeping the phone (or handing it down to family) I would pay the $29 now vs the $49 (I think) it will cost after the end of the year and get a fresh battery.

You can use coconut battery app to read the battery cycles and other info, I was past the 300 normal cycle limit when my iPhone did the battery throttling, the battery was just at end of life.

 

[Phil77354]

Hello, I have an iPhone SE that has been used for over two years now. It has always been on. The battery is showing a 100% Maximum Capacity when I use the Battery Health option in the Settings.

Do you think I should replace the battery? I was going to take advantage of the $29 deal they have for changing batteries before the end of the year. The phone is used daily for talking and once in a while, text messaging. It is never used for anything else like internet or GPS etc. I thought maybe the 100% was wrong since the phone has been used/on for over two years, but I talked to one of the Apple people at the Apple store, and he said well yeah, it's possible for it to read 100% if it is lightly used...

I believe that there are two different meanings when it comes to battery age. The first is what is indicated by the Maximum Capacity, which decreases the more you use the phone. The other is the absolute age of the battery, that is, how many days or months or weeks etc. since the battery was created. It is the second type of age that I am concerned about, because a battery only "lasts" so long, even if you don't "use" the device much...

When you say it 'has always been on', do you mean that you always have it plugged in to a charger? It seems remarkable to me that you have no deterioration over that period of time, but if your battery has not cycled very many times then perhaps it makes sense.

 

[Wolfpup]

Depends too on whether you plan on using it past the point the OS is supported. Past that pojt it won’t be secure, but then android outside of the Pixel is never secure, and people use those

And anyway it might be still useful as an offline media device of sorts.

My 6s is older than your se and still reads 100%...if you kee them topped off as much as possible and use them plugged in as much as possible the battery won’t get used up much.

It’s true the batteries do age over time, but even then I think it’s like at most 10%/year (outside of actual usage which will wreck it more).

Actually my Alienware 2012 notebook reads it’s battery at close to 100% too, as I almost never use it unplugged, so probably a similar deal.

If you can take it in though, don’t mind the risk, and for sure are going to use it past 2020 when it will PROBABLY lose OS support might be worth it. Although on the other hand, the new battery will start aging too, so it might be not much different price replacing it in a year or two for more money...

 

[mikehalloran]

If you can take it in though, don’t mind the risk, and for sure are going to use it past 2020 when it will PROBABLY lose OS support might be worth it.

The SE was discontinued in the USA last month. The earliest that it will lose OS support will be September 2021. Probably later since many phone companies still have new, unsold units.