iPhone SE (2016) Defective batteries and when to replace

[jjang1993]

Hi everyone,

I have a US iPhone SE that I’m about to put into hibernation for the remains of my duration of stay in France after getting a cheap local 6s to get better cell coverage.

The SE (1st gen, 2016) has about 320 charge cycles on it and just now the battery capacity has started to fluctuate. Before it got past 300, every reading I would get would be around 94%-95%. The battery is a year old. Are these fluctuations a sign the battery needs to be replaced soon? On one day it has 92%, another 88%, another 65%.

I noticed since moving to France where I am walking a lot more than I would be in the states. I’ve been going to charge cycles more not driving and not having a car charger I would always habitually put it into when I would go out. Would keeping the phone charged at 100% with an external battery pack in lieu of a car charger now, would that help reduce the number of charge cycles over time?

Are there varying degrees of quality of batteries? Will some hold their charge longer over time if you get the lucky draw? I’m slightly hesitant to get the one here replaced as the previous replacement had expanded and was pushing against the screen.

Are there any early indications within the battery’s first cycles that it could be defective and expand later down the line?

I have a US iPhone 5s with around 1200 charge cycles on it as a backup when I’m in the states. It runs very slow. Would a battery swap speed it up, or am I perceiving it to be slow due to getting accustomed to the A9 processor on the phones I’m using now?

Thanks in advance for the responses. It’s good to have a forum where people who have limited knowledge with technology can get help.

 

[now i see it]

320 charge cycles on your SE is nothing. It's still relatively fresh & new. No need to even think about it.

Charging any lithium ion battery to 100% all the time decreases its total lifespan. It wears it out faster than charging to a lower level.

What you're calling charge cycles is actually called Load Cycles. A load cycle is referred to as one complete discharge of the battery, either a little bit at a time or all at once. Discharge the battery 20% and charge it back up equals 0.2 load cycles. Do that five times and it's one load cycle.

But load cycles don't really reveal how the battery was used in the past. It's a very limited metric. One pampered battery could have 2000 load cycles on it and be in much better condition than another identical battery that had 400 cycles on it but abused (high temperatures, high charge rate, total discharge all the time, always charging to 100% and leaving it plugged in).

If you want to pamper your battery, if that interests you, give it little charges throughout the day to prevent it from discharging too deeply- and don't charge it to 100%.

Some people call that obsessive behavior, others consider it to be fun.
Having a small battery pack with you is always good if you don't mind carrying it

 

[Fred Zed]

320 charge cycles on your SE is nothing. It's still relatively fresh & new. No need to even think about it.

Charging any lithium ion battery to 100% all the time decreases its total lifespan. It wears it out faster than charging to a lower level.

What you're calling charge cycles is actually called Load Cycles. A load cycle is referred to as one complete discharge of the battery, either a little bit at a time or all at once. Discharge the battery 20% and charge it back up equals 0.2 load cycles. Do that five times and it's one load cycle.

But load cycles don't really reveal how the battery was used in the past. It's a very limited metric. One pampered battery could have 2000 load cycles on it and be in much better condition than another identical battery that had 400 cycles on it but abused (high temperatures, high charge rate, total discharge all the time, always charging to 100% and leaving it plugged in).

If you want to pamper your battery, if that interests you, give it little charges throughout the day to prevent it from discharging too deeply- and don't charge it to 100%.

Some people call that obsessive behavior, others consider it to be fun.
Having a small battery pack with you is always good if you don't mind carrying it

Yep well said. I’m old skool and use the approx 40-80 rule of charge discharge.

 

[jjang1993]

ah wow, I thought load cycles was king in determining battery performance. I guess what matters at the end of the day is how well the device performs and lasts throughout the day. From reading throughout this forum it seems coconut battery might not be king in determining battery health. Maybe before I fly back to the US, I'll get the battery replaced just because it's twice as expensive to get it replaced in the US than here in France.