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weeram

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2016
10
7
I have a 12.9" Gen3 iPad Pro which I use daily for surfing the web, watching videos, emails and playing some games nothing intense. Battery life is not great, it gets through the day, but I need to charge every night.

Do you think it's worth getting Apple to change the battery or should I just get a new iPad, prob the Air of the smaller iPad Pro. I don't really need the processing power of the pro as I don't do anything that intensive, besides playing PUBG now and then.

To be honest, my current iPad is fine except the battery life is not what I would ideally would like it.

thanks
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,916
13,260
sorry to clarify, I would pay for the battery replacement

Apple doesn’t replace batteries on iPads. They replace the entire iPad (probably with refurb units). Hence, they’re very stringent on what qualifies for battery replacement.
 

weeram

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2016
10
7
thanks, where I am apple will replace my battery since I'm paying for it.
 

Richard8655

macrumors 68000
Mar 11, 2009
1,925
1,373
Chicago suburbs
If using the iPad for much of the day for a variety of uses, I don't think it's unusual that it may need recharging overnight. Videos and games can consume a fair amount of energy. I would have Apple evaluate the battery health before doing anything.
 

Soondae

macrumors 6502
May 22, 2012
253
99
Hua Hin, Thailand
I went iPad Pro years ago looking to replace my MacBook Air as I needed the keyboard interface, completely happy with it. However now since non Pro models are supported by the keyboards I would certainly ditch the Pro for the iPad Air. My last iPad Pro is the 2018 model 11", it's still a great device, but when it feels need to be replaced I will be struggling to go to the Air or Mini as replacement. I would be sold on a Mini if they went 8" and the same non bluetooth keyboard interface.
 
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Greenmeenie

macrumors 68020
Jan 14, 2013
2,121
3,304
If you mostly use the iPad at home, I’d just get a 6ft usb-c cable and keep it plugged in whenever you’re on it at home. Save the battery for when you go outside the home.
 

Reverend Benny

macrumors 65816
Apr 28, 2017
1,186
932
Europe
I have a 12.9" Gen3 iPad Pro which I use daily for surfing the web, watching videos, emails and playing some games nothing intense. Battery life is not great, it gets through the day, but I need to charge every night.

Do you think it's worth getting Apple to change the battery or should I just get a new iPad, prob the Air of the smaller iPad Pro. I don't really need the processing power of the pro as I don't do anything that intensive, besides playing PUBG now and then.

To be honest, my current iPad is fine except the battery life is not what I would ideally would like it.

thanks
Have you updated to the latest iPadOS?
I noticed that 16.5.1 or maybe it was 16.5 drained it faster. With 16.6 its back to normal again.
This was on a Ipad PRO 10.5, so not entirely the same HW.
 

Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,191
1,074
I have a 12.9" Gen3 iPad Pro which I use daily for surfing the web, watching videos, emails and playing some games nothing intense. Battery life is not great, it gets through the day, but I need to charge every night.

Do you think it's worth getting Apple to change the battery or should I just get a new iPad, prob the Air of the smaller iPad Pro. I don't really need the processing power of the pro as I don't do anything that intensive, besides playing PUBG now and then.

To be honest, my current iPad is fine except the battery life is not what I would ideally would like it.

thanks
Have you checked what apps / process which drain the battery? I usually charge mine every 3-4 days, 11” iPP M1, also light usage (around 1-3 hours a day). It shouldn’t be much different even though the hardware is not the same.
 

hirsthirst

macrumors 6502a
Nov 3, 2008
614
912
UK
I have an iPad Pro 11" Wi-Fi + Cellular A1934 "2018" but don't use it every day - most times I pick it up to look at something the battery is flat or almost flat ...

I can't work out whether it's the keyboard case, the Apple Pencil or the wireless connection that's draining it, but it's a PITA. I'm getting longer standby on battery at the moment detaching the Pencil.
 

cateye

macrumors 6502a
Oct 18, 2011
758
3,058
Do you think it's worth getting Apple to change the battery or should I just get a new iPad, prob the Air of the smaller iPad Pro.

If you're considering going down a size, you may be able to do so relatively inexpensively by trading in your current iPad for cash somewhere like Decluttr or Gazelle (look for the common coupon codes, good for generally another ~10% toward your trade-in), then buying your replacement iPad as a refurb direct from Apple. Apple certified refurbs are preferable to 3rd party refurbs because they come with a new battery, new case, and a full 1-year warranty. Good as new, really, with generally a 15-20% discount. You could also sell yours on eBay or Facebook Marketplace or wherever, but then you have to deal with people and it's generally not worth the hassle. You can also trade in directly with Apple, right there at an Apple Store, and get immediate credit toward a new purchase, but they tend to offer significantly lower trade-in values than third party recyclers.

As others have said, Apple is capricious about when they'll agree to swap iPads due to battery degradation, regardless who is paying for it. There's no reason not to go to an Apple Store and ask, but don't be surprised if the answer is a flat "no." The older the iPad is (and your gen 3 is pretty old), the less likely they will do the swap, pressuring you instead just to buy a new one (I think Apple views battery swaps as something only for when a battery suffers premature aging, not as a way for people to continue using older electronics. Typical Apple, always profit first).
 
Last edited:

HDFan

Contributor
Jun 30, 2007
7,290
3,341
What is your battery percentage? <80% is usually the cutoff point for replacement.
 
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