MBP Mid 2015 - Battery Cell Swelling

[Aoligei]

Where did I say anything about explosion? It’s a question of known vs questionable quality.

There are third party battery with good quality. I have been using same brand of battery for several MacBook Pro and MacBook Airs. I don't have single issues with them.

No matter how you spin it, spending $400 on a battery replacement is not money will spent.

 

[jlc1978]

No matter how you spin it, spending $400 on a battery replacement is not money will spent.

For you, for someone who doesn’t want to mess with doing the repair and a 3rd party battery, it is. It’s each person choice as to what is money well spent.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

Don't use or charge it with a swollen battery and store it at some firesafe place. Hopefully some repair store can recover your data. You might need a new computer.

As soon as I noticed the swollen battery I turned it off and took it to Apple the next day - two days later whole new top case and new batter / trackpad / keyboard all for only AU$409.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

I have an Lenovo laptop which I purchased back in 2011 with first generation Intel Core i5 processor, it still runs Windows 10 and parts are standard off-the-shelf parts.

My ThinkPad which connected with my TV is also from this era.

You give too much credit to Apple.

I liked the ThinkPad's (original version) built like a tank before IBM decided to sell them off to Lenovo which I believed started the "cheapening" process unless they agreed via the sale to keep making them as is. To my knowledge no other company besides Apple would support / repair 8 year old hardware without charging and arm and a leg, or telling you to buy a whole system, but I could be wrong.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

Maybe, but that is what Apple does in a repair.



The value depends on the individual use case.

If it's just a backup then maybe a cheap 3rd party battery is fine becasue if it fails it's no big deal.

If the device is mission critical, having Apple do itto ensure all the parts are original and teh repair is done right, then it is money well spent; and cheaper than buying a new one since the existing one meets the user's needs. Spend 400 vs say 3000 is a good tradeoff in that scenario, especially since it's not to sell the machine but to continue with it in use.

Value for cost is a very individual decision.

Correct the MBP back in 2015 cost me almost AU$4,000 back then and the whole MBP was replaced by Apple under Australian Consumer Law over 5 years ago due to the dreaded screen de-lamination issues that had plagued this model and after two Apple AASP screen replacements I requested a whole new system at no extra charge and it was upgraded. Now almost 5 years later the only issue was the battery which was recently replaced with a new top case for AU$409.

Now going on the pricing today of a similar spec'd machine with 512GB of storage to match the currently model, my starting price is AU$4,000, not to mention RAM / storage upgrades so I am approaching almost AU$7,000 as these are used for years, so AU$409 for the repair is a bargain. This MBP is primarily used for web browsing / movies etc - nothing intensive.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

Where did I say anything about explosion? It’s a question of known vs questionable quality.



To you. Others have a different view of the value.



Not if you don’t need the extra performance; and thus there is no reason to spend a $200 or more over battery replacement. It’s the OP’s money and the OP’s choice is what is the right choice.



Not with a 16 inch screen.

People replying seem to forget I live in Australia so the pricing in this post is irrelevant and this is exactly why when I quote $$$$ is use AU in front to denote Australian Dollars. Not everyone lives in the USA. As mentioned an equivalent 16" MBP of the latest generation starts at AU$4,000 which is ten times more than the repair cost. The only advantage is running MacOS beyond MacOS Monterey, but the system will be used for the same purposes.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

There are third party battery with good quality. I have been using same brand of battery for several MacBook Pro and MacBook Airs. I don't have single issues with them.

View attachment 2475892

No matter how you spin it, spending $400 on a battery replacement is not money will spent.

I refuse to use third party providers and no AASP's exist in Australia anymore plus I am only 30 minutes way from the local Apple store. For AU$409 I got a whole new top case / battery / trackpad / new keyboard and since Apple did the repair if anything goes wrong they are liable, not me. As mentioned and equivalent spec laptop now starts at AU$4,000 for a 16", which is 10 times the repair cost.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

For you, for someone who doesn’t want to mess with doing the repair and a 3rd party battery, it is. It’s each person choice as to what is money well spent.

100% correct - the genuine Apple repair cost is 10 x cheaper than the based MacBook Pro just released with the same 512GB storage which starts at AU$4,000. I don't use and don't trust third party repairers and Im only 30 minutes away from the local Apple store. This way if Apple makes a mistake they are liable, not me.

 

[Aoligei]

Correct the MBP back in 2015 cost me almost AU$4,000 back then and the whole MBP was replaced by Apple under Australian Consumer Law over 5 years ago due to the dreaded screen de-lamination issues that had plagued this model and after two Apple AASP screen replacements I requested a whole new system at no extra charge and it was upgraded. Now almost 5 years later the only issue was the battery which was recently replaced with a new top case for AU$409.

Now going on the pricing today of a similar spec'd machine with 512GB of storage to match the currently model, my starting price is AU$4,000, not to mention RAM / storage upgrades so I am approaching almost AU$7,000 as these are used for years, so AU$409 for the repair is a bargain. This MBP is primarily used for web browsing / movies etc - nothing intensive.

Are you sure you have 16inch MacBook Pro? The first 16inch MacBook Pro was released in 2019 with Magic Keyboard revision. If you have 2015 MacBook Pro, it is certainly 15inch MacBook Pro.

If you look at the M3 MacBook Air 15 inch, which is exactly same size as 15inch 2015 MacBook Pro, it is around $2500 AUD. Which is significant cheaper than your $4000.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

Are you sure you have 16inch MacBook Pro? The first 16inch MacBook Pro was released in 2019 with Magic Keyboard revision. If you have 2015 MacBook Pro, it is certainly 15inch MacBook Pro.

If you look at the M3 MacBook Air 15 inch, which is exactly same size as 15inch 2015 MacBook Pro, it is around $2500 AUD. Which is significant cheaper than your $4000.

Maybe 15" depends on how Apple measures it diagonally, but it was the largest of the Intel based Macbook Pro systems available at that time. I don't buy last gen hardware - it's not the way I work. A new 16" MBP with 512GB storage with the M4 chips starts at AU$4,000. My repair cost me AU$409.

 

[smirking]

the repair cost of AU$409 is a bargain. A similarly spec'd Macbook Pro now would cost me around AU$7000.

That is indeed a bargain considering the age of the device, but you can't compare specs between a 2015 laptop and a 2025 one. They're not equivalent. The lowest end 8GB M3 laptop would completely smoke the 2015 machine.

If that 2015 is still serving you well, that's all that matters though. If I didn't rely on my computers for my living, I'd probably never upgrade until my current machine disintegrates.

 

[jlc1978]

People replying seem to forget I live in Australia so the pricing in this post is irrelevant and this is exactly why when I quote $$$$ is use AU in front to denote Australian Dollars.

Actually, what I did was convert $AUS to $US at 1.58 exchange rate because the only prices I found for used machines like the poster mentioned were quoted in $US and the poster appeared also to be using $US. I can see where the switch would be confusing.

Not everyone lives in the USA. As mentioned an equivalent 16" MBP of the latest generation starts at AU$4,000 which is ten times more than the repair cost.

Which, unless you get a corresponding productivity boost is money wasted.

The only advantage is running MacOS beyond MacOS Monterey, but the system will be used for the same purposes.

As long as Monterey works for you, there is no compelling reason to change other than "I want a new machine."

Posters on here sometimes forget their opinions are not universally shared. Doesn't make either viewpoint necessarily right or wrong, just different based on differing needs and what they value.

Glad it worked out out for you.

 

[Aoligei]

Maybe 15" depends on how Apple measures it diagonally, but it was the largest of the Intel based Macbook Pro systems available at that time. I don't buy last gen hardware - it's not the way I work. A new 16" MBP with 512GB storage with the M4 chips starts at AU$4,000. My repair cost me AU$409.

It is not equivalent though.

I recently acquired M1 MacBook Air for around $600CAD, which is around $670AU.

It is faster than my max spec 2019 MacBook Pro and it will definitely faster than your 2015 MacBook Pro

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

No need to defend your decision to get the battery replaced.
If you can get another 1-2 years (or more) out of the replacement, the cost will have been justified.

Plus, you've got a new top case, as well !

 

[Nixir]

This MBP is primarily used for web browsing / movies etc - nothing intensive.

Then you've made the right decision. No need for further justifications to anyone else, or to yourself.

For the tasks you listed, you'll experience absolutely no difference whatsoever between your old mac and a newer one. Heck I can hardly feel a difference trying these tasks using my even older 2010 MBP (which I installed Linux on and now acts as my file server), my 2010 chokes on 4k youtube but anything up to 1080P it's just fine and dandy.

Firefox with a couple safety plugins (or even just ublock by itself with ads/privacy/malware protection filters/etc enabled) will keep your old Mac a great browsing machines for years to come. When Firefox finally stops supporting your Mac, get the M7/M8 Mac or what have you for $600 and keep going.

 

[nigelbb]

$AUS400 is near enough the £199 that I paid Apple for a new battery & top case for my 2015 15" MBP a couple of years ago. That is the special reduced price for an Apple repair although they won't replace it for that price unless the battery has deteriorated below 80% or is swelling. I am happy for you that Apple still have spares as when I tried to get a discounted battery for a 2014 15" MBP less than three years ago they had run out. I have three 2015 15" MBPs all upgraded with 2TB NVMe SSDs. The most recent one that I bought from eBay for £174 has a 2.5GHz CPU & AMD R9 graphics. These models are fantastic value for money.