iPhone 13 mini IPhone 13 Mini Battery Replacement?

[Joejerrysam]

Bought an iPhone 13 Mini brand new about 3.5 years ago when it came out. I remember the battery was really good. Last year I had to get a screen replacement on it due to green lines on it and had the screen replacement done at the Apple store. I recalled leaving it with them for a bit and coming back later on and picking it up. I had considered getting a battery replacement as well since I had my phone for 2.5 years. I recall the battery health was around 86%. I read you should get a new battery only when the battery is below 80%. Is that true or false? Do people here get it when above that?


Now it's been like 9 months later and my battery health is 84%. Is there a reason it only dropped 2% during this entire time? Now the thing is I recently used my iphone 13 mini a lot while outside and used it in low battery mode while using my data. So this could be watching YouTube videos or using Twitter for a few hours straight. I recalled after doing that for maybe 3 hours or so, the battery went to about 30%. Is that normal when using data? I know data uses a lot of battery compared to wifi and obviously compared to wifi off. Now I used it sparingly a bit for less than an hour total and once the battery was around 20% or so, battery drained real fast. Then once it came to around 11%, the phone turned off. I would power it on and it does but can't click on anything that opens and it would turn off and it would show 8% and then 5% etc. Back when I had my iphone new or say a year into it, I recalled it was only when the battery was like 3% or so when the phone would shut off. It didn't have these issues at like 11%.


So based on this information, should I get a new battery replacement? I already spent money last year replacing the screen. I didn't want to buy a new iphone because I did not want a big size iphone. I prefer the iPhone 13 mini size. I don't recall how much it was exactly but it was over $250 or so. Does that sound right? I googled the price now and it shows Apple charges $229 so including tax, it comes to around $250 or so right or more less? So I googled and the price for battery replacement is $89 so including tax is about $100 right? So should I do that now or wait till it's below 80% battery? Now if I don't use my phone much while on data and just use it on wifi, the battery last pretty good.


The thing is I want to be able to use my phone's data a lot and use it for hotspot for hours. So with my battery now, it's not that good right? What I did recall was when my phone was new or close to new and battery health was 100% or high 90 percent, when I used it as hotspot and tether internet to my laptop, it would drain about 13% per hour. So essentially I could use it for 7 hours as a hotspot or so which is very good. Now it's much less but haven't tested it.


My phone is 3.5 years old almost. I should be getting a battery replacement for it?

 

[Bigwaff]

Now it's been like 9 months later and my battery health is 84%.

Amortize the cost of the new battery over the number of ensuing years you plan to keep the phone. If it's under $30/yr (or whatever cost makes sense to you), do it. There are any number of "calculations" people do to justify a purchase. I've now shared mine.

 

[sunapple]

There is no rule that states 80% is the moment to change the battery. You know exactly how much you get out of your battery with your usage and if that's acceptable or not, so just consider the cost like above comment stated.

Again, do not get hung up on that battery health percentage because it is also not very precise. You should read it as a rough indication only. My 13 mini for example is at 88% but I too see that below 15-20% the battery drops very quickly and will shut off prematurely. This is to be expected from older batteries.

Personally I am not too sure how long I'll keep my 13 mini, I had the ambition to use it for at least five years or until it literally starts falling apart but while hardware can still be serviced, software might become the issue. I am too used to having a phone that runs smoothly and I depend on banking and two factor authentication to function which usually is the first thing to require the update. But I'm hesitant to upgrade from iOS 17 as this has been consistently fast. Who knows how much this phone will suffer from the rumoured iOS 19 redesign. That's where my doubts lie, maybe I'll just give in and upgrade next year. Small phones are of the past, sadly.

 

[FeliApple]

There is no rule that states 80% is the moment to change the battery. You know exactly how much you get out of your battery with your usage and if that's acceptable or not, so just consider the cost like above comment stated.

Again, do not get hung up on that battery health percentage because it is also not very precise. You should read it as a rough indication only. My 13 mini for example is at 88% but I too see that below 15-20% the battery drops very quickly and will shut off prematurely. This is to be expected from older batteries.

Personally I am not too sure how long I'll keep my 13 mini, I had the ambition to use it for at least five years or until it literally starts falling apart but while hardware can still be serviced, software might become the issue. I am too used to having a phone that runs smoothly and I depend on banking and two factor authentication to function which usually is the first thing to require the update. But I'm hesitant to upgrade from iOS 17 as this has been consistently fast. Who knows how much this phone will suffer from the rumoured iOS 19 redesign. That's where my doubts lie, maybe I'll just give in and upgrade next year. Small phones are of the past, sadly.

It’s a constant battle between those two factors, and even though I’ve never updated because I keep my devices for years on end and I like them to work properly, I still understand that the balance is quite feebly and difficult to achieve.

One question only: how far can you push? How much can you update before the device collapses? As somebody who never updates anything, the phrase you used resonates extremely loudly: “I am too used to having a phone that runs smoothly”. I want three things out of any iOS device: battery life, performance, and usable compatibility.

Not updating at all shortens the lifespan massively. I have an iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 and I’ve had to upgrade now because it’s too incompatible. The hardware itself is extremely durable. We all know that. But software is incredibly difficult to manage: how much do you tolerate? If you go too long with updates, the device will not perform to your expectations. Too short (maybe like me), and you have a dead set lifespan of about 5 to 6 years if you’re a little lucky.

I have found (as controversial as this statement is) that battery health is completely irrelevant if the device isn’t updated. I’ve used a 60% health iPhone 6s on iOS 10 and it performed admirably, with about 7.5 hours of light Wi-Fi SOT and about 6 of moderate LTE use. But compatibility is tough.

My main phone was, up until two weeks ago, an iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 like I said. Battery health after 5.5 years on iOS 12 was 89%, battery life was like-new, and SOT was about 16-18 hours of light Wi-Fi use and about 12 of moderate, outdoors LTE use. But indubitably, software collapses sooner than hardware, and iOS 12 is not longer compatible enough for me.

On iOS 17, I think it’s new enough (two major versions from its original) that you can expect that quality to hold for years on end… but software compatibility requirements are very personal and you might be more demanding than me. And since software is the issue, there’s one problem: you cannot fight software. Sure, you can update, but the device’s performance and battery life WILL collapse eventually. Sure, you can stay behind, but the iOS version’s compatibility WILL collapse, too! There’s no workaround. Hardware is impeccable, but you can’t fight software. With your 13 Mini, I presume you have about three more years of a decent experience before iOS 17 inevitably collapses. By the fifth year you’ll probably have to find workarounds everywhere.


Even battery replacements won’t restore a sufficiently updated iPhone to its original iOS version’s quality, and if not updated, you need other devices. By now right before upgrading the Xʀ, I was looking for workarounds quite a bit, especially for Safari and some incompatible apps. Battery life and hardware? Perfect…

 

[splifingate]

Then once it came to around 11%, the phone turned off. I would power it on and it does but can't click on anything that opens and it would turn off and it would show 8% and then 5% etc. Back when I had my iphone new or say a year into it, I recalled it was only when the battery was like 3% or so when the phone would shut off. It didn't have these issues at like 11%.

So based on this information, should I get a new battery replacement?

I remember times like your description that matched mine with my 12 Mini. That was when I worked outside almost every day in 0C <-> 35C extremes over the year. It was mostly the warmest/coldest periods--combined with low-reception cellular--that really sapped my battery.

My 13 Mini--used very little, not exposed to such extreme temps, and in 99% 5-bar cellular reception--is at about 95% Life, and I can still use it until 1-2% of remaining capacity.

I find the 13 Mini far superior to the 12 Mini in almost all areas.

I always update to the latest iOS, as the security enhancements weight more heavily than any of my other concerns . . . iOS 18.x.y performs really well 🤷‍♂️

Have another NIB 13 Mini in reserve, in the event my Daily gets crushed/etc., but my Daily just keeps going, and going, and . . . with regular use I may not need a replacement battery, or get a chance to need the backup phone, before the "Mini" actually becomes Vintage

Just do what you feel you need to do. I spent more $ on a rotor/disc-brake replacement last week than I did for either of my individual NIB Minis.

Decisions like these should be based on need, and the stress-release in getting things back to proper usability is very satisfying.

 

[FeliApple]

I remember times like your description that matched mine with my 12 Mini. That was when I worked outside almost every day in 0C <-> 35C extremes over the year. It was mostly the warmest/coldest periods--combined with low-reception cellular--that really sapped my battery.

My 13 Mini--used very little, not exposed to such extreme temps, and in 99% 5-bar cellular reception--is at about 95% Life, and I can still use it until 1-2% of remaining capacity.

I find the 13 Mini far superior to the 12 Mini in almost all areas.

I always update to the latest iOS, as the security enhancements weight more heavily than any of my other concerns . . . iOS 18.x.y performs really well 🤷‍♂️

Have another NIB 13 Mini in reserve, in the event my Daily gets crushed/etc., but my Daily just keeps going, and going, and . . . with regular use I may not need a replacement battery, or get a chance to need the backup phone, before the "Mini" actually becomes Vintage

Just do what you feel you need to do. I spent more $ on a rotor/disc-brake replacement last week than I did for either of my individual NIB Minis.

Decisions like these should be based on need, and the stress-release in getting things back to proper usability is very satisfying.

The Mini specifically (even though the 13 is better than the 12 Mini) may not have enough initial headroom to tolerate a battery life reduction caused by iOS updates.

The question is how much longer you have. Three major iOS versions is perhaps the limit of decency - you may find that SOT collapses soon if you install more major updates.

The iPhone Xʀ was decent up until iOS 15. iOS 16 significantly affected it. iOS 12 incurred a 25% SOT loss on A9 devices when compared to their original iOS version, iOS 9. iOS 13 took about 40-50% when compared to iOS 9… not good.

Maybe the 13 Mini fares a little better, but do keep in mind that by the fourth major update you’re playing with serious fire. If you tolerate a moderately low reduction, maybe you can safely update it through three major versions. It’s a toss-up afterwards.

 

[sunapple]

It’s a constant battle between those two factors, and even though I’ve never updated because I keep my devices for years on end and I like them to work properly, I still understand that the balance is quite feebly and difficult to achieve.

One question only: how far can you push? How much can you update before the device collapses? As somebody who never updates anything, the phrase you used resonates extremely loudly: “I am too used to having a phone that runs smoothly”. I want three things out of any iOS device: battery life, performance, and usable compatibility.

Not updating at all shortens the lifespan massively. I have an iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 and I’ve had to upgrade now because it’s too incompatible. The hardware itself is extremely durable. We all know that. But software is incredibly difficult to manage: how much do you tolerate? If you go too long with updates, the device will not perform to your expectations. Too short (maybe like me), and you have a dead set lifespan of about 5 to 6 years if you’re a little lucky.

I have found (as controversial as this statement is) that battery health is completely irrelevant if the device isn’t updated. I’ve used a 60% health iPhone 6s on iOS 10 and it performed admirably, with about 7.5 hours of light Wi-Fi SOT and about 6 of moderate LTE use. But compatibility is tough.

My main phone was, up until two weeks ago, an iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 like I said. Battery health after 5.5 years on iOS 12 was 89%, battery life was like-new, and SOT was about 16-18 hours of light Wi-Fi use and about 12 of moderate, outdoors LTE use. But indubitably, software collapses sooner than hardware, and iOS 12 is not longer compatible enough for me.

On iOS 17, I think it’s new enough (two major versions from its original) that you can expect that quality to hold for years on end… but software compatibility requirements are very personal and you might be more demanding than me. And since software is the issue, there’s one problem: you cannot fight software. Sure, you can update, but the device’s performance and battery life WILL collapse eventually. Sure, you can stay behind, but the iOS version’s compatibility WILL collapse, too! There’s no workaround. Hardware is impeccable, but you can’t fight software. With your 13 Mini, I presume you have about three more years of a decent experience before iOS 17 inevitably collapses. By the fifth year you’ll probably have to find workarounds everywhere.


Even battery replacements won’t restore a sufficiently updated iPhone to its original iOS version’s quality, and if not updated, you need other devices. By now right before upgrading the Xʀ, I was looking for workarounds quite a bit, especially for Safari and some incompatible apps. Battery life and hardware? Perfect…

Well said. For me it boils down to banking and two factor compatibility and that’s both private and for work. Because one thing I’d hate more than upgrading to a big phone is having a secondary work phone (sim card can be turned off, no work email or teams installed).

I wonder if a battery replacement by Apple would require or gain an update on the software, I could see them forcing one. And if 19 launches can you still update to 18?

 

[Andeddu]

Well said. For me it boils down to banking and two factor compatibility and that’s both private and for work. Because one thing I’d hate more than upgrading to a big phone is having a secondary work phone (sim card can be turned off, no work email or teams installed).

I wonder if a battery replacement by Apple would require or gain an update on the software, I could see them forcing one. And if 19 launches can you still update to 18?

So Apple run a diagnostics on your phone prior to the battery service which requires your device to be updated to the latest version of iOS. They were even looking for my 8 to be fully updated last year when I obtained a battery service.

 

[FeliApple]

So Apple run a diagnostics on your phone prior to the battery service which requires your device to be updated to the latest version of iOS. They were even looking for my 8 to be fully updated last year when I obtained a battery service.

Would they refuse if I politely request they maintain the current version of iOS? I’ll never replace a battery, but I’m curious.

 

[sunapple]

So Apple run a diagnostics on your phone prior to the battery service which requires your device to be updated to the latest version of iOS. They were even looking for my 8 to be fully updated last year when I obtained a battery service.

Yeah I expected something like that. Oh well, glad I still have a MagSafe battery for a quick pocket charge.

 

[Andeddu]

Would they refuse if I politely request they maintain the current version of iOS? I’ll never replace a battery, but I’m curious.

Unsure but very likely as it appears to be part of their standard operating procedure in relation to battery servicing. If you book your phone in for a battery service, one of the requirements is that you have the latest version of iOS installed. The staff at the store will absolutely check your phone and will update it if needs be. I have had 3 battery services so far (OGSE, 6S and 8) and staff have always checked which version of iOS I have installed.

 

[Cassandle]

Fellow 13 mini user here. Performance on the latest version of iOS is fine. I have zero interest in Apple Intelligence and I don’t want a bigger phone, so am planning to keep my Mini for as long as I can. Battery is the only thing holding it back but most of the time I can charge it (in the car, at work) during the day. Going to get a MagSafe pack for travel.

 

[Joejerrysam]

I would like to continue using the 13 mini for many years as I prefer a smaller phone. I had this phone for close to 3.5 years. How many years total could I continue to use it without issue? My last phone was the iPhone SE 1st Generation bought back in late 2016 and I used it for a bit over 5 years before I got the iPhone 13 mini. I believe I had 1 battery replacement only with the iPhone SE 1st generation and it was with that $29 promotion for replacement battery and that was back in late 2018 or so. So I used it with the new battery for about close to 3 years before I got the iPhone 13 mini.


I have the updated IOS version at the moment for iPhone 13 mini. You should always have software up to date right on iPhone 13 mini? I know I heard a while back some older phones you don't because say the latest IOS it can go up to is 15. You have it at IOS 13. It's actually better to stick with the older one because new IOS would cause issues for older phone?


So based on what I mentioned, should I get a new battery replacement now or wait another 6 months or so? I'm sort of surprised the battery health went from 86% to 84% in 9 months or so. I would have thought by now, it would been 80% or close to it. I do know that now, the battery drains much faster and once it's at around 11% is when it starts shutting off at 10% or so. Previously it would only shut off when the battery was like 1% or 2%. Now it's about 10% or so which is normal for old batteries right? If I don't get a new battery now, I definitely will get a new one in 6 months. I notice that when using my phone data, it drains a lot more battery now than previously.

 

[FeliApple]

Unsure but very likely as it appears to be part of their standard operating procedure in relation to battery servicing. If you book your phone in for a battery service, one of the requirements is that you have the latest version of iOS installed. The staff at the store will absolutely check your phone and will update it if needs be. I have had 3 battery services so far (OGSE, 6S and 8) and staff have always checked which version of iOS I have installed.

It’s highly unlikely I’ll ever replace a battery, but if they remain firm on that, “unlikely” now becomes “outright impossible”.

 

[klasma]

I read you should get a new battery only when the battery is below 80%.

My understanding is that Apple only replaces batteries when they are below 80%. You have to do a third-party replacement if you want to replace it prior to that.

Now it's been like 9 months later and my battery health is 84%. Is there a reason it only dropped 2% during this entire time?

Battery capacity doesn’t necessarily decrease linearly. Anecdotically, I’ve seen a number of reports from people where it seemed to slow down between 80-90%.

I recalled after doing that for maybe 3 hours or so, the battery went to about 30%. Is that normal when using data?

Cellular data strains the battery, especially when the signal strength isn’t ideal and/or you’re moving around switching cells all the time. What you’re seeing is certainly possible.

Then once it came to around 11%, the phone turned off.

That, however, is unusual. Nevertheless, I would wait and see if this happens repeatedly.

Your question comes down to how much trouble the battery causes you in actual practice. That’s the only thing that matters. If it starts to constantly annoy you, that’s when I would replace the battery.

It won’t fix iOS 18 using more battery than iOS 15, however.

 

[Joejerrysam]

Are you serious that Apple won't replace your battery unless it's under 80%? I don't think that is true? I am talking about paying for the battery replacement myself and not like my phone has a warranty and want battery replacement.

I don't think it's unusual for the phone to turn off while the battery is around 11%. I have an iPhone SE 1st generation that does that even at 20% battery or higher because it needs service and the battery is very old.

 

[McNads]

My understanding is that Apple only replaces batteries when they are below 80%. You have to do a third-party replacement if you want to replace it prior to that.

Are you serious that Apple won't replace your battery unless it's under 80%? I don't think that is true? I am talking about paying for the battery replacement myself and not like my phone has a warranty and want battery replacement.

They wouldn’t in the past, but that’s no longer true. The only 80% requirement would be for a covered replacement under warranty.

They’ll likely discourage it, but there’s nothing that prevents you from paying for an out-of-warranty replacement.

 

[geta]

The Mini specifically (even though the 13 is better than the 12 Mini) may not have enough initial headroom to tolerate a battery life reduction caused by iOS updates.

The question is how much longer you have. Three major iOS versions is perhaps the limit of decency - you may find that SOT collapses soon if you install more major updates.

The iPhone Xʀ was decent up until iOS 15. iOS 16 significantly affected it. iOS 12 incurred a 25% SOT loss on A9 devices when compared to their original iOS version, iOS 9. iOS 13 took about 40-50% when compared to iOS 9… not good.

Maybe the 13 Mini fares a little better, but do keep in mind that by the fourth major update you’re playing with serious fire. If you tolerate a moderately low reduction, maybe you can safely update it through three major versions. It’s a toss-up afterwards.

It's time to give up your endless lectures about how a new iOS affects battery life, maybe it’s not enough for you, but your needs aren't the norm, because many can finish their day with their old phone, a new battery and the last iOS.

 

[geta]

Yeah I expected something like that. Oh well, glad I still have a MagSafe battery for a quick pocket charge.

You can always go to a third-party shop instead of Apple and they'll replace your battery without changing your iOS.

 

[Andeddu]

Are you serious that Apple won't replace your battery unless it's under 80%? I don't think that is true? I am talking about paying for the battery replacement myself and not like my phone has a warranty and want battery replacement.

I don't think it's unusual for the phone to turn off while the battery is around 11%. I have an iPhone SE 1st generation that does that even at 20% battery or higher because it needs service and the battery is very old.

I had an OGSE at 91% replaced in 2023, a 6S with 82% replaced in 2023 and an 8 with 84% replaced in 2024 by Apple with no questions asked. If you’re paying for it out your own pocket, they don’t care what your battery health is sitting at.

 

[splifingate]

Maybe the 13 Mini fares a little better, but do keep in mind that by the fourth major update you’re playing with serious fire. If you tolerate a moderately low reduction, maybe you can safely update it through three major versions. It’s a toss-up afterwards.

Well, I'll definitely be there to see how it plays-out.

So far, this 13-mini has been performing extremely well

 

[FeliApple]

It's time to give up your endless lectures about how a new iOS affects battery life, maybe it’s not enough for you, but your needs aren't the norm, because many can finish their day with their old phone, a new battery and the last iOS.

It is THE *key* factor when it comes to long-term battery life. If we discuss longevity, not mentioning the biggest factor would render the rest of what I have to say practically moot.

You can change everything to improve battery life. You can reduce brightness on any iOS version. You can disable location services. You can even change the apps you use. But you can’t downgrade.

There is a MASSIVE difference when comparing the original and the final iOS version, as high as 50-60%. When discussing longevity… why wouldn’t I mention that? My 6s on iOS 13 (which was forcibly updated by Apple from iOS 9) and 85% health hovers at about 50-55% of the battery life my 6s on iOS 10 and 60% health gets. I can’t give a better example.

 

[FeliApple]

Well, I'll definitely be there to see how it plays-out.

So far, this 13-mini has been performing extremely well

Here’s hoping it stays that way!

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Are you serious that Apple won't replace your battery unless it's under 80%? I don't think that is true? I am talking about paying for the battery replacement myself and not like my phone has a warranty and want battery replacement.

I don't think it's unusual for the phone to turn off while the battery is around 11%. I have an iPhone SE 1st generation that does that even at 20% battery or higher because it needs service and the battery is very old.

It's unusual for phones to shut off at 11%.

 

[Andeddu]

It's time to give up your endless lectures about how a new iOS affects battery life, maybe it’s not enough for you, but your needs aren't the norm, because many can finish their day with their old phone, a new battery and the last iOS.

While he’s correct that iOS updates can impact battery life, he exaggerates the extent to which it affects usability, particularly on newer phones with larger batteries.

A phone doesn’t suddenly become unusable just because the maximum SoT drops from 22 hours to 14 hours, especially when 99.9% of users only need 6 to 8 hours of SoT per day.

He uses 2015-2016 era phones as examples for a reason—because his arguments hold little weight in real-world practicality when it comes to the iPhone X and newer models.

For me, app compatibility matters far more than having excess battery life I don’t actually need.