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iPhone 6(S)/Plus iPhone 6s - Replace Battery for $30 or just upgrade to XR?

iPhone 6s - Replace Battery for $30 or just upgrade to XR?

  • $31.17 to replace battery and keep 6s 64gb for another year or so

    Votes: 39 73.6%

  • $502.49 to replace 6s 64gb with XR 64gb

    Votes: 14 26.4%
  • Total voters
    53
dmk1974

dmk1974

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Sep 16, 2008
2,490
540
My buddy at work has a T-Mobile iPhone 6s 64gb that he likes, but is a couple years old and the battery is poor. Per the settings, it says 84% but per coconut battery, it is 72% and 643 cycles.

Cheapest path: replace the battery for $29 at the local Apple Store by the end of the month.

Upgrade opportunity: go to Costco and upgrade to an XR 64gb. They sell it for $699.99 and have a trade-in promo where the 6s can be sent in for a $250 credit/gift card.

So, while adding sales tax:

A.) $31.17 to replace battery and keep 6s 64gb for another year or so
or
B.) $502.49 to replace 6s 64gb with XR 64gb

For the record, I am personally happy and adapting to my own XR the past few weeks (even though I do miss the home button).

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Sounds similar to my iPhone 6s plus for which I will be getting a battery when I have time (even after the price goes up next year) as it does everything I need it for, including playing music through my wired headphones. Much prefer the Home button too.
 
Geordiekeith said:
Sounds similar to my iPhone 6s plus for which I will be getting a battery when I have time (even after the price goes up next year) as it does everything I need it for, including playing music through my wired headphones. Much prefer the Home button too.
Click to expand...

Yeah, from a value standpoint, that battery upgrade to the 6s is tough to beat. As long as the phone has no other issues of course.
 
Performance still reasonable on my 6s 32g so am holding off. Battery was poor but 12.1 seems to have fixed that for now, but will go to XR when unusable.
 
Only real issue with the 6s seems to be less than stellar battery life (just upgraded my 3 year old 6s for an 8 and saw a significant improvement in battery life, otherwise I don't really notice much of a difference as both phones have good performance on iOS 12), so if your friend is managing with the currently degraded battery, replacing the battery and holding out for another year (or two) may be the way to go.
 
If it was me I’d go for the XR but I like having shiny new things. Your mileage (or your friends mileage) May vary.
 
Still on 6s and will be for another year or so. I just got the battery replaced, so battery life is as good as it could be.
 
Many people report that battery life improves a lot if the device is already updated and the battery is replaced. I wouldn't know, as my 6s is still on iOS 9 and getting the exact same battery life it had when new.
That said, as the newer iOS versions put more pressure on the battery, maybe replacing it can have more effect than it would on my phone, where it wouldn't change significantly, if at all.
I would suggest a battery replacement.
 
Just keep in mind, Apples battery replacement program ends on December 31 for the $29 fee, and I believe it increases to $49.
 
Friend of mine originally set up an genius bar appointment to get the battery replacement. However, after Apple doing diagnostic, he couldn't justify having the battery replaced even though his phone was 87% Battery Health.

Anyways, instead of doing the battery replacement, he decided to go with the trade in route. He traded his iPhone 7to upgrade to the iPhone 8 via ATT Next (he hates face ID, and he's blind, so Face ID is usless for him anyway). With the promotion going on, he was able to get $250.00 trade in credit. However being that it would normally go into the Apple Gift card, the sales that was working with was able to get the approval from the manager and rather than the apple gift card we got it put onto his Debit Card. So when time comes, he'll pay that toward his phone.
 
Shadowbech said:
Friend of mine originally set up an genius bar appointment to get the battery replacement. However, after Apple doing diagnostic, he couldn't justify having the battery replaced even though his phone was 87% Battery Health.

Anyways, instead of doing the battery replacement, he decided to go with the trade in route. He traded his iPhone 7to upgrade to the iPhone 8 via ATT Next (he hates face ID, and he's blind, so Face ID is usless for him anyway). With the promotion going on, he was able to get $250.00 trade in credit. However being that it would normally go into the Apple Gift card, the sales that was working with was able to get the approval from the manager and rather than the apple gift card we got it put onto his Debit Card. So when time comes, he'll pay that toward his phone.
Click to expand...
What do you mean by "couldn't justify having the battery replaced"?
 
C DM said:
What do you mean by "couldn't justify having the battery replaced"?
Click to expand...
It's hard to explain but I'm sure you wouldn't want to spend $29 + tax to replace the battery only to trade in. He originally wasn't planning on getting the 8. Not sure why but since it's his decision, he didn't felt the need to get it replaced when it's still working fine.

But that same goes for my wife as well. She doesn't understand why she needed to replace her battery on her 7 Plus when it's still working fine and is still fast, even at 87% battery health. She didn't experience any issues.
 
Relentless Power said:
Just keep in mind, Apples battery replacement program ends on December 31 for the $29 fee, and I believe it increases to $49.
Click to expand...

Yep, this. I'd say that even for $49, it is still a good deal for a replacement battery by Apple to ensure your aging smartphone runs well for another 2-3 years.
 
I saw that Costco also has the same trade credit for the 8 and 8+ as well. My buddy says he prefers having a home button. Similar to the XR trade-up, the other two would be:

$341.24 to replace 6s 64gb with 8 64gb
$448.74 to replace 6s 64gb with 8+ 64gb
 
replace your battery. 6s runs perfectly fine on iOS 12

Let Apple sort out what it's going to do moving forward with their product line next year given how the XR and XS have been lagging behind expectations
 
I was in a similar situation and traded-in my 6s 32GB for $200 at the Apple store for the Xr ($750-$200=$550). I used my 6s for about 3 years, and figure on getting same from the Xr. So, it's going to cost me about $15 per month.....or one large latte per week....which is fine with me.
 
He got the battery replaced today on the 6s. Seems just fine now.

Of course, I also saw Costco has that same deal they had before Black Friday again. Told him he can now trade in his fixed-up 6s for an XR and get $750 back. He'd have to switch from Verizon to T-Mobile. But now would only cost him an additional ~$56 in taxes to turn that 6s into a brand new XR 128gb iPhone.
 
I'm in a similar boat...although I'm looking a new iPhone X for about $700 or replace the battery of an even older phone, the iPhone 6.
I'm hoping a new battery and iOS12 will breath new life into it so I can keep it for another year.
 
Yeah, "pre-batterygate", the battery replacements were $79.00 + tax

Through 12/31/2018: $29.00 + tax
1/1/2019 and after: $49.00 + tax
 
I voted that you should upgrade. The XR isn't for everyone but is a big upgrade over a 6S.
 
Had the battery on 6sPlus replaced two weeks ago. As it has 2 Gigs of Ram and the 3mm audio jack, I don’t see the need to upgrade. It was bought as a refurbished and with 2 years of solid use. The Battery health was at 88%. I took advantage of the battery replacement offer because of the end of December deadline. Two years from now, who knows.
 
6s is a solid device but with an Xr you get significantly more than the fresh battery. The question cannot be answered just based on the battery dimension alone. I have moved from an X to Xr and enjoy it (actually what I did is hand my X to my son, took his 6s and then traded it in for an Xr, all because I wanted to get my son a newer device).

If he wants more than just a fresh battery then Xr. If he does not care about stuff like phone speed, huge camera improvement and Face ID (significant experience upgrade over Touch ID) then - sure, get the battery.

I could live with Touch ID but would really not like to, Face ID is probably my favorite feature on new phones.
 
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