I read somewhere that Apple's experience is that the typical user upgrades phones about every three years, so they design phone batteries for 500 recharge cycles which translates into roughly 3-4 years of use. I tend to keep cars 10 years, and phones around 6-7, so my expectation challenges these assumptions.
I bought my first SE in November 2016. I started noticing battery problems almost exactly four years later. Rather than replace the battery, Apple opted to give me a new phone (same 2016 model) - there is a longer story there that is not relevant to this discussion. During the course of that experience, I learned a thing or two about Apple phones and batteries, so I've been tracking recharge cycles religiously ever since, and projected that I would reach the 500 cycle point this summer (July 2024 to be specific) - or after 3.5 years of use.
But I've noticed that even though my phone tells me that the battery is still at 96% of its new capacity, I'm not getting the standby time that I once did. When it was new, the charge level would be at 75-80% at the end of a typical day; now, after about 460 recharge cycles, its 40-50% with about the same amount of use. And I've had a couple of times when the battery has collapsed so far that the phone shut down. In one case, the phone was in 'airplane mode' all day because I was traveling, and then the battery collapsed as I was dealing with an Uber booking. So I anticipate that I will need to do something before the projected July date for reaching 500 recharge cycles. But because the phone itself is now eight years old, I expect to replace the phone rather than simply replace the battery. I've tentatively decided to upgrade to an iPhone 13 since it has a larger battery, and is only slightly more expensive than the latest SE.
Last year, my wife bought an SE (3). I've been tracking recharge cycles on that phone also, and project that it will reach the 500 cycle point after about 4.5 years. It will be interesting to see if the projection holds, and also if the battery displays any issues as that threshold is approached. I've heard that Apple has learned that that the battery in the iPhone 15 is good for 1000 cycles, and they are testing older phones to see if other recent phones display similar improvements in battery life.
I bought my first SE in November 2016. I started noticing battery problems almost exactly four years later. Rather than replace the battery, Apple opted to give me a new phone (same 2016 model) - there is a longer story there that is not relevant to this discussion. During the course of that experience, I learned a thing or two about Apple phones and batteries, so I've been tracking recharge cycles religiously ever since, and projected that I would reach the 500 cycle point this summer (July 2024 to be specific) - or after 3.5 years of use.
But I've noticed that even though my phone tells me that the battery is still at 96% of its new capacity, I'm not getting the standby time that I once did. When it was new, the charge level would be at 75-80% at the end of a typical day; now, after about 460 recharge cycles, its 40-50% with about the same amount of use. And I've had a couple of times when the battery has collapsed so far that the phone shut down. In one case, the phone was in 'airplane mode' all day because I was traveling, and then the battery collapsed as I was dealing with an Uber booking. So I anticipate that I will need to do something before the projected July date for reaching 500 recharge cycles. But because the phone itself is now eight years old, I expect to replace the phone rather than simply replace the battery. I've tentatively decided to upgrade to an iPhone 13 since it has a larger battery, and is only slightly more expensive than the latest SE.
Last year, my wife bought an SE (3). I've been tracking recharge cycles on that phone also, and project that it will reach the 500 cycle point after about 4.5 years. It will be interesting to see if the projection holds, and also if the battery displays any issues as that threshold is approached. I've heard that Apple has learned that that the battery in the iPhone 15 is good for 1000 cycles, and they are testing older phones to see if other recent phones display similar improvements in battery life.
