Apple has quietly revealed that it will increase the price for iPhone battery replacements starting 1st March 2023. This would be applicable to out-of-warranty iPhone models and you might be looking at paying about RM100 more with the new rates.
According to Apple Battery replacement pages for the US, Singapore, Thailand and Germany, Apple will be increasing the battery service fee by USD 20 (about RM88), SGD 30 (about RM98), THB 890 (about RM114) and EUR 24 (about RM112). The price update is not reflected on the Malaysia page as we don’t have an official Apple Store in the country yet. Looking at the global trend, a price increase in our local market is pretty much inevitable.
According to Apple’s authorised service provider, Machines, the battery replacement currently costs RM199 for the iPhone SE (1st Gen), iPhone SE (2nd Gen), iPhone SE (3rd Gen), iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus. Meanwhile, it costs RM379 to replace the battery for the iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The latest iPhone 14 series which includes the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, costs the most at RM549 for the battery replacement.
If you’re iPhone’s battery has degraded significantly, it is probably better to get it replaced now before the price increase. You can check your battery health status by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. Our iPhone 11 Pro Max which is now over 24 months old currently has a maximum battery capacity of 82%.
According to Apple, a normal battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles when it is operating under normal conditions. If the battery is having issues, the iPhone will start to throttle its performance but you have the option to disable performance management. You can check if your iPhone is still covered under warranty by going to Settings > About, and it will either show “Limited Warranty” or “Coverage Expired”.
After the batterygate incident in 2017, Apple offered discounted battery replacements at its authorised service centres. At the time, Machines had offered an iPhone battery replacement for only RM129 and it can be completed in just 4 hours.