Apple is increasing its costs for replacing non-AppleCare batteries on all devices

Expand / If you want an Apple Genius to do this job, it will cost a little more from March 2023. I fix it

As of March 2023, asking Apple to replace the battery in your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook will cost a bit more, at least for those who haven't paid for AppleCare+.

Battery replacements for iPhone 12 and 13 lines, when out of warranty and not covered by AppleCare+, will cost $20 more starting March 1, according to a note on the service page iPhone repair service from Apple. These repairs cost $69 until March, then $89. Those who have purchased AppleCare+ can replace a battery whose maximum capacity is less than 80%.

Several "old" iPads will also see their battery replacement costs increase by $20. These cuts include 12.9-inch, fifth-generation and older iPad Pros; 11-inch iPad Pro, third generation and earlier; the 10.5-inch and 9.7-inch iPad Pro; iPad minis prior to sixth generation; and iPad Air earlier than the fifth generation. Replacing the battery in a fourth-generation iPad Air would cost, for example, $99 until March 1, then $119 thereafter.

The cost of batteries for MacBook Air models also increases by $30, and for MacBooks and MacBook Pros by $50. A MacBook Air battery replacement currently costs $129 and a MacBook Pro replacement battery is $199.

The impact of a $20 to $50 increase in battery replacement costs goes far beyond just money. Knowing that there might be a $90 battery replacement charge in your future, the $220+ cost of AppleCare+ over two years for newer iPhone models is probably more acceptable, given that it also covers a now unlimited number of screen breaks and other phone traumas. This is even truer for MacBooks, where the cost of a new battery replacement from Apple approaches the three-year cost of AppleCare+ for a Mac.

Rising costs could also make DIY repair more attractive, price-wise, but to very different degrees. A set of iPhone 12 batteries from Apple's self-service repair store currently costs $71, which is $18 less than if Apple replaced the battery. You'd need the tools and the know-how to replace that battery, and the time, but you'd have a fully functional battery, which could report its health and use advanced iOS charging patterns. If you don't want or need your battery blessed with Apple's serialized tracking, a DIY drum kit can be purchased for $45 or less.

Battery price changes, even seemingly small ones, also impact sales of new devices. To some extent, Apple's response to Batterygate, in which it offered battery replacements at a significantly reduced cost, had an impact on sales of new iPhones, as many more people were informed about the battery life. iPhone battery and how to fix it. iPhone battery replacements jumped from 1-2 million to 11 million in 2018, which had a real but uncertain impact on Apple's bottom line.

Apple had already moved pricing out of its Batterygate-era apology realm in fall 2022 when iPhone 14 battery prices were announced at $99.