iPhone Battery Replacement

[abba]

Hi all,

I have had my iphone 3G a couple months shy of 2 years and my battery life has really gone downhill lately. With average usage, I can't make it through an entire day without having to charge it at some point which is getting really annoying. Of course, Apple offers the option of battery replacement if I send it to them, but I can't be without my phone that long and at the stated cost of $79, I might as well upgrade to the 3GS or iphone 4. (I'll probably upgrade to the iphone 4 in the near future anyway but still want a fresh battery for when I sell it)

Has anyone here replaced the battery in their iphone themselves? I have glanced at some tutorials online and while the process is not a cake walk, it appears to be perfectly doable. The part I am curious about is where to get the battery. I am leaning towards eBay since they have the biggest selection and the cheapest prices, but I have no idea what distinguishes one battery from another. Most of them are generic (does it matter?) and can have varying capacities. Some batteries have to have a connector soldered onto them while others already have the connector or so I have heard. I may just end up picking some random one but would appreciate hearing from someone with some experience with this.

 

[TheStu]

Check iFixit.com for a really good teardown and instructions on the 3GS. You can get a battery kit (battery plus tools) to replace it there as well. You also might want to check amazon they usually have better prices than ifixit and more reliable stock than ebay.

 

[MotionMan]

You can get about $100 from Gazelle.com for a working iPhone 3G 8gb.

Factoring in the cost of the battery kit and your time *attempting* to replace the battery (which may or may not be all that successful), is it really worth the trouble?

MotionMan

 

[zacharace]

Factoring in the cost of the battery kit and your time *attempting* to replace the battery (which may or may not be all that successful), is it really worth the trouble?

I agree. Just getting to the battery in an iPhone is cause enough to blanche, let alone replacing it, putting everything back together correctly, and doing a professional-enough job to sell the phone afterward.

In a word or two: Not worth it.

 

[ViviTheMage]

cant you send it into apple and have them replace it for you for $100? i don't know if they do that anymore or not, but worth asking.

 

[Emulex]

my battery sucks when the 3g signal is poor - but really unless you abused it - i have an iphone 2g that lasts all day and then some (bit more than my late-2009 model 3GS).

you sure you didn't load up some apps cydia?

 

[Ka0t1x]

I think Mission Repair had a good repair rate.. like $70?

 

[JC86]

For the amount of money you're gonna get for a used iPhone 3G, you might as well keep it as a backup in case you lose/damage your new phone. Just my 2 cents.