Apple will start adding $20 USD to battery replacement costs for older products on March 1, 2023. You had better replaced the battery on that outdated iPhone in your pocket as soon as possible. The price to replace the battery on an out-of-warranty iPhone 13 and earlier models has increased to $89, as reported by a member on the Apple sub-reddit. Other consumers were motivated by this to look into Apple’s other repair options, and sure enough, other gadgets will experience a price increase of their own that day.
A MacBook Air replacement battery will now cost $159, an increase of $30. The replacement cost for MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops will increase by an additional $50, bringing the total to $249. The price of iPads (opens in new tab) for the following models will also increase by $20, from $99 to $119: iPad Pro 12.9 (previous versions), Pro 11 (older models), Pro 10.5, Pro 9.7, iPad mini (older models), and iPad Air (fifth generation and older).
If your iPhone is covered by AppleCare Plus, prices won’t change. You can also get a free battery replacement if you’re a participant in the programme and your phone’s battery “holds less than 80% of its original capacity.”
Although prices vary by area, the policy shift will be global. For instance, in Canada, the cost to repair an iPhone battery will go from $89 to $119 CAD (about $65 to $87 USD). EU nations will experience a €24 increase from €75 to €99 (about from $75 to $104 USD). Customers in the UK will be required to pay one of the highest iPhone prices: £99, which at the time of writing is equivalent to $120 USD. When comparing the global pricing changes for MacBooks and iPads, a similar pattern emerges. Fees are rising everywhere, with the highest increase for all of the earlier mentioned models occurring in the United Kingdom.
What caused Apple to raise pricing unexpectedly and without prior notice is unknown. You may notice a lot of people commenting extremely negatively if you quickly skim over that Reddit post we discussed earlier. The hike is described as a “rip off” by one user and as “ridiculous” by another.
The price increase can also signal the beginning of a new business pattern for gadget repairs. We contacted Apple to find out the rationale behind the pricing increase and whether the Self Service Repair programme will experience a similar change. Apple has largely left the initiative alone since its inception in April 2022. The iPhone SE 3 is the only new gadget that Self Service Repair has added to its inventory.
