My dad has always preferred compact phones. He went from an iPod touch to an iPhone SE and then to an iPhone 12 mini, which fits comfortably in his pockets. The battery health on his 12 mini has dropped to 76%, and Apple charges £85 for a replacement.
I'm considering buying an inexpensive iPhone 13 mini and replacing its battery instead. It would offer a newer processor, 128GB of storage instead of 64GB, a slightly larger battery, and probably an additional year of software and security updates. Does that make sense financially and practically, or are there risks I should consider?
One concern is that Apple may inspect the phone before replacing the battery and could refuse service if it has liquid damage, non-genuine parts, or screen damage that prevents the repair equipment from working properly. Because a cheap used 13 mini could have hidden problems, I'm leaning toward replacing the battery in his current phone and waiting until a suitable newer compact model comes along.
2 Answers
It probably isn’t worth buying another used mini just for the modest performance improvement. The 13 mini is newer and has more storage, but the day-to-day difference from a 12 mini isn’t huge. A genuine battery replacement for the current phone is the safer and cheaper option, assuming the rest of it is in good condition. Eventually he may need to accept a larger phone, but there’s no urgent reason to do that now.
The main question is what your dad actually values. If the compact size is his priority, the 12 mini still does that job. If he’s constantly running out of storage, the 13 mini’s 128GB capacity could be useful, and the newer chip may make it feel a little snappier. However, buying a cheap used phone adds risks such as worn batteries, liquid damage, repaired screens, or other non-genuine parts that could complicate a later repair.
He does regularly run into storage problems, so the extra capacity was appealing. But after considering the possibility that Apple could refuse to service a damaged or previously repaired phone, a battery replacement for his current device seems more sensible for now.
That’s what I’m leaning toward. We’ll replace the battery in the 12 mini and see how it holds up for another year or two before deciding on a completely new phone.