Today is the day the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are released. One of the things most buyers will have noticed is that both phones are $100 more expensive compared to last year. However, the list price isn’t the only thing that’s increased, since Apple has raised the price of out-of-warranty battery repairs as well.
If you need an official battery service for iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, Apple will charge you $119 (plus tax). However, with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, that price has risen by $10 to $129 — a difference of around 8%.
Thankfully, other out-of-warranty repair costs have stayed the same for the time being. But with an official Apple repair of miscellaneous damage costing more than two-thirds the price of a new iPhone ($849 on an iPhone 18 Pro), AppleCare+ starts to look appealing.
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Apple out-of-warranty repair costs
Row 0 – Cell 0
iPhone 18 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 18 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Battery
$129
$119
$129
$119
Back Glass
$159
$159
$159
$159
Rear Camera
$249
$249
$249
$249
Screen
$329
$329
$379
$379
Screen & back glass
$419
$419
$469
$469
Other damage
$849
$849
$899
$899
These fees only apply to out-of-warranty repairs, and any legitimate warranty claim will be free of charge. That said, there aren’t many circumstances where actual damage to your iPhone would be considered a fault with the phone itself. Certainly not when you remember that Apple has previously brushed away user complaints like scratchgate, bendgate and antennaegate.
Having AppleCare+ reduces those repair costs considerably. Battery servicing is free, while fixing damage to the display and back glass costs $29 each. Inner display damage comes with a $99 fee, as does any other accidental damage repair. AppleCare+ also features coverage for stolen and lost iPhones, with a $149 deductible.
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AppleCare+ costs $10 a month for an iPhone, or $20 a month if you cover two other devices as part of the AppleCare One plan. Apple also recently launched the $50 a month AppleCare One plan, which covers all Apple devices for up to six people, so long as they’re relatively recent or already have AppleCare coverage.
Those of you who already ordered an iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max without AppleCare+ can still add coverage for up to 60 days after purchase.
What’s the deal with the price hike?
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The last time we saw the cost of battery servicing go up was with the release of iPhone 16 Pro, when the price rose from $99 to $119. That was also the last time the iPhone 16 Pro got a price hike, as Apple ditched the 128GB storage option that year.
Whether that’s a coincidence or not, the truth is that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max batteries are a little different. According to EU listings, the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery is a whopping 11% larger than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and that extra capacity doesn’t come cheap.
The iPhone 18 Pro is less impressive, with a battery that’s a mere 1.44% larger than its predecessor. However Apple has promised that the new batteries employ a different design, which would also explain the price increase. Better batteries are more expensive to make, which means they’re going to be more expensive to replace.
Plus we have to remember that things are generally more expensive nowadays — especially when it comes to manufacturing electronics. Batteries don’t have the same issues as RAM or storage, but that doesn’t mean they’re cheap. This means the cost of a replacement can be pretty high, even if other official repair work costs considerably more.
So if you’re not going to buy AppleCare coverage, be sure to at least put a case and screen protector on your phone to minimize any damage that might happen.
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