When should I replace my battery on my S4?

[kyrax12]

My S4 is a little over a year old now and I was wondering if I should replace the battery?

Would there be signification degradation in the battery after 1.2 years?

 

[ImDonly1]

My S4 is a little over a year old now and I was wondering if I should replace the battery?

Would there be signification degradation in the battery after 1.2 years?

Doubt it. These things are designed to last 2+ years (average contract/upgrade cycle).
Mine is about 1.5 years old and still going fine.

If the battery didn't hold charge and dropped 10-20% out of nowhere in an hour then I'd be suspicious. You would notice weird things about it if it was bad.

 

[lxskllr]

You replace the battery when it becomes insufficient for your use. What it's supposed to do is irrelevant if it works for you.

 

[Oyeve]

When it stops working.

 

[gotsmack]

I notice serious degradation around the 1 year mark, but I usually use my phone so much I fully charge it 2X a day during the week and 1x on the weekends.

Batteries are only $20 so might as well charge it when it doesn't last 1 night of going out or 1 weekend day.

This is also the reason I refuse to buy phones that don't have removable batteries.

 

[lopri]

I see no reason not to have an extra battery or two when your phone supports removable battery. Even now, instead of wondering if the original battery is degraded, you can get another (new) one for an affordable price and find it out yourself!

 

[Thegonagle]

In my experience, you might notice slight degradation after a year, becoming slightly more noticeable over the next year. But nowhere along this phase does it become unusable.

After that, when it actually goes bad, it really goes fast. Charging/discharging becomes erratic and unpredictable.

If it's dropping 20-30-40% out of nowhere, goes from 40% to dead in seconds, and seems not to take a charge properly, it's time.

 

[Zaap]

I see no reason not to have an extra battery or two when your phone supports removable battery. Even now, instead of wondering if the original battery is degraded, you can get another (new) one for an affordable price and find it out yourself!

This.

 

[blankslate]

I see no reason not to have an extra battery or two when your phone supports removable battery. Even now, instead of wondering if the original battery is degraded, you can get another (new) one for an affordable price and find it out yourself!

Yep have an extra (or two) battery from Samsung with a portable case/charger that can be used with the A/C adapter that came with the S4. That way you have a spare or two and if you're judicious about cycling the batteries through you can extend the time before they start losing capacity.

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/EB-K600BUWESTA

The user replaceable battery is a feature that I wish more phones had.



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