It was a pretty common complaint in my circle of friends, that the iPhone 5 battery life just wasn’t as good as the iPhone 4S.
A common theory of the day was that the dual radio solution found with Apple’s first LTE enabled phone wasn’t as well optimized as the 3G only iPhone 4S. It was sort of true for early 4G Android phones, maybe Apple fell prey to the same teething pains?
Announced yesterday, Apple is acknowledging that the iPhone 5 might have had some manufacturing issues:
Apple has determined that a very small percentage of iPhone 5 devices may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently. The affected iPhone 5 devices were sold between September 2012 and January 2013 and fall within a limited serial number range.
If your iPhone 5 is experiencing these symptoms and meets the eligibility requirements noted below, Apple will replace your iPhone 5 battery, free of charge.
This specific issue is apparently not affecting 4S or 5S owners.
As we rapidly approach the release of the iPhone 6, it’s not terrifically helpful for iPhone 5 owners dealing with this problem, as they’re likely nearing the end of a two year contract anyway, just in time to buy Apple’s latest and greatest…
Better late than never I suppose. Hit the link below if you think your phone might be affected, and Apple might replace that battery for you.