March 14, 2024, 1:38 pm | Read time: 7 minutes
The battery is one of the few components in a smartphone that deteriorates with extended use. Constant charging and discharging cause the cells to lose capacity over time. Therefore, it makes sense to replace the battery to regain full 100 percent usage. Depending on the manufacturer and service provider, this can vary in cost.
To find out where in Germany it’s cheapest to have a smartphone battery replaced, TECHBOOK compared the prices of repair shops in eleven major German cities. Here are the results of our extensive repair index.
Overview
Methodology of the Repair Index
TECHBOOK created a display repair index with a total of eleven major German cities. The following cities were included in the study:
- Berlin
- Bremen
- Erfurt
- Düsseldorf/Neuss
- Hanover
- Hamburg
- Cologne
- Leipzig
- Munich
- Nuremberg
- Stuttgart
The selection of cities was based on the largest metropolitan areas in Germany. All cities, except Erfurt, have a population of at least 500,000. To also represent the geographic center of Germany, Erfurt was included in the list of cities studied.
Other cities with a population over 500,000–Frankfurt/Main, Dresden, and Dortmund–were not considered due to a lack of repair options.
In each city, we selected at least three, but on average four shops, to determine the price for battery replacement in four different smartphone models. The devices studied are already established in the market and widely used. These models are:
- Samsung Galaxy S22
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Apple iPhone 13
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Criteria for Selecting Repair Shops
Repair options from the manufacturers themselves, as well as chains like MediaMarktSaturn, Gravis, Comspot, etc., were not considered, as there are no regional differences in pricing.
TECHBOOK selected repair shops that are centrally located in the city. To determine prices, we first relied on the websites of the individual shops. Prices were either listed there or found on separate pages with repair options for the respective device.
Shops that did not have prices listed or did not offer repair options for the devices sought were included in the study only after the initial approach was exhausted. We contacted the shops individually by phone, email, or WhatsApp chat and then determined the prices for battery replacement for the specified devices.
The data was collected from January 23, 2024, to March 14, 2024.
Also interesting: Why are repairs for Apple’s iPhone and iPad so expensive?
Both Original Parts and Reproductions Considered
Upon inquiry, several repair shops confirmed that they use only so-called service pack batteries for Samsung smartphones. This means they are always original replacement parts, but they must be ordered first. As a result, prices for the parts can fluctuate significantly. Although many repair shops still provide a fixed price, in many cases, replacement is only possible upon request. The values we determined are therefore valid for the research period.
For battery replacement parts for Apple smartphones, repair shops often offer several options. If it is an Apple-certified service provider, they can order these original components directly from the manufacturer. In many cases, however, a cheaper option with a so-called OEM part is available. This is a reproduction made according to the manufacturer’s exact specifications. However, these parts can cause a battery message to appear on iPhones from the Xs/Xr generation onward, indicating that the installed battery is not an original replacement part. This does not affect functionality–but it means that values like maximum capacity and battery performance cannot be read.
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Where Smartphone Battery Replacement Is Cheapest
With an average of 74.74 euros across all four smartphone models, Stuttgart is by far the cheapest city for a battery replacement. With an average of 64.96 euros for the Galaxy S22 and 65 euros for the S22 Ultra, Stuttgart is slightly ahead of Leipzig. But especially the low prices for replacement in iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro across all examined shops put Stuttgart at the top. The only downside: not all offers involve original replacement parts.
In Leipzig, battery replacement for Samsung smartphones Galaxy S22 and S22 Ultra is also comparatively cheap. Here, there are also the lowest prices for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. Two shops charge only 59 euros for the replacement. Thus, Leipzig, with an average of 72.63 euros, is the cheapest city to equip the iPhone 13 with a new battery. One of the local shops also performs the repair on the iPhone 13 Pro for 59 euros. However, it should be noted that these are not original replacement parts. These are significantly more expensive at 119 euros. Across all four devices, the repair in Leipzig costs an average of 76.80 euros.
Stuttgart and Leipzig are closely followed by Cologne and Berlin, where battery replacement across the four smartphone models costs an average of 87.25 euros and 87.68 euros, respectively. A Berlin shop offers battery replacement for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro for 59 euros each–matching Leipzig. On average, customers pay the least for iPhone 13 Pro repair in Berlin: 86.53 euros.
The cheapest city for battery replacement for Galaxy S22 and S22 Ultra is Erfurt. One of the shops charges just 54.99 euros for both devices. However, since the other service providers examined charge significantly more, the average prices for the two devices are higher at 74.33 euros and 84.33 euros.
Where Smartphone Battery Replacement Is Most Expensive
The two most expensive cities across all four devices are both in Bavaria. In Nuremberg, the repair costs an average of 106.49 euros, followed by Munich at 103.84 euros. Both cities are significantly above the prices that Apple and Samsung themselves charge for the service.
In Nuremberg, the repair shops examined charge the most for battery replacement for Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Ultra. An average of 99.49 euros is charged for the S22 and 104.49 for the S22 Ultra. This is mainly due to one shop that charges 129.99 euros and 139.99 euros for repairs on both devices–the highest prices in our study. For comparison: At Samsung itself, a battery replacement costs 77 euros for the S22 and 81 euros for the S22 Ultra. Battery replacement for the iPhone 13 Pro is also very expensive in Nuremberg, averaging 113.49 euros.
Munich ranks just behind Nuremberg in our ranking, with an average of 103.84 euros across all four devices. Here, it is mainly the prices for battery replacement in the examined Apple smartphones that are responsible for the ranking. With 139.90 euros for the iPhone 13 Pro, one of the local shops charges the highest price for battery replacement in comparison.
Close behind is Erfurt, where one of the shops examined charges 139 euros for repairs not only on the iPhone 13 Pro but also on the iPhone 13. This makes Erfurt the city with the highest average costs for battery replacement for iPhone 13: 109 euros. At Apple itself, the service costs a flat rate of 99 euros–regardless of whether it’s iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Pro.
Following Nuremberg and Munich, Hanover with an average of 97.13 euros, Erfurt with 95 euros, and Bremen with 94.88 euros follow at a significant distance.