Three-year-old phone to get a better battery. Xiaomi has a good reason for it

Phone manufacturers usually do everything to make you buy a new model. According to leaker Ice Universe, Xiaomi is now preparing the exact opposite – it is to offer Chinese owners of the three-year-old 14 Pro model a battery replacement for a higher capacity one. The original 4,880 mAh will be replaced by 5,140 mAh, which is 260 more than the phone had at launch.

One hundred percent battery that will be better than in 2023

The increase itself is not dramatic – five percent capacity won’t bring anyone to their knees. The principle is more interesting. The owner of a phone whose battery has logically lost some capacity after three years will, after replacement, get better endurance than it had on the day of purchase. Xiaomi already offers a similar deal in China to owners of the Xiaomi 13 model.

Goodwill backed by cold calculation

The timing can hardly be called a coincidence. Xiaomi is preparing to introduce the Xiaomi 18 series, which is expected to see a significant price increase due to rising component costs. While the Xiaomi 14 Pro started in China at a price equivalent to approximately 683 dollars, the 18 Pro model is rumored to be almost 900 dollars. Many people will think twice about paying an extra two hundred dollars for a phone of the same class – and so the company offers them an alternative to stay with them without having to dig deep into their pockets.

Whatever the calculation behind it, the outcome is good for users. A longer phone life means saving money and less electronic waste. Ice Universe believes that other manufacturers will follow a similar path. However, for now, this is unofficial information concerning only the Chinese market – Xiaomi has not confirmed it, and there is no mention of availability outside China.

Would you have the battery replaced in an older phone instead of buying a new one?

Source: Notebookcheck, Ice Universe (X)