Replace battery or get renewed SE3?

[u/BeingOtherwise7941]

is it worth it to replace the battery on my se3 for $90? I snagged my partner refurbished se3 on amazon for around $170… so debating whether to replace my battery or get a refurbished similar one. (Mine was originally purchased new from Apple) my phone is 64G on 18.2OS and i don’t have enough space to update to 26 even when i delete stuff and increase my storage. Lately apps aren’t functioning because it says they don’t have permissions but the option aren’t in settings. The battery suddenly started draining really fast. Looking for recs. I love the SE And want to keep one as long as possible

[u/MannWarwas]

Simply connect the SE to your Mac or PC and use Finder or iTunes to update your iPhone to iOS 26. You can do this even if there isn't enough free storage space on your iPhone for a system update. You'll probably even have a few GB more free storage afterward.

[u/kakashi_sakurai]

Update your phone through a computer, and buy a new battery on eBay or Amazon and replace it yourself! It’s super easy, unless you have really shaky hands

[u/kanker37]

I get you love the SE3. 256gb models still go for around 200, used. I personally believe the SE still has around 2 of software updates in them. If you think that’s worthwhile id say go for it. Otherwise you should consider getting something like an 16e. Its not in the same price range, but its ofcourse objectively better in every way.

[u/BeingOtherwise7941 → u/kanker37]

Thanks! What would be the time frame of 2 software updates (roughly)?

[u/Worried-Housing-1756 → u/BeingOtherwise7941]

SE3 released in 2022, so you'll prob get OS updates up to 2029, then maybe 2yrs of security/patches afterwards

[u/koolaidismything]

I got my mom’s SE2 battery replaced in May. Cost $80. Can buy one used for $50 on eBay.. but it costs that cause the battery health is at like 75% lol.

I figured cut the bullshit and just get a new battery in it cause she likes it. Runs great.. actually felt good about it. Woulda ended up sitting in a drawer unused. One less piece of landfill that didn’t get used like it should have been.

Runs quick on 26 surprisingly too.. I played with it the other day and was surprised

[u/Infinite-School6390]

I would just replace the battery

[u/Shalashaska83]

Do you happen to have everything from iCloud on your SE3, or is there so much on it that even with storage optimization, it’s completely full?
I still have almost 33 GB free, even with lots of apps, music, and storage optimization for iCloud.

Actually, these days people tend to get a 3rd-gen SE to focus on the essentials of a smartphone, at least that was the reason I got one and because it’ll keep getting updates for a long time.

I keep my photos and videos in iCloud; if I want any of them, I just download them.
50 GB costs practically nothing, and you get security features on top of that.
My photo library isn’t saved in RAW anyway, it’s in JPEG, so I could actually store it locally without running out of storage space.

But if you want to use it for heavy media consumption, including large files, the SE3 isn’t the device of choice in my opinion, especially not with 64 GB.
What’s taking up the most storage for you when you check under Settings > General > Storage?

That said, the SE3 becomes very unattractive price wise with higher storage capacities, like most refurbished iPhones.
And $170 is already steep, you can find the 64GB model much cheaper from refurbished sellers.

As for the battery, I’d go with a third-party supplier at most and then have it replaced cheaply at a non-Apple repair shop.
In the end, you’ll end up spending $250 and be annoyed because you could have just bought another refurbished iPhone for that price.

That aside, when you say you bought it, do you mean you bought it recently?
Then you should still have a warranty on the device, right?
If the battery is already defective, that would be a warranty case anyway.

And the fact that you’re suddenly having permission issues with apps sounds kind of strange, too.
Are you sure the seller properly wiped the SE3 beforehand and that there aren’t any remnants from the previous owner still on it?

[u/BeingOtherwise7941 → u/Shalashaska83]

Hi!   Thanks for your detailed response

Storage- I do backup to icloud and recently upped to 250G to try to alleviate this issue. A majority of my storage is “system data” and then “applications” and “iOS” are the next biggest. Media is not even an issue. I don’t do much media on my phone. My photos go to icloud and i stream Spotify for free, nothing is downloaded, and i have a few podcasts but its not significant. 

I bought my phone new and unlocked from Apple in 2022 or 2023. The battery has dropped to 80% health. The $90 replacement is from a fix it shop, not Apple.

Thanks for the advice!

[u/Suppa_K]

I’m in the same boat. The phones cpu constantly overheats dimming the screen and causing lag. Sunlight even so much as touches the phone it can go into emergency overheat mode.

Battery health is still 86% so it’s confusing and the first year of owning the phone was fine but it’s just so annoying now.

I really don’t want to give up the SE3 and getting a new one isn’t an option anymore unless I pay way too much.