Well no, it wasn’t surgery on me. It was on my phone. About a year ago my Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra ZU680KL was giving up the ghost. So, I bought a Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro. The problem with the Zenfone was that it was losing power rapidly after charging. I seriously liked that phone because it was very big: 186.4 x 93.9 x 6.8 mm (7.34 x 3.70 x 0.27 in). It is a true phablet at that sort of size. People used to laugh at me when I used it. Did I give a monkeys? I did not! I had it for about 3 years and that’s around the time when phone batteries go dead. I did not throw it out. In the back of my mind, I was thinking over several months how to revive it.
Nothing in this is a tutorial. If anyone reading this post attempts to repair their own phone and causes damage, kindly sue yourself!
Potential cost
The cost at some phone shops to replace the battery was around between £50 to £100 on average. The problem is that some shops require a separate quotation, if it is not on their standard list. That could mean greater than average cost. I’d have to post off my phone or turn up in person. That’s a hassle. Anyways, I did not like the idea of leaving my phone at a shop for a few days. I just don’t trust those shops. Instead I explored how I could replace the battery for myself (DIY). So, I watched YouTube vids over several months on how to open mobile phones – and replace batteries and other parts of mobile phones.
Main phone going dead
Then my Xiaomi’s phone died. This is the much newer phone. It would store only about 50% of the original power. I had two phones with dying batteries. Right – so I plucked up the courage and did some ‘surgery’ on the Xiaomi. The battery had become a dangerous because it was swollen and had caused the back of the phone to open slightly. I didn’t need any special tool to open the phone. The battery for it was purchased online from a well-rated UK online seller on eBay. Then I followed what the YouTube vids said – and I did it! I replaced the battery without causing any damage. My Xiaomi was restored.
Now I had more courage to take on repair on the Zenfone, which is a much larger phone. The getting the screen off to get at the battery was risky. The screen could get cracked. Obviously, I didn’t want to do that. I needed to have the right tools. Again I had ordered the replacement battery at BatteryUpgrade.co.uk. It arrived on at 09:21 on 17th August. The mobile phone cover-removal tool and tool-kit arrived on 23rd August. I got to work on the Zenfone. Getting the large screen off, was a delicate operation. After that the old battery took some prying out, as it was stuck in there with some sort of adhesive. Once that came out it was easy to insert the new battery and put back everything together. 
I then charged the new battery up to 100%. It came charged to 41%. They usually sell the Lithium batteries charged to that sort of level. It took about 4 hours to charge up to 100% I then did a factory reset on the Zenfone which runs only Android 7.0. I lost track of Android but I think they’re up to version 11 of sumik. Anyways the Zenfone now works fine. The new battery is holding the power very well. It is my backup phone #3.
The total cost of the tools and the battery came in at just under £50. Obviously, I now have the tools I purchased to keep. So if my phones’ batteries goes dead again, I can replace for no extra cost on tools. I trained myself how to do this, so I gain.
Reflections
- Like all tasks one is not familiar with, there is anxiety.
- Watching several videos on phone repairs intermittently (not daily) over several months led me to realise it was not that complicated.
- Anxiety had subsided.
- The push came when my Xiaomi phone battery decided to give up the ghost. It was dangerous to keep using the phone with a swollen battery.
- Replacing the Xiaomi battery was easy because no force to open the phone was required. Replacing the battery in the Xiaomi was desensitising.
- There was some anxiety with the attempt on the Zenfone but I did not allow that to stop me.
- Pushing past psychological issues, was important.
- Now, for £50 I have the skill and knowledge not only to replace a phone battery but to replace the screen as well. I realised how simple that would be.
- I think that most people would look to purchase a new phone, if their phone battery was going on the blink. That’s fine for them. ‘Everybody’ is more cashy than me, obviously!
- So methinks the £50 was a good investment towards gaining knowledge and skill.
- Patience → Study → Push → Performance → Skill/Knowledge.
Disclaimer & Guidance
The reading of posts on this blog is subject to the Terms & Conditions. Unpalatable truths and personal experiences may be told. Nothing posted on this blog is directed at any identified person. On occasions individuals are quoted anonymously. That does not mean that they have been identified to the world. Should any person or organisation reading this blog find something that makes them feel or know that they are being referred to – any such perceived identification does not mean ‘identified to the world’. ‘Stupid‘ is an impish figment of my imagination who occasionally is allowed to pop up – and does not represent any known individual, individuals or groups. The treatment of ‘Stupid‘ is not representative of the way people are treated in real life. Adverse inferences made are dismissed in advance.
