iFixit matches iPhone's battery discount in Right to Repair fight

Though Apple has created a fair amount of controversy by admitting that it does indeed slow down older phones to compensate for worn down batteries, there is one good thing to come out of this whole debacle. Yesterday, Apple announced that it will offer $29 battery replacements for out-of-warranty iPhones dating back to the iPhone SE. That's in comparison to the normal price of $79 for a battery replacement, and this deal is going to last through December 2018.

That's great news if you want to squeeze some more life out of your older iPhone (along with speeding it up), but Apple isn't alone in offering cheap battery replacements. iFixit revealed today that it will match Apple's offer, sending you a kit to replace your iPhone's battery for a mere $29.

iFixit's deal is more or less just as good as Apple's, with the caveat that you'll need to replace the battery yourself. Why would you want to do that? Perhaps first and foremost, it means that you won't have to wait in line at an Apple Store to get your phone repaired. It also means, as iFixit points out, that you won't have to leave your phones in the hands of strangers while they swap our your hardware.

Beyond those reasons, though, iFixit also notes that it has battery replacement kits for the iPhone 4s, 5, 5s, and 5c, which aren't included in Apple's in-house program. Finally, iFixit uses the opportunity to discuss Right to Repair legislation that's currently being considered in 13 states around the US.

"This public outcry, and the hard work of journalists around the world, has caused Apple to blink," iFixit wrote in a blog post today. "That's great, but their proposed fix is only temporary. Battery prices are going back up in a year, and Apple still won't sell OEM batteries to independent shops. That needs to change."

In a way, going iFixit's route and replacing your own battery helps make the case for Right to Repair, something Apple is definitely against. If the idea of supporting Right to Repair gets you feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside, you can pick up one of iFixit's discounted battery replacement kits beginning today.