Low battery life is one of the most common signs of the ageing of a smartphone. This not only impacts smartphone usage experience but often forces users to purchase a new phone.
OnePlus India is looking to earn some good karma by offering a free battery replacement of some of its old devices-including the OnePlus 3, OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, OnePlus 6, and OnePlus 6T.
Contrary to the normal belief of “there are no free lunches”, OnePlus is asking its users just to cover the nominal labour charges. Also, to avail of this facility, the company wants users to visit the nearest service centre personally. If they choose to book the service online, they will have to bear 50% of the battery costs and in case of a courier pickup, the company isn’t offering any discount.
A Reddit user who got the battery of his OnePlus 5T replaced, said that the battery on his phone had de-graded after 4 years of usage and was only offering 70% backup. He was charged Rs. 473 as labour charges for the free battery replacement. Though a OnePlus 6 user who availed the courier services to get the battery and buttons replacement done – was charged Rs. 604.
As of now, there is no official confirmation from OnePlus about this offer. However, according to the post on Reddit, it seems that the company has an unused stock of batteries of these devices and the chances of them being utilized now are bleak, hence the company is clearing the dead stock.
Regardless of the reason why OnePlus is doing this, it is indeed earning some much-awaited brownie points after the recent news of its throttling performance on its flagship phones and a shoddy attempt at stealing some spot from Samsung’s Unpacked Event.
How to check if your OnePlus phone needs a battery replacement?
As mentioned above, battery backup reduces drastically over time. Hence a decreased screen on time or the need to charge the phone often is a clear giveaway that the battery needs to be replaced.
Additionally, you can connect with the OnePlus customer support team to check if there is a way you can check the status of the battery. There are some apps available on the internet which tells you the health of your phones’ battery, however, it is always advisable to rely on an official source.
Also, make sure you verify if your device is eligible for a free battery replacement before you decide to visit the service centre.
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