Condition & repair
Battery health: check it before you sell, not after
Battery health is one of the few condition answers you can check to the exact percentage — and one of the few a buyer will verify on the spot.
Why buyers care about battery health
A phone with a tired battery is a phone the next owner has to spend money on immediately. Refurbishers price that in: below a certain threshold the cell gets replaced before resale, and the cost of that replacement comes out of what they can pay you.
Because the number is machine-readable, it is also one of the few condition answers that cannot be argued about. An inspector can read it in thirty seconds at your door, which is a good reason to read it yourself first.
How to check it
iPhone
Settings › Battery › Battery Health & Charging. You get a Maximum Capacity percentage and a status line. Anything that says "Service" is below the useful threshold regardless of the number next to it.
Android
It varies by manufacturer, which is unhelpful but manageable:
- Samsung: Settings › Battery and device care › Diagnostics, or the Samsung Members app.
- Xiaomi / Redmi / Poco: Security app › Battery, or dial **\*#\*#6485#\*#\*** on some models.
- OnePlus / Oppo / Realme: Settings › About device › tap Battery, or the diagnostics section in the support app.
- Pixel: Settings › Battery › Battery Health on Android 15 and later.
- Anything else: an app such as AccuBattery estimates capacity over a few charge cycles rather than reading it directly.
What the number does to your price
| Battery health | How price books usually treat it | Rough effect |
|---|---|---|
| Above 85% | Healthy — no deduction | None |
| 80–85% | Minor fault | Small deduction, low single-digit percentage |
| Below 80% | Fault: battery in service | Larger deduction, grouped under the fault cap |
| Swollen or not holding charge | Fault, plus a safety flag | Larger still; must be declared |
Note that battery deductions sit inside the functional fault cap — so if your phone already has two or three other faults, an ageing battery may cost you very little extra. That is worth knowing before you spend money replacing one.
Is replacing the battery worth it?
Run the arithmetic before you book a repair. An authorised battery replacement on a recent flagship costs several thousand rupees. The deduction it removes is typically a smaller number, and on an older phone it is a much smaller number.
There is one case where it pays: a phone you intend to keep using for another year and then sell. Then the battery is bought for your own benefit, and the small resale improvement is a bonus rather than the justification.
Before the pickup
- Charge the phone to at least 50% so the inspector can run through the checks without hunting for a cable.
- Screenshot the battery health screen for your own records.
- Declare a swollen battery in advance — a bulging back or a lifting screen is not something to spring on a rider.
- Answer the battery question honestly in the quote so the figure you are given is the figure you get.
Frequently asked questions
- What battery health is acceptable when selling a phone?
- Above 85% is treated as healthy by most price books. Between 80% and 85% carries a small deduction, and below 80% is treated as a fault needing replacement.
- How do I check battery health on Android?
- It depends on the manufacturer: Samsung has it under Battery and device care › Diagnostics, Pixel under Settings › Battery on newer versions, and Xiaomi through the Security app. Failing that, an app like AccuBattery estimates it over a few cycles.
- Does replacing the battery increase resale value?
- It removes the battery deduction, but the replacement usually costs more than the deduction is worth, especially on older phones. It rarely pays as a pure resale investment.
- Is it safe to sell a phone with a swollen battery?
- It can be collected, but it must be declared in advance so it is handled and transported correctly. Do not attempt to charge or puncture a swollen cell.