{"id":4797,"date":"2026-08-29T15:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T06:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/server-tech\/failed-iphone-se2-battery-swap-2\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T15:48:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T06:48:24","slug":"failed-iphone-se2-battery-swap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/en\/diy-repair\/repair-pc-hardware\/failed-iphone-se2-battery-swap\/","title":{"rendered":"[Epic Fail] I Tried Replacing the Battery on my iPhone SE2 (2020)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This time, I took on the challenge of replacing the battery on my iPhone SE2 (2020), which I&#8217;ve been using for about 5 years.<br \/>Since I&#8217;d successfully replaced device batteries several times before, I thought this time would go smoothly too&#8230; but the result was a massive failure.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;d like to share the details and the lessons learned from this experience.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Why I Decided to Replace It<\/h2>\n<p>The iPhone SE2 is a favorite device I&#8217;ve cherished since its release. However, after 5 years of use, the battery has steadily degraded.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The maximum battery capacity display dropped to &#8220;76% (1821mAh when new &rarr; approx. 1400mAh now),&#8221; and it started causing issues for daily use.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/QOAC25831.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-170 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/QOAC25831-169x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Battery Status\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/QOAC25831-169x300.jpeg 169w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/QOAC25831-576x1024.jpeg 576w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/QOAC25831.jpeg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Determined to &#8220;extend its life by replacing it myself!&#8221; I prepared a replacement battery. I chose a third-party 2340mAh nominal battery. Being drawn to that nominal capacity spec was probably my first mistake&#8230;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Past Track Record<\/h2>\n<p>Actually, I&#8217;ve had experience replacing batteries on several devices before:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>MacBook Air 11-inch<\/li>\n<li>iPhone 5<\/li>\n<li>iPhone SE (2016)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Since I had completed all of these replacements without any particular issues, I grew overconfident that I could handle this one the exact same way.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Trouble During the Process<\/h2>\n<p>The work itself proceeded through the usual steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open the front panel using specialized tools<\/li>\n<li>Disconnect the battery connector and remove the degraded battery<\/li>\n<li>Install the new battery and reassemble everything<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>However, the problem occurred right at the front panel opening stage.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Accidentally severed the cable\n<ul>\n<li>I pulled too hard on the cable connecting the front camera, front sensors, and earpiece speaker, causing it to snap completely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vlcsnap-2024-12-05-13h47m16s591-e1733374385335.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-153 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vlcsnap-2024-12-05-13h47m16s591-e1743776555173.jpg\" alt=\"Severed Front Camera Cable\" width=\"624\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vlcsnap-2024-12-05-13h47m16s591-e1743776555173.jpg 624w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vlcsnap-2024-12-05-13h47m16s591-e1743776555173-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vlcsnap-2024-12-05-13h47m16s591-e1743776555173-530x246.jpg 530w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vlcsnap-2024-12-05-13h47m16s591-e1743776555173-565x263.jpg 565w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As a result, the front camera, facial recognition, and call speaker stopped working.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>What Succeeded<\/h2>\n<p>On the other hand, the battery replacement itself was a success.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The capacity of the new third-party battery recovered to about 2200mAh.<\/li>\n<li>The maximum capacity display returned to &#8220;100%,&#8221; drastically improving battery life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, whether this success softens the shock of the mishap is&#8230; questionable.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Lessons Learned<\/h2>\n<p>The lessons gained from this failure are as follows:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Thoroughly check the internal structure beforehand\n<ul>\n<li>The SE2 front panel is connected by extremely delicate cables. I should have handled it with much more care to reduce the risk of breakage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Follow the iFixit instructions meticulously\n<ul>\n<li>When doing DIY repairs, make sure to thoroughly consult the iFixit guide. It provides detailed step-by-step instructions with photos, making it clear where you need to be careful. Just &#8220;glancing at it&#8221; this time around was definitely part of why I failed&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Choose genuine or highly reliable replacement kits\n<ul>\n<li>The nominal rating of a third-party battery is merely a reference. I probably should have chosen a genuine part or a more reliable compatible alternative.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up a proper workspace\n<ul>\n<li>I should have ensured adequate lighting and workspace, and carried it out in a state of full concentration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<p>Looking back at this project, the successful and failed parts were very clear.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Success: The battery replacement itself went without issues, recovering capacity to about 2200mAh. This drastically improved battery longevity.<\/li>\n<li>Failure: I severed the cable leading to the front camera and sensors, rendering the front camera, speaker, and sensors completely unusable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Consequently, I now also need to replace the cable connected to the front camera and sensors, resulting in unexpected repair costs.<br \/>What was meant to temporarily cut costs by attempting a DIY repair ultimately ended up increasing my extra expenses.<\/p>\n<p>Next time, I plan to take on the challenge of replacing the cable connected to the front camera and sensors.<br \/>I&#8217;d be glad if this tale of failure serves as even a slight reference for anyone considering a DIY repair!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This time, I took on the challenge of replacing the battery on my iPhone SE2 (2020), which I&#8217;ve been usi [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/?p=85","footnotes":""},"categories":[1165],"tags":[9,623],"class_list":["post-4797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-repair-pc-hardware","tag-diy","tag-623","en-US"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4797"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4800,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4797\/revisions\/4800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}