Xiaomi has long been accused of taking inspiration from Apple. But this time around, the inspiration needs to move the other way. The company has expanded its paid battery upgrade program in China to cover the Xiaomi 13, Xiaomi 13 Pro, and Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
Unlike a typical battery replacement, where a company simply swaps the worn-out cells with the same capacity, Xiaomi is offering larger batteries that give older phones a boost in endurance.
Wait… a battery upgrade years after release?
According to details shared by Xiaomi President Lu Weibing on Weibo, the standard Xiaomi 13 can move from a 4,500mAh battery to a 4,850mAh unit. The Xiaomi 13 Pro gets a bigger jump from 4,820mAh to 5,361mAh, while the Xiaomi 13 Ultra goes from 5,000mAh to 5,500mAh. This isn’t the kind of massive capacity bumps that we’re seeing on its recent flagships, but this is still quite a meaningful improvement for models that are almost four years old now.
And it’s not even that expensive.
The service costs 189 Yuan (roughly $27), and that price includes labor charges. Xiaomi also warns that availability may be limited, so this is not quite a wide-open global program yet. Regardless, the idea is pretty solid. Phone makers already encourage longer software support and longer ownership cycles. A higher-capacity official battery swap fits perfectly into that future. It doesn’t just refresh your battery life, it improves it—just like how an OTA update improves the software.
Apple should take notes
Apple already offers battery replacements for older iPhones, which is great. But Xiaomi’s approach is more interesting because it turns a repair into an upgrade. Imagine taking an older iPhone in for service and getting a certified higher-capacity battery designed by Apple, tuned through iOS, and covered by official support. That would make the battery replacement feel more appealing than simply restoring the phone to its original battery life.