This is not so much a review as a short narrative of an iPhone 4 battery replacement.
My old iPhone 4's battery finally give up the ghost after more than 2 years of faithful service. It was interesting how the phone behaved as the battery lost all it's capability to retain a charge. When plugged into the charger, the phone would boot, get into the the usual password screen and then immediately reboot again. The cycle would continue until I unplugged it.
After looking around on the internet, I ordered a replacement battery from ifixit. The site made it easy to identify the compatible part for the phone I had by typing in the phone part number located on the back of the phone. It also had detailed instructions and a video clip showing what needed to be done. This site also carries tools that can help to make the repair easier. I also ordered a two piece, plastic opening tool. Also needed is a Philips 00 screwdriver.
Although the replacement difficulty was classified as "Moderate" by the ifixit site, I'm more inclined to call it easy. The removal procedure involves removing 2 screws of the Philips variety if you are lucky. Some of the later iPhones come with Pentalobe screws - in which case, you'd need to order the special Pentalobe screwdriver in order to get the phone opened up.
Once opened, it's a matter of sliding the back off, disconnecting and prying the battery off. The battery is held in place by adhesive and may require some effort to remove. In my case, it wasn't difficult at all. The only thing tricky about the reassembly involved re-inserting the tiny screw holding the battery connector back.
The entire process took 15 minutes, including watching the video clip on the site.
The iPhone 4 is now as good as new. Apple wanted to charge me $79 to get the battery replaced. I got it replaced myself for a fraction of the cost and 15 minutes of time.
The battery can be obtained here.
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