Xiaomi announces 49-yuan (US$7) battery replacement service covering 21 smartphones including the Xiaomi Mi 9 and Redmi Note 7

Xiaomi has announced another consumer-friendly battery replacement service that will run from July 1 to July 7 (there was a similar program launched in March). Owners of the Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones listed below who have been having issues with batteries can apply for a new battery via the company’s store app. Customers will be charged just 49 yuan (US$7) for the service, with free delivery and fitting included. The applicable smartphones are:

• Xiaomi Mi 5, Mi 5S
• Xiaomi Mi 6, Mi 6X
• Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 SE, Mi 8 Youth Edition, Mi 8 Screen Fingerprint Edition, Mi 8 Explorer Edition
• Xiaomi Mi 9, Mi 9 SE, Mi 9 Pro, Mi 9 Explorer Edition
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
• Redmi Note 5
• Redmi 6, Redmi 6A
• Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7 Pro

Some of the Xiaomi Mi 9 series of smartphones have frequently been criticized for poor battery life, with owners complaining about the Mi 9 especially. Surprisingly, the Mi 9T is not included in the list, which we actually praised for its battery performance in our review. Xiaomi Mi 9T owners found their device of choice suffering from massive power drains after updating to Android 10. Fortunately, there is a fix available for this issue.

It’s surprising to see Xiaomi offer the service for much older models, like the Xiaomi Mi 5 (2016). It’s less surprising to see the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro included: With over 20 million units sold, it’s important for the Chinese OEM to offer support to its loyal customers. Unfortunately, the battery replacement program is limited to users in China for the time being, but it would be a great show of goodwill for Xiaomi to offer a similar service for its millions of fans in other parts of the world.