Samsung Replaceable Battery Phone

[mrdave570]

For those LG V20 owners who like phones with replaceable batteries, there's some news.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/2...cover-pro-rugged-smartphone-removable-battery

Samsung’s new Galaxy XCover Pro is a rugged smartphone that features a removable battery, a feature that’s almost unheard of in a modern phone. So, if you’re prepared enough, you can easily swap out the phone’s 4,050mAh battery with a fully charged spare when its power runs dry. The device was technically launched last week in Finland, but Samsung did it so quietly that at least one report had it pegged as an unannounced handset.

Away from its removable battery, the real focus of the handset is its rugged design that’s meant to be able to survive being used out in the elements. WinFuture.de reports that it’s got an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating, can survive falls of up to 1.5 meters (roughly 4.9 feet), and that its touchscreen works even when wet or when you’re wearing gloves. Additionally, a press release on Samsung’s Swedish website says that the phone comes with a barcode scanner and has two programmable buttons.

RELEASING AT THE END OF THIS MONTH
Otherwise, the Galaxy XCover Pro’s specs wouldn’t look out of place on a standard midrange device, with a 6.3-inch 1080p LCD display, Exynos 9611 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It’s got dual rear cameras, including a main 25-megapixel sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle, while on the front there’s a single 13-megapixel selfie camera contained within the display’s hole-punch cutout. Unfortunately, it seems to ship with Android Pie, rather than the more up-to-date Android 10.

Samsung’s Galaxy XCover Pro will be available starting at the end of the month across parts of Europe, including Finland and Sweden, for €499 (about $554). No US release has been announced yet.

Hopefully, this phone can be sold in the US!

 

[Rukbat]

"when its power runs dry" Make that "when the battery gets down to 45% (or down to 40%) and I'll buy into it. You never let a lithium battery "run dry". That's the second fastest way of ruining it. (The fastest way is to throw it into a metal shredder.)

 

[mustang7757]

For those LG V20 owners who like phones with replaceable batteries, there's some news.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/2...cover-pro-rugged-smartphone-removable-battery

Samsung’s new Galaxy XCover Pro is a rugged smartphone that features a removable battery, a feature that’s almost unheard of in a modern phone. So, if you’re prepared enough, you can easily swap out the phone’s 4,050mAh battery with a fully charged spare when its power runs dry. The device was technically launched last week in Finland, but Samsung did it so quietly that at least one report had it pegged as an unannounced handset.

Away from its removable battery, the real focus of the handset is its rugged design that’s meant to be able to survive being used out in the elements. WinFuture.de reports that it’s got an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating, can survive falls of up to 1.5 meters (roughly 4.9 feet), and that its touchscreen works even when wet or when you’re wearing gloves. Additionally, a press release on Samsung’s Swedish website says that the phone comes with a barcode scanner and has two programmable buttons.

RELEASING AT THE END OF THIS MONTH
Otherwise, the Galaxy XCover Pro’s specs wouldn’t look out of place on a standard midrange device, with a 6.3-inch 1080p LCD display, Exynos 9611 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It’s got dual rear cameras, including a main 25-megapixel sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle, while on the front there’s a single 13-megapixel selfie camera contained within the display’s hole-punch cutout. Unfortunately, it seems to ship with Android Pie, rather than the more up-to-date Android 10.

Samsung’s Galaxy XCover Pro will be available starting at the end of the month across parts of Europe, including Finland and Sweden, for €499 (about $554). No US release has been announced yet.

Hopefully, this phone can be sold in the US!

With Exynos chip I be surprised they would release it in USA , although they did that for s6 .that's great to have removable battery means you don't have to take the chassis apart to replace it .

 

[Mooncatt]

"when its power runs dry" Make that "when the battery gets down to 45% (or down to 40%) and I'll buy into it. You never let a lithium battery "run dry". That's the second fastest way of ruining it. (The fastest way is to throw it into a metal shredder.)

With a removable battery, it's not as big of a concern to replace it, so I wouldn't be so strict with charging habits.

 

[Rukbat]

With an older phone, buying a "new" replaceable battery is still buying an old battery (they stop manufacturing that particular battery soon after the phone comes onto the market, so the only "new" batteries are second-rate cells from 3rd-party battery "putter-togethers"). My Note 3 swelled after 4 years, so I replaced it (because the stage after swelling is bursting, and if bursts with enough pressure you get a Note 7) - but the "new" battery isn't as good as the original was. (There used to be a US NiCd battery maker - that actually made batteries to order for a reasonable price. But there's no one doing that with lithiums - anywhere.

 

[anon(10181084)]

"when its power runs dry" Make that "when the battery gets down to 45% (or down to 40%) and I'll buy into it. You never let a lithium battery "run dry". That's the second fastest way of ruining it. (The fastest way is to throw it into a metal shredder.)

Isn't the whole point of the removable battery to not have to worry about keeping in non-fully-discharged? And as we've discussed before that 45% thing is a little excessive and only of you need DECADES out of a single battery like you did with your flip phone. I don't wanna start Battery Habit Wars again but nobody buys a cellphone to use 55% of the already puny capacity let alone stress about the battery level. Like seriously... I just tell everyone that they should not FULLY discharge regularly but that once in a while is OK, which I think is reasonable. For example, my mom now charges when her phone warns her at 15% and everything's going fine so far (her phone lasts whole week of light before needing to charge even after several months).

 

[Mike Dee]

Isn't the whole point of the removable battery to not have to worry about keeping in non-fully-discharged? And as we've discussed before that 45% thing is a little excessive and only of you need DECADES out of a single battery like you did with your flip phone. I don't wanna start Battery Habit Wars again but nobody buys a cellphone to use 55% of the already puny capacity let alone stress about the battery level. Like seriously... I just tell everyone that they should not FULLY discharge regularly but that once in a while is OK, which I think is reasonable. For example, my mom now charges when her phone warns her at 15% and everything's going fine so far (her phone lasts whole week of light before needing to charge even after several months).

The average consumer doesn't follow any battery charging rules. The only rule I follow is to try to charge it back up when it hits 30 to 40 percent. Sometimes I go below but I try to avoid virtual zero. I don't worry about charging to 100 percent and I always charge overnight.

 

[mustang7757]

I agree..

 

[anon(10181084)]

I agree..

In my experience I never had an issue with any charging habits affecting my batteries negatively. I honestly do not know why some people in this forum aggressively tell people to do stuff that is only necessary to keep your battery running for 15 years like the one in Rukbat's flip phone. I mean even changing the battery (even non-removable) is not too big of a hassle if you for any reason cannot or don't want to replace the device at the point the old battery craps out. Not to mention plugging your phone in at 45% all the time will likely quickly wear out your USB port. Honestly, as much as I respect the battery knowledge of the moderators like Rukbat and others, I think they need to chill out a little and stop sounding mega harsh in every battery related help thread (this is like the one and only problem with the otherwise perfect moderators here).

Edit: these phones are purpose-made for average consumers, and not specifically targeted at tech geniuses. The only reason I could ever in the future have battery issues (God forbid) prematurely is if I use a device too much (typing this on a 5 month old heavily used S8 with a whopping 166 cycles on the battery).

 

[mustang7757]

In my experience I never had an issue with any charging habits affecting my batteries negatively. I honestly do not know why some people in this forum aggressively tell people to do stuff that is only necessary to keep your battery running for 15 years like the one in Rukbat's flip phone. I mean even changing the battery (even non-removable) is not too big of a hassle if you for any reason cannot or don't want to replace the device at the point the old battery craps out. Not to mention plugging your phone in at 45% all the time will likely quickly wear out your USB port. Honestly, as much as I respect the battery knowledge of the moderators like Rukbat and others, I think they need to chill out a little and stop sounding mega harsh in every battery related help thread (this is like the one and only problem with the otherwise perfect moderators here).

Edit: these phones are purpose-made for average consumers, and not specifically targeted at tech geniuses. The only reason I could ever in the future have battery issues (God forbid) prematurely is if I use a device too much (typing this on a 5 month old heavily used S8 with a whopping 166 cycles on the battery).

Everyone I guess has their own ways ,and there are people that test these things out, Rukbat very knowledgeable person so he means well , I have full respect for what he does here and as a person. Like I have my way I charge my phones or diagnose a issue or problem and someone else might go about it different which is ok , it's best to grasp as much knowledge as possible and determine what works best for you. Try not to take these things personally as everyone tries to give best advice they can .

 

[anon(10181084)]

Everyone I guess has their own ways ,and there are people that test these things out, Rukbat very knowledgeable person so he means well , I have full respect for what he does here and as a person. Like I have my way I charge my phones or diagnose a issue or problem and someone else might go about it different which is ok , it's best to grasp as much knowledge as possible and determine what works best for you. Try not to take these things personally as everyone tries to give best advice they can .

I am not trying to make it personal. Rukbat is excellent with his knowledge and I respect him big time, but I am afraid that his harshness in battery related threads could lead to some users possibly misunderstanding instead of realizing that he means well. To those of us like me and you who know Rukbat and other similar mods well, this isn't a problem, but new members that might not know him could possibly get stressed or worried or blow the whole thing out of proportion.

The point of this is that maybe the discussion on optimal caring for batteries should be "softened" a bit, not overblown, and not use harsh phrases like "you have to shut down at 40%" (better "for optimal lifespan, try not to go below <insert percentage>. If your lifestyle doesn't allow for that, expect lower battery longevity" or something else equally soft). I don't want newbies mistakenly looking at knowledgeable members like Rukbat the same way everyone looks at those crappy "10 things that destroy your phone" videos.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

With Exynos chip I be surprised they would release it in USA , although they did that for s6 .that's great to have removable battery means you don't have to take the chassis apart to replace it .

Snapdragon 810 was trash, that's why Samsung went through the hassle of using their own chip in the US that year.

 

[mustang7757]

Snapdragon 810 was trash, that's why Samsung went through the hassle of using their own chip in the US that year.

I agree didn't like that chip either

 

[mustang7757]

I am not trying to make it personal. Rukbat is excellent with his knowledge and I respect him big time, but I am afraid that his harshness in battery related threads could lead to some users possibly misunderstanding instead of realizing that he means well. To those of us like me and you who know Rukbat and other similar mods well, this isn't a problem, but new members that might not know him could possibly get stressed or worried or blow the whole thing out of proportion.

The point of this is that maybe the discussion on optimal caring for batteries should be "softened" a bit, not overblown, and not use harsh phrases like "you have to shut down at 40%" (better "for optimal lifespan, try not to go below <insert percentage>. If your lifestyle doesn't allow for that, expect lower battery longevity" or something else equally soft). I don't want newbies mistakenly looking at knowledgeable members like Rukbat the same way everyone looks at those crappy "10 things that destroy your phone" videos.

I think that's a fair point .

 

[RTGent]

"when its power runs dry" Make that "when the battery gets down to 45% (or down to 40%) and I'll buy into it. You never let a lithium battery "run dry". That's the second fastest way of ruining it. (The fastest way is to throw it into a metal shredder.)

From a Samsung SGH-i917, to a Microsoft 950, and the V20, all with replaceable batteries, I've been running lithium batteries dry for several years, and I have never had to go beyond 2 OEMs for each (I have two PlayMores for the V20). I'm not denying that draining can reduce the lifetime of a battery, but I worry even less about this than I do about my replaceable battery draining each day.

Thanks to the OP for the lead. Seeing the Samsung battery reminded me of my SGH-i917.