non-removable battery. Are there advantages?

[Hubertsng]

Only advantage is that it is more form and rigid as you say and when your device falls, the battery doesn't fall out but your device does break... :/

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[minnemike]

Solar charger ? really? ....

Haha! How about this for an invention.... I want to design a pair of pants that incorporates a power generator sourced from the movement of your legs back and forth as you walk. Your phone could be hooked up via some connection in your pocket and be charged as you walk along. :-$

 

[bobjohnson201]

I'm definitely a passenger on the removable battery train, but it's all I've ever known.

Are there advantages to a non-removable battery? The only thing i can think of is that a device without a battery door might allow a more rigid device feel.

design advantages, ie it can be thinner/sexier

 

[Johnly]

Whats with all the zombie threads today. Need to invest in a machete...

Totally..... brains..... need brains!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Johnly]

That said, it is cheaper to build the battery in the device and not go through the trouble to make it removable. Phones today are already very thin. Do you need them thinner? Of course. Is making the battery non removable the only way? Of course not. It is a factor, but not the only one. As battery technology improves, they will become thinner and able to hold more capacity. Question is, how thin before it becomes too thin? I am not going to lie, the sgs3 and note 2 feel about perfect to me. Just enough edge to make gripping the phone comfortable, and pleasant.

Are the advantages so severe in either direction that we will no longer see removable batteries? I hope the choice does not go away. Manufactures know many of us love the option and I hope that removable batteries are here to stay

Think about it, phones are the smallest computers available, with the variety of manufactures, it is nice to stand out from the quid pro quo, and I suspect that business's realize this and some elect to offer the option, fulfilling customer demand

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jeffepops]

I have not used one, but there are several small mini-usb batteries/chargers for sale at the usual web sites. If having spare batteries is a high priority, no need to consider this phone. Yes, there are some limitations/drawbacks to the Nexus 4 -- the biggest being the no SD card slot, and the sealed battery. I find these to be minor considerations, as I have never had a spare battery for any of my smart phones and I don't use my phone as a media center -- 16GB of storage is as much as I will need over the lifetime of this device.

Here are the primary advantages of the Nexus 4:
1. Bang for the buck -- for $400 (including T&S) I don't think you will find a better phone. At T-Mobile, I will save $240 plus tax over my two year contract by bringing my own phone. Or, I can choose not to have a contract, and leave my provider at any time, without penalty.
2. It will always get the latest Android OS updates immediately, without the added crap from either the phone manufacturer or cell provider. How many phones will get the current Jelly Bean OS, let alone the next one?
3. Free tethering and wi-fi hotspot -- no locking of phone to prevent using it just like any other computer. Full use of Android's capabilities.
4. Support and Warranty Service from Google -- I'm taking a leap of faith here, but who is happy with cell phone provider support, these days.

 

[alginn0]

I would think the main advantage is that your supply dealer or google can get a handsome profit out of you for a new battery when yours is knackered. Rather than you being able to go on the internet for the best deal as you can with replacable batteries. Or have I got that wrong anybody?

 

[Hubertsng]

I would think the main advantage is that your supply dealer or google can get a handsome profit out of you for a new battery when yours is knackered. Rather than you being able to go on the internet for the best deal as you can with replacable batteries. Or have I got that wrong anybody?

Well they probably don't gain a lot because other businesses will do that rather than Google. Well you can still replace the battery, it's just harder. I mean the are screws on the bottom of the device

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[kurosenpai]

Non that I can think off

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

 

[alginn0]

Well they probably don't gain a lot because other businesses will do that rather than Google. Well you can still replace the battery, it's just harder. I mean the are screws on the bottom of the device

Sent from my Nexus 4

I suppose you are right, ways will be found to get round it as they do with other things.

 

[Hubertsng]

I suppose you are right, ways will be found to get round it as they do with other things.

Easier than the iPhone. Plus you don't need a heat gun to install it

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[falcor87]

I'm still using the DINC 2. Recently it locked HARD. No key presses of any kind would register. The only way I was able to get the phone back in service was by pulling the battery. This is pretty much the ONLY thing that worries me about a non-removable battery. Can anybody verify that this will be a non-issue with a phone that has a permanently installed battery?

(I'm eligible for a new phone Mid February so I'm looking into this issue now.)

I wouldn't call it a non-issue, but if it gets down to it most non-removable batteries can be removed pretty easily. Granted this isn't something you can do on the go.

 

[ccgabe]

My N4 battery life is much better than the Galaxy Nexus. With moderate to heavy use it will go all day and I charge it at night. The battery is not exactly non replaceable. All it takes is a torx driver, two screws and it is open. My only complaint is with T-Mo... service here in Portland Or is lousy where I live. Sometimes I have 3 bars and sometimes none. Don't know if it is all T-mo fault or the phone. Unless it is a very strong signal area the signal fluctuates a lot. Sometimes when it is showing no bars I can still make a call.. sometimes not. Frustrating. Thinking of trying AT&T next month.

 

[whymista]

I would much prefer to have a removable battery mainly for ease of reset if the phone freezes. I have never carried an extra battery around but being a longtime BB user you get used to doing systematic bat pulls to reset everything so whether manual button presses will work or not I'm used to bat pulls and thus am leery of non replaceable batteries.

That said my photon q doesn't have a removable battery like my photon 4g did. My photon 4g had abysmal battery life, it was impossible to go anywhere for any amount of time and not carry a charger. My photon q I still carry a charger simply because I still remember times where I ended up with a dead photon 4g but I have yet to find myself in a situation where thats happened and its most likely the fact they could squeeze a bigger battery in there. I never turn anything off besides bluetooth and I can go a few hours of constant screen on web browsing, texting and facebook and still have plenty of battery life left.

My photon would die in hours just in standby....

 

[wunderbar]

I've had some problems with my Nexus 7 recently where it'll lock up pretty bad. Been meaning to factory reset it but that's another story for another day. I bring it up because on every single smartphone/tablet I've seen or used in the last 3-4 years, pressing and holding the power button for 10 seconds functions identically to pulling a battery. IIRC there's a built in failsafe on the motherboard where pressing and holding the power button for 10 seconds will momentarily cut the power from the battery, which will reset the device.

As for the discussion on the Nexus 4 itself, if having a removable battery is a deal breaker for you, by all means look for another phone, as the N4 will not serve your needs, and that's fine. It's been my experience with my N4 that the battery life has been pretty spectacular compared to the GNex.

I also don't subscribe to buying a second battery for phones anyway. I've been averaging 18 months per phone for the past few years, so it has seemed silly to buy a second battery for every phone when I can just buy a USB power brick that will work with more than one device. I can charge either my personal or work phone, bluetooth headset, 3DS, N7, etc from it, which you can't do from a spare battery that only works on one phone.

Again, just a matter of preference. I like/want the versatility that a USB power device provides.