Removable batteries (generally speaking..)

[ncc1701p]

Its a crappy math no matter how you look at it. Personally I'm w/ most people. I want a removable battery. When I was in japan i bought a mini elecom battery backpack 4200mA. Can charge a smart phone up to two times. I carry this too and its a life-saver. I still prefer to have control over my device as much as possible. Manufacturers are getting somewhat greedy w/ how they do this. There are services out there via Craigslist that will swap your battery out for a charge. THey've been doing this for iphones for years.

Then there is insurance. You could pay ~$6/mo for it which IMHO i would pay for a phone with a non-removable battery. $6 * 12 = $72/yr. Worth it? yes or no. Im sure someone who's very good w/ #s and depreciation can better sum this up.

I'm still rocking the OG Droid and frankly I'm afraid of what my next phone is going to be. 90% it will have a non-removable battery. :/

 

[venious]

I saw a solar charger on sale at Lowes, for any freaks that are up for that kind of baggage. Like $144.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[rbess1965]

I think all you guys are right. There are occasions I would rather my phone be able to swap its battery if needed but I used a Samsung Charge for about 8 months without getting an extra and now that I have this Razr Maxx it seems even less important. For really heavy users it may not last as much as you'd like but for everyday normal use it's a really good device that easily gets me through the day. Just wanted to stand up for the Maxx crowd.

 

[trofmoc]

one way to defeat rooting by not allowing battery to be rmoved. just a thought

 

[Premium1]

All about making the phones "thin" people of its a little thicker do they go this route

 

[erjennin]

What about a battery pack that holds 3300 mAh worth of battery power? Those aren't much bigger than a spare battery and serve the same purpose as a spare battery. I think the issue of a spare battery is a non-issue.

 

[kinster02]

It looks like its becoming the norm and I'd be surprised if Samsung doesn't follow suit. I say just carry a battery pack which will give 2 or more charges depending on the pack capacity and you can also power directly from it and it cost the same as a spare ext battery. I don't know about these new Motorola's or HTC phones but you can change the iphone battery out, all it took was a screw driver...been there done that, although never owning a I product myself.

http://www.amazon.com/Anker-5600mAh...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU1698110

 

[truk999]

If your battery can't be removed, then the manufacturer knows the phone will be out of service sooner. In the end, it means you'll be coming back sooner to replace your phone and not reselling it to someone that is in the market for a phone. Sounds great, right?

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Bingo. And just because you signed a 2-year contract does not mean you're getting a phone that will last those two years. Didn't buy the service plan? Verizon don't care. If you don't have a phone to make the calls on, you're not clogging their networks! Worst case, you cry hard enough and they let you buy a new phone and extend your contract indefinitely. Everybody wins at the expense of the consumer.

 

[larrytxeast]

I do NOT, NOT as a general rule advocate this sort of thing, but I am going to say that I think it ought to be made law to MAKE phone manufacturers--including Apple--to design their products to have user-replaceable batteries. Again, I am a free-market and "let the market decide" person to the hilt, but there are exceptions, and this is one of them. If I understand it correctly, Europe in some places has laws requiring user-replaceable batteries and I think we should do likewise.

To me, battery powering of a device is fundamental. It's not a "yes or no" feature, it's essential. It's like an engine if you're referring to a car, or an antenna if you're referring to an FM radio. What good is a device if it's battery powered & you can't set it up to where it's always able to be powered? Can you imagine if digital cameras (I'm a hobbyist photographer) didn't let you replace the battery yourself and carry your own spares? If a camera can be made to always work due to battery abundance, surely a phone should be.

Clearly this is not a case of the consumers asking for this or voting for it, I think it's just that it seems manufacturers are just doing it "just because" as it were without asking the customer if it's what they want, and since almost everyone looks like they may be doing it, customers aren't really able to, say, choose LG over Motorola as it were solely for the purpose of having a user-replaceable battery. So they buy without regard to it because it seems as if resistance is futile.

I agree with the others, carrying a charger is NOT an acceptable option if you want to instead just swap & go. Besides camping in the wilderness or camping scenarios & that sort of thing, sometimes you're riding with someone who doesn't have a phone charger or that type.

As for a slim profile--frankly, it's not a priority to me. I think phones don't have anywhere near long enough battery power. Call me crazy, but I think that they ought to have enough battery power to last 3 days even if it's on all day with no screen timeout. I'm serious. If it means the phone has to be as thick as a paperback book, so be it, but I want the battery to LAST.

 

[RoboWarrior]

Nobody wants a smartphone as thick as a paperback book but I get what you're saying. Unless you were talking about those 12 page paperbacks but I assume you were talking about those 300 pagers. Yes Europe does have those fantastic laws only if there were in the states.

 

[stoneworrior]

I do NOT, NOT as a general rule advocate this sort of thing, but I am going to say that I think it ought to be made law to MAKE phone manufacturers--including Apple--to design their products to have user-replaceable batteries. Again, I am a free-market and "let the market decide" person to the hilt, but there are exceptions, and this is one of them. If I understand it correctly, Europe in some places has laws requiring user-replaceable batteries and I think we should do likewise.

To me, battery powering of a device is fundamental. It's not a "yes or no" feature, it's essential. It's like an engine if you're referring to a car, or an antenna if you're referring to an FM radio. What good is a device if it's battery powered & you can't set it up to where it's always able to be powered? Can you imagine if digital cameras (I'm a hobbyist photographer) didn't let you replace the battery yourself and carry your own spares? If a camera can be made to always work due to battery abundance, surely a phone should be.

Clearly this is not a case of the consumers asking for this or voting for it, I think it's just that it seems manufacturers are just doing it "just because" as it were without asking the customer if it's what they want, and since almost everyone looks like they may be doing it, customers aren't really able to, say, choose LG over Motorola as it were solely for the purpose of having a user-replaceable battery. So they buy without regard to it because it seems as if resistance is futile.

I agree with the others, carrying a charger is NOT an acceptable option if you want to instead just swap & go. Besides camping in the wilderness or camping scenarios & that sort of thing, sometimes you're riding with someone who doesn't have a phone charger or that type.

As for a slim profile--frankly, it's not a priority to me. I think phones don't have anywhere near long enough battery power. Call me crazy, but I think that they ought to have enough battery power to last 3 days even if it's on all day with no screen timeout. I'm serious. If it means the phone has to be as thick as a paperback book, so be it, but I want the battery to LAST.

I think the government has poked their nose into way too many things as it is. I can only hope they keep to more important things like steroids in baseball and condoms on porn actors. A free market means the consumer casts the vote with their wallet, I'd like to keep it that way.
As far as a removable battery I refuse to buy a phone without it. I very rarely have access to a charging port in my 8 to 10 hour days and I also usually do not have a radio available. This means I listen to podcasts throughout the work day and if I could not change my battery I would have to go back to what I did during my Blackberry days. I used to carry my Berry, a mifi card and a I touch. I switched to Android so I would not have to carry around more than one device, so until I can get at least 6 hours of listening time and use the phone as a phone, for me a spare (actually two) is a must.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

 

[worwig]

Simple.

A removeable battery has to have safety circuits in it. It has electronics to prevent damage if it gets shorted. It has a high voltage limit circuit. And it has a low voltage limiter. This electronics takes up space (and costs money to have it individually tested). Plus the actual charge electronics is on the main PCB which also has the safety limits. So you have duplication. The removeable battery also has to have a frame and contacts, which take up more space. You then have to place contacts in the phone. You have to create a cradle in the phone to hold the battery. Then you have to design a cover that is removeable with snaps and such, which will occupy even more space. And the covers now will often need a number of antennas on it, and the space wasting contacts that go along with them.

Or you can just attach the battery to the main PCB and place all of the safety electronics on that board with the other electronics.

A direct connection can save some space allowing for a larger battery capacity, which is a good thing.

On the 'carry a charger' comment. You can carry an external portable battery operated charger.

Personnally, I have always prefered a removeable battery. An exception is if the phone has a 'super' capacity battery in a standard sized case (as in, Razr Maxx)

 

[daehttub]

There are many different types of smartphones users and there is definitely a group that doesn't like removable batteries. I would categorize them as "light" users and/or stationary non-road warrior desk drivers. I think that the majority of smartphone users out there are very demanding, mobile users that can't be tethered to a charging outlet or be inconvenienced by a charging brick(s) when the nonremoveable battery loses its charge. I have a charging brick that I used for my iPods and old Palm Pilot back in the day. It was a very imperfect solution. Today I just carry the extra batteries for my smartphone like so many extra credit cards or a pack of tic tacs.

That said, I think the designers are too far ahead of existing battery techology. The processor, display, memory, and application technology advances are simply outstripping the advances in battery technology. You only get so many cycles out of a smart phone battery before you start seeing a noticeable decline in the stored charge. I've replaced my iPod batteries using a magnifying glass and electronics soldering kit and I certainly do not want to have to do that for my smartphone. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need replaceable smartphone batteries. We're simply not there yet for the power smartphone users.

It would be interesting to take a survey to see if there is a direct correlation between people who like nonremovable batteries and people that don't backup their data and/or don't use a backup (UPS) power supply for their servers ; ) I would never put a person that used a phone with nonreplaceable batteries in charge of my data center...

As a traveling nerd power user, I have my extra batteries, charger, power brick, and universal plug adapters with me. Just gotta have all options available to me because there have been times when "all of the above" were required on my travels.

Finally, how many times have you forgotten to charge the phone or found out that the wife/kid/cat/dog somehow unplugged the charger or switched off the power strip

 

[ercliou]

I've always had spare battery too.

But guys, "reset the phone by pulling the battery when it freezes" or "I can't flash ROMs".. they are NOT valid arguments!! When manufactures make it non removable, there are hard-reboot keys combinations.

How do you think people survive with tablets?!
e.g. Iconia a500 reboots when you hold the power button. Easily rooted, flashed and working like a charm.

 

[HES]

OK, I understand what you guys are saying.
There is battery packs that hold 2 full charges, maybe a bit bigger than a phone battery but its viable option to carry.
Don't you guys use car chargers whilst driving? Or does everyone ride bicycles or ride the bus?

The thing is, I came from a gs2 and that used so much power I wouldn't get 10 hours but this quad core one x is just sipping the battery. Running out of battery is now something I don't worry about and its a nice feeling.
I'm getting 24+ hours now with the same use so hopefully needing a spare battery or charger is a thing of the past.

For myself and others that have already posted, there are many of us who are avid outdoors men and women. We can't really plug our phone into a tree or a rock to recharge it. Or if we take a day with the family to an amusement park, it's not like we can plug the phone into the outlet in the bathroom and sit around for 2+ hours.

On top of it, in my industry, You may be working 10 or 12 hour days and not have the ability to charge your phone. You also can't leave a client site and stick your phone into a car charger for two hours.

Seriously? You go through 4 batteries when you're out camping in the wilderness? Try turning the phone off and enjoying nature instead of playing "Draw Something" and turn on the phone in case of emergency.

Actually for me I go through a battery a day. I take a lot of photos and upload them. Mainly that is for when I am taking my scout troop some where. The families love to get them. Plus I keep weatherbug on at all times. Having it on has literally saved my life when dealing with sudden changes in the weather.

But let's be honest. This form factor will become the norm.

 

[Kage87Z]

Mongo like his PowerSkin on his TBolt.

 

[dallasfever]

My 2 cents....I would never buy any phone that the battery is not removable unless it was a iphone. I never even owned a iphone but i know the battery last along time. Android phones......I keep my phone on the charger or have 1 or 2 batteries with me.. One in the car and one in my pocket. When Android phones last 24hrs then a non removable battery is a great idea. For now....No HTC for me. :'( I Have a Sprint SG2 right now.... Next phone Sprint Nexus or AT&T Note. I stare at the 5.3 inch screen every time i walk into a electronic store drooling.

 

[jroc]

At this point in time....with external batteries much, much smaller.....the Anker 5,600 mAh is about the size of a usb stick....I dont really care about removable batteries now. I was gonna get one for me Droid X1 in 2010....I didnt and dont regret it now. I got that massive one for the Droid 1...and while it is useful....it changed the form factor ALOT.

It would take 2 large extended batteries to match that Anker. No need to swap batteries, power down the phone to swap. No need to change the form factor of the phone. At the same time....a large extended battery plus the Anker 5600 is the absolute best situation.

As to why companies are going this route... probably for slimmer phones. The Maxx was a good example of having a massive battery not changing the phone size too much. I would take a Maxx and Anker any day over removable batteries.

One huge con for non removable batteries on the pro n con list....if you have a bad battery...the whole phone has to get sent in or replaced. Replace a good working phone and you might get one that introduces problems you didnt have before. We gamble enough as it is just trying to get a decent phone in the first place...

 

[walterwood44]

My wife and I have Evo 4Gs and the contract is up in June. We had to replace the first battery in both before the phones were a year old because they would no longer hold a charge and/or last more than a few hours. We then went to a larger battery to keep the phone working without having a charger connected all the time. I will not buy a phone with a battery that is not replaceable.

We can discuss this issue until the cows come home and nothing will change. Even if all of us chose to buy a phone with a non-removable battery it would not make much difference. We need to get the attention of the carriers and manufactures.

I plan on sending a link to this thread to dan@sprint.com along with a statement about how I feel. We also might consider filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission about how a battery needing a replacement before the contract is up is planned obsolescence by the carrier and phone makers and costs consumers money. We can also contact our elected officials. While I would not prefer legislation, a little pressure can go a long way.

 

[jroc]

My wife and I have Evo 4Gs and the contract is up in June. We had to replace the first battery in both before the phones were a year old because they would no longer hold a charge and/or last more than a few hours. We then went to a larger battery to keep the phone working without having a charger connected all the time. I will not buy a phone with a battery that is not replaceable.

We can discuss this issue until the cows come home and nothing will change. Even if all of us chose to buy a phone with a non-removable battery it would not make much difference. We need to get the attention of the carriers and manufactures.

I plan on sending a link to this thread to dan@sprint.com along with a statement about how I feel. We also might consider filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission about how a battery needing a replacement before the contract is up is planned obsolescence by the carrier and phone makers and costs consumers money. We can also contact our elected officials. While I would not prefer legislation, a little pressure can go a long way.

I could mention the iPhone...but we gonna leave the iPhone outta this.

Well.... what about Android tablets? They have non removable batteries. And its not like every Android phone has non removable batteries. If you want a phone with a removable battery.....there are other choices out there.

Every Android phone after ICS came out all wont have on screen buttons. I see the same thing for removable/non removable batteries. I think we will still see phones with physical keyboards.

If anything we need to complain about manufactures not shipping phones with massive batteries, like a tablet or the RAZR Maxx. At least ship an extended battery and battery door for phones with a removable battery.