Will battery packs become irrelevant soon?

[j j6]

Hi!

Battery life is a hot topic I guess. I was wondering if you guys think battery packs will become redundant soon though.

I mean this for casual /the majority of users, some people will always need excessive battery.

I'm basically asking if these new fast charging or whatever is coming up will matter that much, I'm a bit ignorant about them atm.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Golfdriver97]

It's always going to depend on use case and device. I think for the casual user, like Facebook, twitter, surfing and light games, you are probably right.

 

[LeoRex]

Actually, I think it is the opposite. With the development of battery packs, including ones that support either Quick Charge 2.0 or USB-C charge standards, I think part of this emboldended the OEMs to cut the battery sizes down a bit more in order to make the phones thinner.

Battery packs are crazy common now.... So OEMs might have thought "Hey... why do we have to put a larger battery in the thing to eek out maybe a 10% larger cell when someone's packing two full charges in their pocket?"

 

[Golfdriver97]

when someone's packing two full charges in their pocket?

Or more, depending on the pack. I have an Aukey 12k, and can probably get 3 out of it, with my G4.

 

[LeoRex]

Or more, depending on the pack. I have an Aukey 12k, and can probably get 3 out of it, with my G4.

RIGHT! So you have more and more people walking around with the packs... and most of those are the older, slower charging ones. If you have a QC pack, then you can get a significant charge out of a really short time. I think these packs are a major reason why OEMs aren't stuffing big cells in the phones.

 

[Almeuit]

I say no. They're very useful for charging when not near a slot.

I actually really want this.... Aukey Quick Charge 2.0 15000mAh Portable External Battery Fast Charger (20W/5V 9V 12V Supported, Quick Charge Input and Output) - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013ANE2I...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU4770612

 

[Javier P]

I think they are going to be around for a long time. I can imagine the battery packs getting cheaper, smaller, more stylish, solar powered ... Everyone will have at least one at hand in a couple of years.

 

[Geodude074]

Battery packs will always be relevant, in fact I think more people will be buying battery packs in the future once their capacity increases.

Whenever people go camping, hiking, sight-seeing, vacationing, etc. and are away from a charger for days at a time, they will always need a battery pack. It can literally be a life saver, since you often hear stories about how someone got lost and died while hiking and they could have safely made their way back to camp... but their phone's battery had died.

 

[j j6]

Interesting answers, I thought the opposite! And just to be clear I know people will go hiking etc still, I was asking more about use in day to day life for most people.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Raptor007]

There will always be a need for external battery packs, we are attached to our devices and we can't be attached to the wall all day so we will need to be able to rapid charge on the go.

 

[delmadan]

If the technology that goes into battery packs somehow gets ahead of the tech that goes into inbuilt batteries, I don't think they'll be going anywhere.

 

[j j6]

Saw this. I guess you guys are right.

Why your phone battery is rubbish

http://gu.com/p/4dqm8?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[LukeCloudRail]

I don't think external battery packs are ever really going to go away. As said, there are too many different use cases where a battery pack is needed.

Take me; I will be on a long travel trip soon, involving plenty of coaches. I'm not going to be sure if I will be able to access the plug points, if there are even any, so I'm packing an external charger as well as a spare battery for my Note 4.

 

[LeoRex]

One thing to also keep in mind.... Right now, the Quick Charge packs come at a slight premium over the regular packs, a price jump that is in no part driven by Qualcomm licensing. With the upcoming move to USB-C (which should occur fairly quickly), we'll see more packs coming with fast charge capabilities without the added licensing costs.