Among the many changes, the new rules would require batteries in consumer devices like smartphones to be easily removable and replaceable. That’s far from the case today…
Among the many changes, the new rules would require batteries in consumer devices like smartphones to be easily removable and replaceable. That’s far from the case today…
User choice is always good, but for me, I prefer the water resistance rather than a swappable battery.
Yeah, if you keep a phone for 5-6 years, you usually only have to change the battery once. I reckon the dust hasn’t settled on this though - I think there will be compromise where battery replacements are cheaper, but still need to be done by a professional
I think we can have a law that says if a device does not have resistance against water submersion, it must have replaceable batteries.
Can’t say I have ever needed the water resistance, but I also never drop my phone, so I guess I’m in the minority.
the old razer flip phones were horrible. I went through four of the things in the course of a year because they got so much of a whiff of water they’d crap out. the last time, it was left in the truck while I was fishing and the humidity killed it.
Another model… got done in at a pool, it was left on a table and kids happened.
it’s not that people are klutzes and drop their phones. It’s that shit happens. Yeah, it was a trade off, but, sealing it against stuff… is a lot easier when it’s sealed
You can have a swappable battery and water resistance. Samsung galaxy s5 had a removable plastic cover and IP67 water resistance, so if the manufacturers tried they could easily have them both.
Also, if you do any repairs on a new phone you lose water resistance (unless you replace the silicone), while on the s5 you could just replace the battery and would just need to press the cover back on. After the repair the phone would still be water resistant, unlike the new phones with glass backs.
The only weakness with the S5 was the charging port having a cover that could easily break off, but modern ports these days are waterproofed, so they could just make one of those.
Personally, if they remade the S5, with a modern board and charging port (rather than the Micro-USB 3.0 monstrosity), I’d be very tempted to buy it. The IR blaster and everything else was just nice to have.
I had some use for the IR blaster, it’s a damn shame the technology is no longer here. Audio jacks too.
I too take a shower every day with my phone in it.
Have you thought about having both? It shouldn’t be that hard to make
I prefer non swappable phone batteries. If I need to charge my phone while out I use USB power bank, which is infinitely more useful than a naked phone battery that can only be used in the phone. Non swappable batteries also allow for phone casing to be much more resilient to impacts and the elements, and can help reduce the phones size.
A phone battery is not to going to reach end of life for 2-3 years in normal use, so it doesn’t seem too much of hardship to get the toolbox out or go to a service centre when it does eventually need replacing.
Maybe require manufactures to not use such incredibly strong glues that some use to secure the batteries, but mandating they be swappable seems the wrong approach to me.
I don’t need swappable batteries because they wear out. I need them cuz I’m ADD and constantly forget to charge my phone. Having a spare fully charged battery when I have to head to work on my 60-90 minute commute is invaluable.