Would you buy a phone with no removable battery?

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Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
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Was talking to my BIL and he said in the new S6 you can no longer remove the battery? little search and sure enough MOST new phones (Nexus/Motorola/LG etc) all have non removable batteries.

I guess from a business case, that makes sense. Battery dies and client has a buy a new one.

but from consumer standpoint, sorry but I would never buy a phone like that. I read few articles that say that it's for "slimness" reasons.....what a bunch of BS

I guess this is the wave of the future now?

Thanks Apple? Or I should say thanks public for purchasing such devices (although it seems like they don't really give you a choice at this point).
 
edro

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
Integrated batteries last well over 2-3 years, which is the time frame most users keep their phones.
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,997
10,478
126
Only if that's the only way they come; same with a sd card. If that's the only way they came, I'd pick the phone that's easiest to take apart to change a battery myself.
 
MarkXIX

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
I'm on my 2nd iPhone and I've replaced the battery both times in my own phones.

There are enough YouTube videos out there and the kits can be ordered on Amazon for cheap. By the time a battery needs replaced, most likely the phone is beyond warranty anyway. Even then, I think most manufacturers will replace the battery for the life of the device regardless of warranty, but I could be wrong on that.
 
mnewsham

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
Vdubchaos said:
but from consumer standpoint, sorry but I would never buy a phone like that. I read few articles that say that it's for "slimness" reasons.....what a bunch of BS
Click to expand...

Its not BS, its called engineering. If you want a removable battery you sacrifice some space. If you have a non-removable battery you can custom fit it to whatever empty space you can afford since it will only be removed (ideally) by an authorized tech.
 
mmntech

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
It's a common misconception that the iPhone's batteries aren't removable. You can replace them if they wear out. Just a couple screws and the panel slides right out. Wish I could say the same about the bloody iPad.

A lot of phones just don't allow you to hot swap packs. Which is mostly a design decision. Not a particularly good one IMO because I appreciate devices that are easy to repair.
 
CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
It's one of the main reasons why I will not be switching to the Nexus 6 from my iPhone 6 Plus. The other is that it has no expandable storage. If it had both then I would switch. I'd go for the LG G4 except that if doesn't work with Google Fi. I want all three if I'm going to ditch iOS again, dammit! My last phone was a Galaxy Note 3.

And it's not about being able to replace it. I replace internal batteries all the time. It's about being able to swap it. No fast charge in the world beats an instant charge. Gang charging means always having a full battery ready to go.
 
ControlD

ControlD

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
5,440
44
91
I guess it depends. If I am getting a phone on a two year contract, having a removable battery isn't a huge concern for me. If I am buying a phone outright and plan on using it for longer, or passing it on to another family member then I want a removable battery.

The bigger issue for me is phones getting rid of removable media slots. I have been looking at upgrading to the S6 as well, but the lack of a card slot is holding me back.

I think most LG phones have removable batteries still don't they? The G3 does and from what I have read the G4 should as well.
 
CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
purbeast0 said:
the last phone i had that had a detachable battery was my flip phone. something very similar to this.

http://www3.pcmag.com/media/images/324717-lg-revere-2-verizon-wireless.jpg

only issue i've ever had was my wife's iphone4 the battery died. i bought some kit off ebay for like $7 to replace it and it took about 5 minutes to install.

there really isn't such thing as a "non-removable" battery if you are tech savy.
Click to expand...
But there such thing as a non-swappable battery. :colbert:
 
ControlD

ControlD

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
5,440
44
91
CZroe said:
It's one of the main reasons why I will not be switching to the Nexus 6 from my iPhone 6 Plus. The other is that it has no expandable storage. If it had both then I would switch. I'd go for the LG G4 except that if doesn't work with Google Fi. I want all three if I'm going to ditch iOS again, dammit! My last phone was a Galaxy Note 3.
Click to expand...

I had to look that one up. Never heard of that service before.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
Meh. I don't care for two different reasons. On the phones I *do* care about, I'm a $50 a month plan that still gets me a fully subsidized phone every two years. I'm never going to have a phone that is getting long in tooth. I sell the old one and cover the subsidy cost.

On my cheap line, I just buy a $50-$100 entry level phone (Lumia 635 or Moto G) and live with it. By the time the battery is dying the phone is ready to be upgraded for not much more money than the battery costs.
 
mmntech

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
DaveStall said:
The bigger issue for me is phones getting rid of removable media slots. I have been looking at upgrading to the S6 as well, but the lack of a card slot is holding me back.
Click to expand...

They've all latched on to Apple's scam of offering low internal storage in the base model, then over charging for upgrades.

That's one of the reasons why I ultimately decided against the OnePlusOne as my next phone. Fortunately a lot of mid-range Android phones are coming out with both microSD and dual-SIM. The latter is very handy if you travel.
 
Carson Dyle

Carson Dyle

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2012
8,173
524
126
I bought a Moto G for under $100. If it only lasts three or four years, I won't really care. Also has no SD card slot, but I don't use my phone as a DAP, so again, don't care.
 
dullard

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,024
4,650
126
It used to matter to me.

One smartphone that I had, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was at its time far and above way better than any smartphone. It was basically the iPhone 6 if you look at the specs, but I had it 3 years before the iPhone 6 launched. Great screen, great speed, great everything--with one major exception. The battery just couldn't keep up.

On a good day I got 3 hours of use before I was tethered to a wall. Then, like on all phones, the battery started aging. Losing ~20% of battery life might not matter much if you have 8 hours of life. But if you only have 3 hours of battery life, losing 20% was terrible (down to under 2.5 hours of use). So I got a replacement battery and brought it back up to ~3 hours. A replaceable battery was very helpful.

Now that I have a Droid Turbo with ~36 hours of battery life with moderate use, I don't think I'll ever want to replace the battery.
 
V

Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
0
edro said:
Integrated batteries last well over 2-3 years, which is the time frame most users keep their phones.
Click to expand...

Most does not = ALL

We keep our phones MUCH longer than 3 year. I also know # of people that do as well.....

Not everyone wants a new phone every 2-3 year....sorry.
 
KeithTalent

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
118
116
Always said I wouldn't, but I now have an OPO and I just changed how I operate. It's not ideal, but I can live with it. Would much rather have a removable battery and an external SD, but it seems options are limited for that these days.

KT
 
V

Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
0
mmntech said:
It's a common misconception that the iPhone's batteries aren't removable. You can replace them if they wear out. Just a couple screws and the panel slides right out. Wish I could say the same about the bloody iPad.

A lot of phones just don't allow you to hot swap packs. Which is mostly a design decision. Not a particularly good one IMO because I appreciate devices that are easy to repair.
Click to expand...

That's good to know.

Agreed, ease of swap would be nice.

And thickness of the phone matters very little to me.

FUNCTION over form.
 
Rakehellion

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
Vdubchaos said:
That's good to know.

Agreed, ease of swap would be nice.

And thickness of the phone matters very little to me.

FUNCTION over form.
Click to expand...

For a portable device, thickness matter a lot.

But I'm wondering what type of person doesn't know how to use a screwdriver once every three years to replace a battery pack.
 
G

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
22,236
6,431
136
I'll end up buying whatever phone is available when I need one. That will be whatever trendy piece of crap kids have been convinced is cool at that moment.
At the end of the day, aside from making calls, a smart phones real utility is about the same as a pencil, and trending down.
 
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