Would you buy a phone with no removable battery?

[ControlD]

You have no AC outlets? I have a Qi charger on my desk. I leave work with my battery at 100%.

That's the optimal solution but it assumes you have a phone that is Qi compatible. For now I just use a spare charger and USB cable. We can only use approved USB devices in our work computers, and phones don't count. Modern IT at its finest.

 

[cbrunny]

That's the optimal solution but it assumes you have a phone that is Qi compatible. For now I just use a spare charger and USB cable. We can only use approved USB devices in our work computers, and phones don't count. Modern IT at its finest.

lol that 'Universal' standard is a tricky one...

 

[Rakehellion]

That doesn't replace the FUNCTION of being able to go from 0% to 100% any time/place you want. I have replaced hundreds of internal batteries but I am not deluding myself: replaceable != swappable

Just get an external battery pack.

Bonus: You don't have to turn your phone off ever or buy a new type of battery every year.

 

[Rakehellion]

I stopped caring much about removable batteries many, many years ago when:

1) Apple said that replacing its iPhone batteries would cost only $75.
2) External USB battery packs became available for cheap.

This is in stark contrast to my old 1990s Nokia 6190, for which I had something 3 or 4 batteries for, because I needed them if I was going anywhere without a power outlet.

D:

You can just buy a new battery for $10 and replace it yourself.

 

[CZroe]

Just get an external battery pack.

Bonus: You don't have to turn your phone off ever or buy a new type of battery every year.

It has almost the same inconveniences as using it while plugged in. It's bulky, protrudes from the charging port, etc.

The phone behaves like it is plugged in and operates in a higher power state (wifi stays on, Siri continues listening, etc).

It's ANOTHER battery that I can wear out which does not restore or reduce wear on the internal battery. I will not use it until I have drained the internal one, so I still put the internal battery through more cycles.

 

[xeemzor]

No, but I'm probably not the typical user. I rock a gigantic 10,000 mah battery in my Note 3 and love it.

 

[Capt Caveman]

It has almost the same inconveniences as using it while plugged in. It's bulky, protrudes from the charging port, etc.

The phone behaves like it is plugged in and operates in a higher power state (wifi stays on, Siri continues listening, etc).

It's ANOTHER battery that I can wear out which does not restore or reduce wear on the internal battery. I will not use it until I have drained the internal one, so I still put the internal battery through more cycles.

I don't want my battery to drain down to the point, I need to swap it out(if I could). Running a marathon a couple of weeks ago with Runkeeper running and transmitting in real time, I hooked it up to an external batter pack and had no worries that it would run out of juice and didn't have to worry about disabling anything on the phone to conserve the battery.

If the internal battery eventually can't keep the charge that I find acceptable, I'll just replace it.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Removable battery is not even an option I look for when buying a phone.

 

[Rakehellion]

It has almost the same inconveniences as using it while plugged in. It's bulky, protrudes from the charging port, etc.

The phone behaves like it is plugged in and operates in a higher power state (wifi stays on, Siri continues listening, etc).

It's ANOTHER battery that I can wear out which does not restore or reduce wear on the internal battery. I will not use it until I have drained the internal one, so I still put the internal battery through more cycles.

So only plug it in when it's in your pocket or briefcase. No down side.

I'd prefer not to have to turn my phone off ever. Also, I don't drain my battery so often that I care about extra batteries.

 

[Mixolydian]

Most people have 2-year contracts with their provider, and get new phones each time they renew/switch. It's pretty unlikely that the battery would die within that timeframe.

 

[slag]

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.

I find that a 32 GB phone is perfect for storage. Actually, a 16 GB would probably suffice. All my photos are synced in the cloud anyway and take a second to download over a 4g connection which is most everywhere with verizon.

 

[Eug]

16 GB is nowhere near enough for my wife. I keep having to delete stuff off her phone.

I'd say 32 to 64 GB is appropriate for her.

D:

You can just buy a new battery for $10 and replace it yourself.

Not OEM. Usually these days they're about $30 or so, but back then they were more expensive.

 

[z1ggy]

I've had the iphone4 since it came out (almost 5 years ago?) and the thing still runs fine on the original battery. I don't see the point of needing a phone in which the battery is easily removed. I get a new phone every 2 years, and haven't had a problem yet.

 

[slag]

I don't understand how anyone can use a full charge on a modern phone in a day. Do you do anything other than stare at your phone?

I stream radio two hours every day in my car through bluetooth over data, plus general usage through the day and evening and I rarely have less than 50% of battery life left when I go to plug it in at night. I really don't get it. Do people just not charge their battery and then complain about bad battery life when it dies? Why is swapping even necessary when I work next to a computer all day? Power banks too. My car has a usb cable that I don't use, but I can to charge if I'm in a pinch. What could you possibly be doing all day that you MUST have a swappable battery?

Ditto. LG G3.. Used to have about 60 percent left at the end of the day. Now its about 30-40% following the "update" it just took. Still, i could go all day, all night, and the next morning before needing a charge that only takes about 90 minutes. Also, I can swap my battery.

 

[Thump553]

Most people have 2-year contracts with their provider, and get new phones each time they renew/switch. It's pretty unlikely that the battery would die within that timeframe.

But most SMART people don't have any contract with their phone service provider. You think Verizon et al are giving you those phones every two years for free out of the goodness of their (corporate) heart? Hardly, you are buying the phone from them with a very hefty (hidden) interest rate built in.

 

[edro]

D:

You can just buy a new battery for $10 and replace it yourself.

F that. I'm not busting open my $700 iPhone for $60 savings.
I want it done right and official by a guy that does 10 of them a day and can do it in his sleep.

 

[Eug]

I've had the iphone4 since it came out (almost 5 years ago?) and the thing still runs fine on the original battery. I don't see the point of needing a phone in which the battery is easily removed. I get a new phone every 2 years, and haven't had a problem yet.

Yes, the iPhone 4 came out 5 years ago next month (June). My mother-in-law still uses my old iPhone 4 and it's still fine.

My wife uses the 2012 old iPhone 5, and it's fine too, as is my 2013 iPhone 5s.

I can't really say about our 2008 iPhone 3G though for usage as a real phone, since it's so slow it's basically unusable when trying to surf on it so I don't bother. It does work fine though, and I use it is as an iPod and Bluetooth music transmitter.

I got rid of the iPhone 4 also because it was too slow. The battery was not a concern.

For the iPhone 5 and 5s, could the battery life be better? Sure, but it's not a dealkiller by any means, and it's not as if its age is the issue. It's the fact that the batteries in the iPhones are tiny to begin with.

 

[NutBucket]

That's the optimal solution but it assumes you have a phone that is Qi compatible. For now I just use a spare charger and USB cable. We can only use approved USB devices in our work computers, and phones don't count. Modern IT at its finest.

It's a security issue....but you can run your company any way you like....

 

[z1ggy]

Yes, the iPhone 4 came out 5 years ago next month (June). My mother-in-law still uses my old iPhone 5 and it's still fine.

My wife uses the 2012 old iPhone 5, and it's fine too, as is my 2013 iPhone 5s.

I can't really say about our 2008 iPhone 3G though for usage as a real phone, since it's so slow it's basically unusable when trying to surf on it so I don't bother. It does work fine though, and I use it is as an iPod and Bluetooth music transmitter.

I got rid of the iPhone 4 also because it was too slow. The battery was not a concern.

For the iPhone 5 and 5s, could the battery life be better? Sure, but it's not a dealkiller by any means, and it's not as if its age is the issue. It's the fact that the batteries in the iPhones are tiny to begin with.

Yeah the only reason I could ever see needing a removable battery is if you happen to carry a spare one at all times (that's charged). Then if you were somebody who used power hungry apps, then you'd have a back up in case you ran out of battery life.

 

[BurnItDwn]

frequent phone replacements are going to slow down, just like laptop and desktop frequent replacements have come to a halt.

incremental upgrades to cpu, storage, battery and screen wont justify a replacement any more. The changes need t obe "more" or there has to be some sort of a fad/trendy thing to get people interested.

 

[holden j caufield]

best part of a removable battery is when your phone has some kind of hard freeze. You just yank the battery. Or the extended batteries but we don't need those often now as most last over a day now.

 

[cbrunny]

best part of a removable battery is when your phone has some kind of hard freeze. You just yank the battery.

This hasn't happened to me since I had a blackberry. That was 3 phones ago.

 

[Eug]

frequent phone replacements are going to slow down, just like laptop and desktop frequent replacements have come to a halt.

incremental upgrades to cpu, storage, battery and screen wont justify a replacement any more. The changes need t obe "more" or there has to be some sort of a fad/trendy thing to get people interested.

Apple plans in obsolescence, but battery life hasn't been the major issue. For example, I think one of the bigger issues for the 5 and 5s are their 1 GB RAM. Unfortunately, for the 6 and 6 plus owners, they also have that 1 GB RAM limitation.

Apple's iOS manages RAM well, but with each iOS update, machines with less RAM suffer more. 128 MB iOS devices became obsolete really, really fast. So did 256 MB iOS devices. 512 MB iOS devices lasted much longer, but now are irritating to use as well. 1 GB is next. In fact, I sometimes already find 1 GB iOS devices irritating to use, whereas 2 GB works much better.

That's why I tell people if you're going to buy an iOS device in 2015, try to get one with 2 GB RAM if you plan on holding onto it for a while. For an iPhone, that means waiting until the fall.

 

[jlee]

Apple plans in obsolescence, but battery life hasn't been the major issue. For example, I think one of the bigger issues for the 5 and 5s are their 1 GB RAM. Unfortunately, for the 6 and 6 plus owners, they also have that 1 GB RAM limitation.

Apple's iOS manages RAM well, but with each iOS update, machines with less RAM suffer more. 128 MB iOS devices became obsolete really, really fast. So did 256 MB iOS devices. 512 MB iOS devices lasted much longer, but now are irritating to use as well. 1 GB is next. In fact, I sometimes already find 1 GB iOS devices irritating to use, whereas 2 GB works much better.

That's why I tell people if you're going to buy an iOS device in 2015, try to get one with 2 GB RAM if you plan on holding onto it for a while. For an iPhone, that means waiting until the fall.

The current gen iPhone has 1GB RAM?

lol...wow.

 

[smackababy]

The current gen iPhone has 1GB RAM?

lol...wow.

Eug has tons of problems with his Apple devices. He has constantly harped about RAM issues and such that I've never experienced. I have had an iPhone since they official came off AT&T, and had one early on on TMobile (minus the 3G speed). I have yet had a RAM issue with any of them.