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All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

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Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#741

Post by numpad0 »

pnw wrote: post #651
spaqin wrote: post #644

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've had thin smartphones with replaceable batteries 15 years ago. That was the standard. Galaxy S5 was the last one in that series, and it's not looking too different from today. It was even IP rated for water! Batteries also don't really die, but you get shorter and shorter life. When a device that barely could make it through 2 days of use now survives for less than one, an "upgrade" seems nicer than it really wo…

The S5 was IP67 rated but only if the USB port flap was sealed. Modern phones like the S24 and iPhones are IP68 rated without covers. As someone who spends a lot of time outdoors in the rain, giving up superior IP68 water resistance for a replaceable battery that I'll never replace will be a downgrade for me.

Ports develop rust if exposed to elements. This applies to USB-C ports too. That's why all seriously rugged phones has flaps for every ports with all-plastic enclosures over metal frames(not all waterproof equipment are seawater rated; they have to be specifically designed and tested to be resistant to galvanic corrosion if the water to be submerged in is not deionized or at least potable).

Urban rainproof phones like S24 and iPhone aren't actually intended to be left drenched in mud or seawater, so they don't have to be equipped to be resistant against pieces of soil or soaked driftwood jammed in the charge port.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#742

Post by thrownthatway »

transcriptase wrote: post #721
heavyset_go wrote: post #714

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If it's such a superior product that people want despite the tradeoffs, why don't they just fund a company to create such a phone? Why doesn't anyone? Because legislation is direct and gives better results to consumers. Thank god the EU standardized on USB-C. There's no reason to jump through extra hoops and rely on the whims of investors to do something good for the people.

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Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#743

Post by BenFranklin100 »

heavyset_go wrote: post #712
rythie wrote: post #584

It’s been long enough that people of forgotten what’s it’s like. Cameras still have replaceable batteries, there are several benefits: I can have two (or more) batteries, if it runs out I just change it. I don’t need walk around with a USB battery pack and cable hanging off the device preventing me from using it properly. I can put the battery on charge somewhere and leave it, even if not completely secure, because j…

I cannot wait until I can carry a spare battery in my wallet again

I carry USB-battery pack or my MagSafe battery. At night I use pass through charging.

Works just as well.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#744

Post by bitmasher9 »

brainwad wrote: post #155
gruez wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As an example, in Jan 2026, Apple published iOS 12.5.8 which provides updates for iPhone 5s which released in Sept 2013. That's 12.5 years ago. The equivalent would be to connect to the internet using ADSL in Jan 2000 with your IBM PS/2 rocking in intel 8086, 512 kb of RAM and expecting an update for your DOS operating system. The updates for ios 12 are all security updates, not feature updates, so your comparison t…

A phone is not unusable because some banking apps don't work on it. It didn't even ship with said apps installed.

The entire point of the cellphone is that third party apps are required to live a modern life. If I cannot run the apps required to pay for a parking spot or perform a 2FA ritual then there’s really no point in even having a phone. The first party software isn’t compelling enough to justify the pocket space.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#746

Post by inetknght »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #722
rythie wrote: post #584

It’s been long enough that people of forgotten what’s it’s like. Cameras still have replaceable batteries, there are several benefits: I can have two (or more) batteries, if it runs out I just change it. I don’t need walk around with a USB battery pack and cable hanging off the device preventing me from using it properly. I can put the battery on charge somewhere and leave it, even if not completely secure, because j…

Having a battery pack has its uses though. As crazy as USBC is, you can now get a relatively large amount of power from a battery pack. There’s a bunch of things that don’t need their own battery if they just drew enough power off USBC. I have an office coffee setup. My grinder and espresso maker have their own batteries. But there’s no reason I couldn’t have a single battery pack and just plug both into USBC saving…

These things aren't mutually exclusive. Once upon a time, batteries were generic and fit some standard form-factor. You could swap batteries between devices and often did! You could even connect your device to a pack of batteries, and swap out the batteries within the pack.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#747

Post by bitmasher9 »

johanyc wrote: post #608
tombert wrote: post #603

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dunno, my wife has has the same iPhone 11 Pro Max since 2020. She had to get the battery replaced once at an Apple store, which I believe cost $99, and it took like thirty minutes and it wasn't that hard. I'll admit it's a little annoying that I have to pay a hundred bucks to get the battery replaced, but the phone is otherwise fine and still gets updates, so I don't know that I buy that it's "planned obsolescence"…

It's planned obsolescence through price. Your wife paid >50% of the phone's value just to replace the battery. Many people won't think that's worth it. It could have been a $30 user replaceable battery.

Or she spent 7% of the purchase price of a new device to defer requiring to upgrade for another 3 years.

$100 is worth it, but you can get a good discount by going to that one mall kiosk instead of the Apple Store.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#748

Post by someperson »

bko wrote: post #660
rythie wrote: post #584

It’s been long enough that people of forgotten what’s it’s like. Cameras still have replaceable batteries, there are several benefits: I can have two (or more) batteries, if it runs out I just change it. I don’t need walk around with a USB battery pack and cable hanging off the device preventing me from using it properly. I can put the battery on charge somewhere and leave it, even if not completely secure, because j…

The fact that pretty much no phones have a replaceable battery says something. And it doesn't mean that all manufacturers are somehow colluding with each. The market is very competitive and pretty much every manufacturer decided the trade offs are not worth the benefit. If Samsung or Xiaomi or Google could sell you a better phone with a replaceable battery, they would. But everyone came to the conclusion that the tra…

It means that everybody copies Apple.

Just like 3.5mm headphone jacks and MicroSD card expandable storage.

They're hard to find even on lower end devices any more, despite more ports being a premium/pro feature in other market segments.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#749

Post by aikinai »

someperson wrote: post #748
bko wrote: post #660

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that pretty much no phones have a replaceable battery says something. And it doesn't mean that all manufacturers are somehow colluding with each. The market is very competitive and pretty much every manufacturer decided the trade offs are not worth the benefit. If Samsung or Xiaomi or Google could sell you a better phone with a replaceable battery, they would. But everyone came to the conclusion that the tra…

It means that everybody copies Apple. Just like 3.5mm headphone jacks and MicroSD card expandable storage. They're hard to find even on lower end devices any more, despite more ports being a premium/pro feature in other market segments.

That doesn't change anything the parent said. If not copying Apple created a better product that people want to buy, someone would be doing it.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#750

Post by bitmasher9 »

oliyoung wrote: post #633
codedokode wrote: post #613

It's a good move, but that is not enough. My old Chinese phone had a replaceable battery but it lasted so long that after it died, it was not possible to find the replacement. It seems that all phones have batteries with different sizes, and potentially different third pin designation, so even if you find smaller battery, it still can be incompatible because of third pin. So if you want phones to be usable for longer…

From the article > Replacement batteries for any model will have to remain available to users for at least five years after the last unit of the product is placed on the market, the regulation also states.

Using a 5 year old phone is common these days. I still see plenty of home button iPhones in the wild.
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