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LG G5 modular phone: Hi-Fi DAC, battery slide out, connection interface

engadget.com

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Re: LG G5 modular phone: Hi-Fi DAC, battery slide out, connection interface

#131

Post by madeofpalk »

ezzaf wrote: post #119
Pxtl wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, if you're talking about giving an old phone a new lease on life with a replacement battery as a once-in-a-lifetime service operation, it's fine to break out the tools to replace the battery. If you do battery swaps as a nightly workflow so you can have a day battery and a night battery, then yeah pop-out replacement is the only option

Having disassembled the aforementioned Z3C a couple of times, I disagree that it's fine to have to break out the tools for it ever. It's a tough job, with lovely warnings like this one from iFixit: "Warning first: Never try to move the battery unless it's broken and need to replace. Because there is very very strong adhesive sticker between battery and motherboard.And too much effort or careless operation will break…

Funnily enough, for all the bad press Apple gets for glued together devices, the battery is trivially easy to replace in iPhones.

Re: LG G5 modular phone: Hi-Fi DAC, battery slide out, connection interface

#132

Post by mikeash »

digi_owl wrote: post #102
roywiggins wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the plus side, you can always stick a bulky battery case onto a thin phone. Now if only there were more variety in phones with small screens; now that iPhones are big, what are people with small hands supposed to buy?

> On the plus side, you can always stick a bulky battery case onto a thin phone. That depends on a third party bothering to make a case for the device at all.

And it's way bigger and less efficient than having a bigger battery built in.

Re: LG G5 modular phone: Hi-Fi DAC, battery slide out, connection interface

#133

Post by kalleboo »

post_break wrote: post #10
mmastrac wrote: post #8

This might give people a taste for what really modular devices like Ara can offer, but the fact that it doesn't do battery swaps without powering down is going to make it far less interesting to people. An internal battery to give you 30-60s in an emergency hibernate mode would have been game-changing. Kudos to LG for actually taking this step though. With luck this will whet the appetite for phones that are truly mo…

I've never heard of someone needing a phone to stay on while changing the battery.

I switched from Android to iPhone and hence had to switch from swapping out batteries to plugging in an external battery. Now I'd never go back, the whole reboot/swapping procedure is kind of a PITA

Re: LG G5 modular phone: Hi-Fi DAC, battery slide out, connection interface

#135

Post by jshevek »

IshKebab wrote: post #90
jfrumar wrote: post #2

I'm so glad LG are sticking with a switchable battery - it's a must have feature for me. Lots of people have forgotten what it's like to grab a wall-charged battery, slip it in and run out the door with 100% power in a few seconds. Tethering your phone to the wall sucks. Clunky portable battery packs are the worst. I hope this phone sells well, it has my support.

Honestly that sounds rubbish compared to just having a phone with a decent battery life in the first place. I used to think it was impossible (I had a Nexus 4) but my Z3C has an impressively good battery life - so much so that I rarely think about it. I don't even bother plugging it in for satnav duties. Also it charges at a pretty decent rate - probably takes an hour to fully charge from 0%. Battery swapping is a wo…

I absolutely love not having to ever plug my phone in.

Plugging a phone in on a daily basis is a workaround for flawed phones.

Re: LG G5 modular phone: Hi-Fi DAC, battery slide out, connection interface

#136

Post by jshevek »

post_break wrote: post #10
mmastrac wrote: post #8

This might give people a taste for what really modular devices like Ara can offer, but the fact that it doesn't do battery swaps without powering down is going to make it far less interesting to people. An internal battery to give you 30-60s in an emergency hibernate mode would have been game-changing. Kudos to LG for actually taking this step though. With luck this will whet the appetite for phones that are truly mo…

I've never heard of someone needing a phone to stay on while changing the battery.

Few people may _need_ for a phone to stay on while changing the battery, but is a huge plus. I spent over a year on a phone that could hot swap a battery if you do the swap smoothly, and avoiding the need for a reboot was definite pleasure.

Re: LG G5 modular phone: Hi-Fi DAC, battery slide out, connection interface

#137

Post by jug »

ryukafalz wrote: post #103
IshKebab wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly that sounds rubbish compared to just having a phone with a decent battery life in the first place. I used to think it was impossible (I had a Nexus 4) but my Z3C has an impressively good battery life - so much so that I rarely think about it. I don't even bother plugging it in for satnav duties. Also it charges at a pretty decent rate - probably takes an hour to fully charge from 0%. Battery swapping is a wo…

Depends how long you plan to keep your phone. Lithium-ion cells have finite lifespans, and if you plan to keep your phone for years at a time, or if (like me) you tend to purchase slightly older phones, removable batteries are a godsend. FWIW, though I'm not happy about the non-removable battery, I currently use a Nexus 4. It's gotten worse over time, but I used to be able to comfortably get about 2 days of runtime o…

I think this factor is more relevant today than five years ago. At least my upgrade cycle has slowed down, and I'm often subjected to poor battery life before the apps get too demanding for the hardware itself. Really frustrating with non-user serviceable batteries when this happens. How a phone feels like new with a fresh new battery, that "oh my god, how..." feeling with the battery life, just cannot be underestimated.
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