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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

#401

Post by 0x3f »

marcosdumay wrote: post #314
emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

I don't think any single person I know would say they would exchange replaceable batteries for a 1mm thinner phone, waterproof up to 100m instead of 10m, or a $5 difference in price. In fact, the only place I would ever expect somebody to claim otherwise is here.

> I don't think any single person I know would say they would exchange replaceable batteries for a 1mm thinner phone, waterproof up to 100m instead of 10m, or a $5 difference in price.

Well, yes it's quite easy to argue against strawmen. I don't know anyone who would favor a built-in shoehorn over a replaceable battery either.

Although on your waterproof point, that's just a single dimension metric used for comms. It's not really about specifically descending to 100m. A 100m rated device responds better to water. In a general sense, it's more robust. Even if I don't go diving.

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

#402

Post by mcmcmc »

emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

> by the time batteries wear out, most people are going to want a new a phone.

Extreme consumer brain coupled with privilege. Billions of people can’t afford a new phone every couple years, they buy things and use them until they are past the point of repair, only buying a replacement when they have no other choice.

Can you honestly even say this year’s new flagships, or any from the last decade, represent meaningful improvement for most people outside the tech bubble and influencer sphere? Smartphones have been “good enough” for a long time.

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

#403

Post by Uvix »

hilbert42 wrote: post #320
Ntrails wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are we in a better place because the EU forced it. You betcha. That's the point. Speak for yourself, I've gained nothing but annoyance. (I'm willing to accept a theoretical greater good argument - but I'm not precisely sold)

What exactly is your specific annoyance?

USB-C ports are more fragile than Lightning - one of the three ports on my laptop will no longer hold cables in place anymore. It also requires more precise alignment to get the cable plugged in.

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

#404

Post by prism56 »

mentalgear wrote: post #67
tim333 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was wondering about that. I lost my iPhone 13 mini the other day, did the find my phone beep thing and got a distant beep from my washing machine which was on wash cycle. Surprisingly the phone was fine and works fine after a brief rinse under the tap. It must be hard to combine that sort of water resistance with easy user changing.

Don't fall for the 'glue cuz of protection' myth - there are and had been water-resistant phones way before Apple started glueing to avoid customers doing their own repairs and them losing out on new sales.

Also important to note that post is 1 datapoint. My "waterproof" phone fell in the bath for about 2 seconds and broke...

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

#405

Post by drooopy »

In order to have my iPhone 11's battery replaced by my local apple authorised repair shop, inexplicably I have to leave my phone with them for days. Since the phone is old they have to order the battery from Apple and that could take up to a week, according to them. Of course it's impossible to stay without my phone for a week+ so my only option is to buy a new phone if I want to fix my battery capacity issues.

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

#406

Post by Mali- »

0x3f wrote: post #391
coda_ wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your experience is not at all what I see out there. Most people I know only get new phones because their battery will no longer get them through the day. They hate having to set up a new phone when their old one is totally fine other than the battery. For the people I know that do upgrade their phones regularly, they typically want to give their old phone to someone who would love a usable phone, but can't afford a n…

It would seem that "different opinions are out there" is not really a good basis for "one opinion enforced by EU directive", though.

If your battery is replaceable, you can still decide to throw the phone away and add to the pile of e-waste. The legislation allows both choices, at the cost of higher prices.

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

#407

Post by rootusrootus »

As long as it does not make the phone bigger or compromise the water resistance, I support the requirement.

But it is not super high on my list. Every 2 or 3 years I pay less than $100 to have a new OE battery installed, takes about an hour. There are other features I would put a higher priority on - like a good small phone option now and again.

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

#408

Post by prism56 »

mancerayder wrote: post #388

Every single Pixel upgrade I made - every single one - in the last decade has been because of battery life. This law will be tragic for Google and Apple. What will compel people to upgrade their functional phones?

There was nothing stopping you (and others) getting the battery swapped previously for a fraction of the price of a new device.

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

#409

Post by sschueller »

jerjerjer wrote: post #309
emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

We had replaceable batteries in phones for years. There's no reason battery replacement has to involve 20 steps and require ungluing the screen.

Exactly, this isn't something new. It was removed for no reason other than aesthetics and possibly to force users to buy a new device every few years.

May I remind you that the fist few iPhones were not water proof, yet the battery was not removable.

Laptops are not waterproof but those batteries are also no longer removable.

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

#410

Post by prism56 »

jurschreuder wrote: post #368

Ironically the EU also demands phones are water proof. And they say this will save consumers money, but I will this not also make all new phones way more expensive?

No because phones should be priced as what people pay for them... It's an open market.
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