Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

theolivepress.es

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

951–960 of 1001 posts

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

#951

Post by audunw »

KingMachiavelli wrote: post #725
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 don't think this is where peak battery tech ends up. At current capacities, batteries are becoming genuinely dangerous, and faster charging only amplifies the risk. Charging high-capacity cells outside a temperature-controlled charger is risky, and even reputable chargers shouldn't be left unattended — many workplaces ban it outright (it only takes one fire to make that policy). Phone batteries are the worst of it:…

The danger of batteries doesn’t have much to do with their capacity. Many solid state batteries are far safer than liquid electrolyte ones, while also having higher energy density.

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

#952

Post by bigfishrunning »

nick486 wrote: post #801
bigfishrunning wrote: post #718

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because people will buy that phone and keep it much longer. When phones had replaceable batteries, they needed replaced after a couple of years because they were terrible. I'm now on a several year old pixel phone that I'm happy with, but eventually the battery will wear out and I'll have to replace it. Google likes it that way.

You don't have to replace the phone. You can go to some repair shop and get the battery replaced. It will be several times cheaper than a new phone. Very few people do that. I don't. Because a) general software enshittification makes me need a more powerful decice anyway, and, more importantly, b) people are just happy to have an excuse to get the the new shiny.

Every time a small device like a cell phone or watch or camera or etc gets opened and worked on, they never come back the same. Waterproof seals get broken, parts get misaligned, heat doesn't sink properly, etc. You can extend the life of these devices with repairs sometimes, but they tend to limp along.

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

#953

Post by theshrike79 »

brianwawok wrote: post #925
theshrike79 wrote: post #890

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the exact same as with EVs. We COULD have an EV with a 200kWh battery that can go 1000km++ on a charge in -30C weather. But nobody really needs that beyond a few outliers. What we NEED is ubiquitous and easy charging. Going for a burger, it'll take 20 minutes for you to order, eat and walk out. On a 300kW charger in the parking lot you can in theory get up to 100kWh charged. Or less with a slower one. Even plugg…

But why put charges at burger shacks? For most people most of the time charge while you sleep. On trips charge along the highway. Every single store doesn’t need chargers, it’s a waste.

You do know that people travel? I don’t need to charge when I’m in my home town, I can do that at home.

But when I’m travelling I’d rather charge a bit every time I stop rather than have one loong stop just to charge.

And I’m not talking about Joe’s Shack that has like 1.8 parking spots. More like McD or BK.

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

#954

Post by jenadine »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #926
jillesvangurp wrote: post #778

I used to work for Nokia back when they still made phones. Replaceable batteries were very normal then. Phones were a bit thicker than today but not massively so. These days phones are actually thinner but much larger. I had a "are you happy to see me or is that a Nokia" type Nokia 9300. That was a brick. But it had a full hw keyboard. and flipped open it wasn't that much bigger than a modern smart phone. You could a…

I suspect (but am no expert) that the main arguments for integrated batteries are actually to extend the lifetime and sturdiness; drop your Nokia and there's a chance the battery pops out and gets damaged, drop it in the water and the battery compartiment is a point of ingress. I'm arguing that the sealed / glued / tightly packed / irreplaceable battery thing helps keep phones working for longer. Of course the counte…

> drop your Nokia and there's a chance the battery pops out.

This was actually a feature: by having the phone split in pieces, it would spread the kinetic energy and prevent worse damage.

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

#955

Post by SlinkyOnStairs »

solenoid0937 wrote: post #942
SlinkyOnStairs wrote: post #913

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm an exception for sure You're not. This is a big reason why "tech" went so all-in on AI. The era of rapid innovation and rapid growth on phones is over. We hit "peak smartphone" in 2019-2020, look at a chart of iphone or Samsung models. Like a lightswitch they locked in on a specific design. Hell, the more curmudgeon-y will complain that phones have degraded since. Gone is the 3.5mm jack, gone is the SD card slo…

I think it's a bit silly to compare AI to an iPhone when it is clearly going to be so much more impactful.

1) The comparison is about the perception. While smartphones did "change the world", the iPhone in particular is given outsized weight in that. The tech industry since has just been a cargo cult trying to recreate it.

2) No, actually? It's not all that "clear". The current net-beneficial impacts are highly contained to software development, and even there it seems to be of dubious financial value.

This is the whole problem. AI has to be even more worldchanging, even more used, even more endlessly profitable than the smartphone. Companies are massively overinvested now, if AI turns out anything less than that, they're all fucked. The need to make "the next iPhone" has meant no product is allowed to be merely "very good".

Culturally, AI has already lost. People have always snarked about the iPhone being a luxury product that's too expensive compared to the competition, but the fundamental premise was always accepted. Even in today's era of widespread recognition that people are "on their phones too much", the smartphone itself isn't up for debate.

They loathe AI. Palantir is singing the praises of AI as a tool for fascism. There have been multiple attempts to attack Altman's house because of the "AI is so impactful it'll kill us all!" rhetoric. People are furious about what just the hype around AI alone is doing to the job market.

And in the background, everyone is aware that it's a bubble. That even if AI did everything promised and more, that it is physically impossible to build enough datacenters quickly enough and that the mass-unemployment will annihilate the economy.

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

#956

Post by Schiendelman »

Hamuko wrote: post #166
46493168 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple’s replacement program is $99 for out of warranty battery replacement

Not really. The "estimated cost" on Apple.com is 139€ to 199€ depending on which company I take it.

You mean, other than Apple, where it is 99€.

If you want cheaper, iFixit is usually less.

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

#957

Post by joseda-hg »

jillesvangurp wrote: post #778

I used to work for Nokia back when they still made phones. Replaceable batteries were very normal then. Phones were a bit thicker than today but not massively so. These days phones are actually thinner but much larger. I had a "are you happy to see me or is that a Nokia" type Nokia 9300. That was a brick. But it had a full hw keyboard. and flipped open it wasn't that much bigger than a modern smart phone. You could a…

Honestly, I'd live with slightly smaller batteries if the change mechanism allowed easy swaps

Have more than one and I can chain enough to last me indefinitely

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

#958

Post by littlestymaar »

monocularvision wrote: post #591
dijit wrote: post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cookie banners is malicious compliance. The ultimate goal being for you yo think it was bad legislation instead of how every company is fucking you for your privacy. They’re winning.

Why does the EU Commission site have cookie banners then? https://commission.europa.eu Malicious compliance?

It doesn't have one on my phone (from inside thetge EU).

But if it did, it would most certainly because nobody in the administration takes IT seriously, and the web development agency which made the website just used their usual amount of trackers because they don't care about data protection whatsoever.

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

#959

Post by littlestymaar »

retired wrote: post #680
gf000 wrote: post #466

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Was switching everyone to USB-C annoying for Apple? Sure. Doubt. They have already switched over every other line they had. I believe it was more of a marketing stunt, they calculated that n% of customers will be upset with the change, so they waited for the EU ruling so now they can just point these n% to blame the EU who will take the blame instead of them.

Apple switched the iPhone to USB-C years before it became an EU requirement. I doubt the EU played a role in it. The 2015 MacBook was USB-C only.

Due to the length of the European legislative process, apple knew it was coming years before it eventually landed.

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

#960

Post by jmaw »

snowwrestler wrote: post #944
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…

People do forget what it was like. Device battery life was way shorter and the manufacturer was incentivized to keep it that way because it sold more batteries. Devices all had proprietary batteries. If I had 3 devices on me, I was carrying 3x extra batteries, one+ per device. My Nikon D1H required 5 huge proprietary batteries to cover a day of shooting sports. Plus a battery for my BlackBerry, plus batteries for my…

Headlamps for sensitive applications will ALWAYS involve a replaceable or external battery. Can't have your light going out when you are in a dangerous situation. When I used to rock climb, I always kept 3x AAA's taped to the strap in case the one I had in died. Never needed to use them, but made me much more confortable.
Post reply on HN