Non-removable battery

[life24]

Hi,
Why in recent years many devices such as mobile , mp3 player and ... migrate to install non-removable battery?
What are disadvantages removable battery?

 

[hans007]

i supposed packaging is easier without having to have doors on things.

we can all blame apple for this, they started it.

 

[corkyg]

Relates to the demand for thinness and compact innards. Also simplifies logistical support for the OEM.

 

[life24]

Relates to the demand for thinness and compact innards. Also simplifies logistical support for the OEM.

Thanks,
Can you more explain about this?

 

[corkyg]

Sure. They don't have to supply spare batteries worldwide for sale in consumer shops. It puts the onus on the user to send it in, if a battery needs replacement. They would only need a few in their maintenance hubs. (It's more profitable that way.)

 

[soccerballtux]

Sure. They don't have to supply spare batteries worldwide for sale in consumer shops. It puts the onus on the user to send it in, if a battery needs replacement. They would only need a few in their maintenance hubs. (It's more profitable that way.)

:thumbsdown: this BS easily fails my sniff test. they jump at opportunities to upsell you extras. Oh, you should buy an extra battery and travel charger, never be without power! If it were logistical they wouldn't bother having many cases to choose.

 

[Crono]

Body designs with a non-removable battery usually allow for more internal room for other components and/or thinner designs and a greater variety of internal configuration because you don't have to create a bay or door for the battery or worry if a battery is sandwiched between components in a stack where it would be inaccessible to an average user.

it's also potentially an aesthetic choice, as in the case with aluminum unibody phones where a visible battery door gap isn't desired.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both removable and non-removable batteries. It comes down to what your priorities are as a manufacturer or consumer.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

Hi,
Why in recent years many devices such as mobile , mp3 player and ... migrate to install non-removable battery?
What are disadvantages removable battery?

i makes people have to buy cell phones more often since after about a year the batteries swell up and ruin the phones. samsung is the only company that has replaceable batteries and for me that is a nearly decisive feature

 

[Deeko]

As others have said, it allows them to make thinner phones - and phone manufacturers (led on by the terrible reviewers at places like The Verge and BGR) think thin is all that matters. Plus, it gives them an excuse to make you buy a new phone when your battery dies. It's unfortunate, because modern smartphones still have pretty terrible battery life, even if it's improved over a generation or two ago.

I know some of them are worried about the look and feel being diminished, but a good example of where that's not the case is the Blackberry Bold 9900. Sure, it was a little difficult to pry the case off the back, but the phone felt completely solid with no creaks, and it looked solid enough as well. More should take that approach.

 

[notposting]

For space savings, they don't need to have the contacts on the battery, or an external casing on the battery, a nice bay with contacts for the battery in the phone.

What is really really really dumb is when you find the stray phones that have removable backs...but non-removable batteries. (maybe just access to SIM/SD slots)

 

[OBLAMA2009]

the claim that it allows manufacturers to make cheaper/thinner designs is totally debunkable, just look how samsung designs their phones. the ONLY reason is to make u have to buy a new one more often

 

[cronos]

the claim that it allows manufacturers to make cheaper/thinner designs is totally debunkable, just look how samsung designs their phones. the ONLY reason is to make u have to buy a new one more often

There are arguments against that statement, but Samsung is the perfect example that actually supports that claim, not debunk it.

 

[KeithP]

the claim that it allows manufacturers to make cheaper/thinner designs is totally debunkable, just look how samsung designs their phones. the ONLY reason is to make u have to buy a new one more often

The fact that they decided removable batteries were worth the extra cost because of the their value as a marketable feature doesn't change anything.

Given a specific amount of space, a non-removable battery will be larger and the overall design of the phone will be thinner and cheaper than if the phone had a removable battery.

Removable battery or not, what I don't get is why phone makers try to continually make their phones lighter and thinner. People don't care about that anymore. However, the desire for longer battery life seems almost universal.

And a removable battery is a poor substitute for a larger battery. Having to carry around another battery, keep it charged, etc. is just a pain in the ass.

-KeithP

 

[lopri]

Removable battery or not, what I don't get is why phone makers try to continually make their phones lighter and thinner. People don't care about that anymore. However, the desire for longer battery life seems almost universal.
-KeithP

You and I may not care, and people may say they do not care, but I think in reality it is probably reason #1 or reason #2 why a phone sells. It is also a testament of technical prowess if you can make a phone thinner and maintain competitive battery life.

 

[Eeqmcsq]

Removable battery or not, what I don't get is why phone makers try to continually make their phones lighter and thinner. People don't care about that anymore. However, the desire for longer battery life seems almost universal.

I guess in theory, lighter and thinner = easier to handle, less of a physical and mental burden for the user, making it more desirable to the user to own and use.

 

[mmntech]

i supposed packaging is easier without having to have doors on things.

we can all blame apple for this, they started it.

You actually can replace the battery in the iPhone 4 & 5 lines. You can't hot swap them, but it's not a big job to add a new one if it wears out.

Unfortunately, Apple's mentally challenged designers have gone back to adhesive strips for the iPhone 6. Which means having to warm the back of the case with a hair dryer. It can still be done but it just add an extra and unnecessary step to the repair process.

At minimum, I think it should at least be easy for someone with some technical skill to crack the phone open and it. No complex repair processes, no adhesives, no having to take the whole damn thing apart just to get at the battery.

 

[notposting]

At this point though, isn't the thinner/lighter sort of a diminishing returns kind of thing? Too thin is real. Too light (not "quality" enough). IF you can build a removable back with swappable battery system (even the wires plugging in, versus nice little contacts) and have it feel solid and comfortable in hand, why wouldn't you?

Of course, the real advance needs to be in energy technology in general. We won't be getting the Enterprise or lightsabres anytime soon at this rate.

 

[lxskllr]

At this point though, isn't the thinner/lighter sort of a diminishing returns kind of thing? Too thin is real. Too light (not "quality" enough). IF you can build a removable back with swappable battery system (even the wires plugging in, versus nice little contacts) and have it feel solid and comfortable in hand, why wouldn't you?

Of course, the real advance needs to be in energy technology in general. We won't be getting the Enterprise or lightsabres anytime soon at this rate.

I didn't like the way my S5 felt before I added a case. I felt like I was always on the verge of dropping it. The added bulk of a case feels better in hand, and I have a better grip.