Phone manufacturers should go more into the removable battery route.

[WelshBloke]

I buy whatever phone I want whether it has removable battery or not. My need does not require removable battery, and as a result, I get way more choices than you. I think you are pretty much stuck with one brand. If you like removable batteries, then great, but to claim that having removable battery is a "must" is simply not true to most people.

I don't recall arguing that it was a must for everyone, I can't see how it isn't a positive for most people though.

It's extremely easy to replace iPhone battery, Nexus 4 and many other sealed batteries.

Which is great and I'd already mentioned that. It only solves one aspect of battery issues though.

HTC One is more difficult, but "difficult" is a relative term. It looks very do-able to me, but I am a DIY kind of guy so YMMV.

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/HTC+One+Teardown/13494/1

Err, even ifixit said that it was a pain in the arse to open up and they permanently damaged their device.

 

[TuxDave]

Speaking of the One, I recently had my phone on really low charge. It was after work, so normally I wouldn't care, but this particular night I was heading out with friends. A swappable battery would have been great, I didn't have the time to sit and let my phone charge off the plug.

This kind of reminds me of a point that I made about battery life vs battery capacity. Getting great battery life is great but you do get some ADDITIONAL benefit by achieving that battery life through other means besides "stick in a bigger battery". Better battery efficiency means when you get more usage time per time charging. That comes in handy when you're short on battery and want to get as much as you can out of a 15-20 minute charge.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Yeah that's true. Better efficiency in absolute terms would be good too.

With that, newer charger tech also charges quicker: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6914/samsung-galaxy-s-4-review/2

The Galaxy S4 charges faster than the HTC One because of this.

 

[openwheel]

fact is, some people think they "must" have removable battery, and that's fine, whatever floats their boat.

Reality is, it's not necessary anymore for the majority of people.

 

[ChronoReverse]

fact is, some people think they "must" have removable battery, and that's fine, whatever floats their boat.

Reality is, it's not necessary anymore for the majority of people.

The only people dealing with absolutes are those like you arguing against removable batteries.


I've simply been saying that removable batteries are better in absolute terms (i.e., there are no drawbacks) not that anyone MUST have it.

 

[openwheel]

The only people dealing with absolutes are those like you arguing against removable batteries.

I've simply been saying that removable batteries are better in absolute terms (i.e., there are no drawbacks) not that anyone MUST have it.

Sounds like you are the one arguing in absolute terms. :biggrin: Yikes!

The biggest drawback is the lack of selection. That sounds pretty big to me. You also get these plasticky, cheap battery covers....:thumbsdown:

My argument is not absolute. I argue against those who see removable battery as a "must have" deal breaker.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Sounds like you are the one arguing in absolute terms. Yikes!

Haha, you got me there. Nonetheless, nobody else is saying it's a must except those who are using it as a straw man.

The biggest drawback is the lack of selection. That sounds pretty big to me. You also get these plasticky, cheap battery covers....:thumbsdown:

That's the thing. It's not something inherent to removable batteries.

You're either unable or unwilling to separate the two because of your allegiances.


For example, the HTC One has a variant in Asia with a metal removable cover demonstrating a removable cover doesn't have to be plastic.

Hell, my HTC G2 has a removable back made of metal as well.

 

[openwheel]

Understood, removable backs do not have to be cheap and can be well designed, and well built.

 

[SpongeBob]

I've simply been saying that removable batteries are better in absolute terms (i.e., there are no drawbacks) not that anyone MUST have it.

There is at least one drawback in that the device must be thicker for any given battery capacity. That may or may not be a big deal depending on what your preferences are.

 

[openwheel]

funny thing is, I always felt the iPhone 4/4S really has a removable battery. I could simply leave the screws out and change battery on the fly easily, but it's labeled as "sealed battery". Similarly, same applies for some other devices as well.

 

[ChronoReverse]

There is at least one drawback in that the device must be thicker for any given battery capacity. That may or may not be a big deal depending on what your preferences are.

We're going in circles. There's not necessarily a need for a phone with a removable back to be thicker or thinner.

The plastic cover of my GS4 is thicker than my G2's metal battery cover. But the GS4 is still thinner and has a larger battery capacity than the HTC One!



In the end, let's cut through all this. Would you not agree that if an HTC One or iPhone 5 had a removable battery without sacrificing capacity or thinness, it would be a good thing?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

In the end, let's cut through all this. Would you not agree that if an HTC One or iPhone 5 had a removable battery without sacrificing capacity or thinness, it would be a good thing?

I'd add not sacrificing build quality as well. No creaks or anything would be nice.

 

[ChronoReverse]

I'd add not sacrificing build quality as well. No creaks or anything would be nice.

True enough. But I'm inclined to think that's not necessarily a detriment of removable backs because my HTC Nexus One didn't creak when I squeezed it.

Interestingly while my Note 1 creaked, the Galaxy S4 doesn't seem to creak.

 

[openwheel]

In the end, let's cut through all this. Would you not agree that if an HTC One or iPhone 5 had a removable battery without sacrificing capacity or thinness, it would be a good thing?

I also would like Santa Clause to be real. Unfortunately, in theory, having sealed battery does provide thinner profile which allows the designer to use a bigger battery. Not all phones are designed equal, so comparing S4 to One is meaningless.

It would be a good thing if HTC One had a removable battery without drawbacks, but that's not realistic.

 

[Ariae]

Err, even ifixit said that it was a pain in the arse to open up and they permanently damaged their device.

According to a HTC rep that I was talking w/ when I was trying to choose between the One and S4, they do battery replacements for ~$100 (cost of new battery + installation). He couldn't get one of their engineers to commit to an exact price due to all the One's still being under warranty.

 

[ChronoReverse]

I also would like Santa Clause to be real.

Well there's no more need for discussion then. I already knew but I had to give it a fair shake.

 

[SpongeBob]

In the end, let's cut through all this. Would you not agree that if an HTC One or iPhone 5 had a removable battery without sacrificing capacity or thinness, it would be a good thing?

Of course, but as openwheel stated that is not reality. Plenty of people like myself have no need for removable batteries and prefer the increased battery capacity/smaller overall volume. Plenty of others prefer the flexibility that having a removable battery provides. There's clearly markets for both approaches. Is this not a good thing?

 

[ChronoReverse]

Of course, but as openwheel stated that is not reality. Plenty of people like myself have no need for removable batteries and prefer the increased battery capacity/smaller overall volume. Plenty of others prefer the flexibility that having a removable battery provides. There's clearly markets for both approaches. Is this not a good thing?

Sure why not.

Let's just ignore how thin phones that do not creak but have greater removable battery capacity already exist. And also ignore how phones that have removable metal backs (for those who treat plastic with disdain) thinner than the GS4's plastic back also exist.


There simply is no real-trade off (any difference is so small as to not matter) except that the phone manufacturers simply want to build in less options for consumers. And here we have those who are not merely neutral towards it (which is defensible) but actively against it. To the point of conflating two issue together as if they're intertwined when it clearly doesn't have to be.

Again, sure why not.

 

[Red Storm]

This kind of reminds me of a point that I made about battery life vs battery capacity. Getting great battery life is great but you do get some ADDITIONAL benefit by achieving that battery life through other means besides "stick in a bigger battery". Better battery efficiency means when you get more usage time per time charging. That comes in handy when you're short on battery and want to get as much as you can out of a 15-20 minute charge.

On one hand I can agree with you, but if my phone had a Maxx style battery or a replaceable battery I would have been a-okay, which was my point. Plugging in my phone was simply not an option.

 

[Zaap]

funny thing is, I always felt the iPhone 4/4S really has a removable battery. I could simply leave the screws out and change battery on the fly easily, but it's labeled as "sealed battery". Similarly, same applies for some other devices as well.

This is true using 'removable battery' in context with the argument of replacing a battery in a used phone.

It's not the same thing in practical use of just swapping in a freshly-charged battery that's actually designed as such. I don't think there are too many people who used the 4/4S that way, and I'm not sure how people would have routinely charged an iPhone battery externally.

 

[openwheel]

Sure why not.

Let's just ignore how thin phones that do not creak but have greater removable battery capacity already exist.......

you are picking between different brands, designs and sizes. Of course you can find a phone with removable battery that is thinner with larger battery compared to something else. Not a good analogy.

 

[Dari]

So? Your buying habits are not really relevant to the point then.

What point is that? The OP's or yours?

 

[WelshBloke]

What point is that? The OP's or yours?

Both?

 

[Dari]

Both?

OP's about buying a BRAND NEW phone and using it for 4 years. That's what I'm talking about and, frankly, that should be the topic of discussion.

 

[ControlD]

I also would like Santa Clause to be real.

WHAT?? Son of a ...., I knew it.