Very interesting, the batteries of all phones have always been replaceable. Another question is whether they can be bought somewhere and how much they cost.
Not by the average user. I myself would be hesitant to disassemble a phone that retails for $1,200. It certainly wouldn't be practical if you were just looking to quickly swap in a fully charged battery to avoid the wait to charge your phone. A decade ago you could just slide the back panel off and swap it.
It’s even worse with iPads (due to all the glue used). Apple replaces the entire device instead of the battery… Curious how this develops!
While the idea seems good, it is not very practical. It could be useful when repairing a phone, but people replace a phone at least every 2 years simply because of new features and OS support in order to be able to run apps, not to mention that even a rugged phone takes some beating, let alone a normal phone. Manufacturers will most likely make a few extra batteries, so you will be replacing an old battery with an old battery, which in a sense makes no sense.
Not me. I've had my Redmi Note 4x, which I bought second hand, since the start of 2019 and have no plans to replace it soon. Needing a recent OS to run the latest apps, isn't required on Android phones.
250 million used phones were sold in the USA in 2022. So now a regulated battery industry is needed. Back in the day there were a lot of garbage batteries being sold.
Since the EU is afaik also trying to make security updates mandatory for 5 years I'm for it. If you don't destroy your smartphone the battery or the security updates limit the lifetime (at least for me). Back in the day I would just buy a new battery for my mobile and replace it in under 60 seconds (it was before "smart"phones).
I will not replace my smartphone every 2 years. I won't swap it out until I stop getting security updates. Everything else is a waste of material and money.
My iPhone X from 2017 won't get iOS 17, but it is still fine otherwise. For the first time since buying it I'm seriously considering buying a new iPhone (and passing down this iPhone to a family member), when iOS 17 is released.
Council adopts new regulation on batteries and waste batteries https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/07/10/council-adopts-new-regulation-on-batteries-and-waste-batteries/
Repairability vs reliability: Apple argues that removable batteries add a potential failure point to phones
Since a company selling Fairphone's can make it possible to replace lots of stuff on your phone Apple should also be able to do so. If they just wanted.
Their hesitation is probably not only related to phone design and assembly, but additional costs of recycling materials from removable baterries
