Current Events > Sweeping new law will force replaceable batteries on smartphones

(+) Yeah! (+)

Tom_Joad posted...

A replaceable battery sees a phone go from empty to full in 2 seconds. Who wants to mess around with 25 minutes... that's some real stupid shit, right there.

When phones had replaceable batteries they were cheaper feeling and looking. Simple as that. Plus warp charge is superior to paying fifty to probably a hundred bucks for another battery I have to keep fucking charged and around gtfo

Big battery and big government taking on big phone to make big bucks

I'd like to see the glass sandwich design go away favor of aluminum or something else that can let NFC, UWB, and wireless charging through. That could at least make this EU mandate palatable.

If it's simply a matter of forcing pull tabs or no-effort removal once inside the phone, there's nothing to worry about at all. But I doubt that's the extent of this mandate. Anything that forces us to go back to solid batteries is a non-starter.

We're going to lose so much surface area for batteries to use.

If having a non-removable battery mea it easier to do waterproofing why isn't every phone with a non-removable battery waterproof?

They sometimes are. OnePlus is a notable example. For a few years, only the T-Mobile variants had the IP68 certification. There was literally no difference between the global model and the T-Mobile one.

Same rubber gaskets and everything. Just no certification costs despite clearly being capable.

Kai_Laguna posted...

As long as it still makes phone calls, that's all that really matters.

I'd think security and being able to run apps is super important too

Kai_Laguna posted...

As long as it still makes phone calls, that's all that really matters.

Laughable opinion in 2023 when smartphones are key devices in enabling masses of people accessing the internet.

Can they force them to bring the headphone jack back next?

Collat posted...

Can they force them to bring the headphone jack back next?

Is this another iphone bullshit thing

Collat posted...

Can they force them to bring the headphone jack back next?

Until they decide to provide actually good audio hardware in phones (rip LG) there is no benefit to a headphone jack over wireless buds.

Phone hardware isn't ever good enough to drive good headphones.

LG phones were great

Ericsson R310 is 23 years old.
You can change the battery and it got the IP68 certification.

greenjeans posted...

Is this another iphone bullshit thing

Yup. And other phones adopted it.

AnsestralRecall posted...

Until they decide to provide actually good audio hardware in phones (rip LG) there is no benefit to a headphone jack over wireless buds.

I don't want to bother charging my earbuds all the time, especially when I'm working, so yes it still serves a purpose.

AnsestralRecall posted...

Until they decide to provide actually good audio hardware in phones (rip LG) there is no benefit to a headphone jack over wireless buds.

Phone hardware isn't ever good enough to drive good headphones.

Not having to charge your earbuds is one.

Good. I hope the next move is forcing phones to bring back expandable storage. It's fucking predatory that I have to pay a subscription fee if i want my phone to be able to access my photos.

Lonestar2000 posted...

Not having to charge your earbuds is one.

Sure, but they're almost certainly shit quality whereas Bluetooth buds have been getting better and better. Once BT LE becomes the standard battery life will be significantly better too

AnsestralRecall posted...

Phone hardware isn't ever good enough to drive good headphones.

Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk/ Blessing 3/ Sennheiser IE600s are definitely stuff you can run on any phone jack, and most actual good headphones are open-back and isn't really relevant to a phone.

This seems backwards and pointless.

archedsoul posted...

This seems backwards and pointless.

ITP: Wanting to save money on replaceable batteries is pointless apparently.

Charismic_Zach_Gowen posted...

Good. I hope the next move is forcing phones to bring back expandable storage. It's fucking predatory that I have to pay a subscription fee if i want my phone to be able to access my photos.

Yea that's just criminal. I made sure my phone would take a SD card. Mainly for all my music.

The-Apostle posted...

ITP: Wanting to save money on replaceable batteries is pointless apparently.

It costs $50 to replace a battery from 3-4 generations ago directly with Apple, which is about the time the battery will start going bad. It costs like $70 for Samsung.

How much are you actually saving when batteries themselves are $30-$40? Is it worth the potential sacrifices? We don't know what exactly they'll have to switch around because the EU's proposition is kind of vague right now.

archedsoul posted...

It costs $50 to replace a battery from 3-4 generations ago directly with Apple, which is about the time the battery will start going bad. It costs like $70 for Samsung.

How much are you actually saving when batteries themselves are $30-$40? Is it worth the potential sacrifices? We don't know what exactly they'll have to switch around because the EU's proposition is kind of vague right now.

$30-$40 for a new battery instead of $500+ for a new phone? Give me the new battery. Especially if it can still work after being run over by a car (happened to me once).

The-Apostle posted...

$30-$40 for a new battery instead of $500+ for a new phone? Give me the new battery.

Lol, what? Did you even read the post?

archedsoul posted...

Lol, what? Did you even read the post?

I did.

The-Apostle posted...

I did. Even at $50-$70 for a new battery, I'd take that over a new phone.

Yes, that's how much it costs right now without any of what the EU is proposing, so...

Charismic_Zach_Gowen posted...

Good. I hope the next move is forcing phones to bring back expandable storage. It's fucking predatory that I have to pay a subscription fee if i want my phone to be able to access my photos.

It will probably come back with the battery. The storage slot was often hidden underneath the battery.

archedsoul posted...

Yes, that's how much it costs right now without any of what the EU is proposing, so...

Except it won't cost that much for a new battery. You're talking about a cost that includes labor.

Takuya_Lee posted...

Except it won't cost that much for a new battery. You're talking about a cost that includes labor.

Where did I say it would? Did you read my OP? We already know how much batteries cost.

archedsoul posted...

Where did I say it would? Did you read my OP? We already know how much batteries cost.

I did and I stand by my statement because replaceable batteries means you don't have to go to the phone maker for a new battery. There will be battery makers out there wanting to capitalize, driving battery prices down due to competition.

Takuya_Lee posted...

I did and I stand by my statement because replaceable batteries means you don't have to go to the phone maker for a new battery. There will be battery makers out there wanting to capitalize, driving battery prices down due to competition.

This never happened when they were normal. They've always been around that same price range. I change them myself sometimes and buy them all the time.

I wouldn't trust anything but OEM batteries anyway, especially in any expensive phone. Regardless, you're likely not gonna get them for less than the prices I stated.

So to go through all these changes without knowing what it will sacrifice, at best to save $10-$25, is stupid and pointless. You don't have to fix what's not really broken.

archedsoul posted...

You don't have to fix what's not really broken

Thing is it *is* broken. Anything that can reduce e-waste is good. increasing consumer rights is good.

I don't like the specific implementation, but they're not wrong in addressing this issue.

archedsoul posted...

I wouldn't trust anything but OEM batteries anyway, especially in any expensive phone.

If I still had my old LG, I could buy a battery on amazon for $12.

AnsestralRecall posted...

Thing is it *is* broken. Anything that can reduce e-waste is good. increasing consumer rights is good.

I don't like the specific implementation, but they're not wrong in addressing this issue.

How does this reduce e-waste?

The idiots that get a new phone instead of replacing their batteries are still gonna do that. People are acting like getting your battery replaced through Apple or Samsung is a grueling and expensive process, when they've made all this significantly cheaper and easier in recent years.

There's already options still available for phones that can change the battery for those that want that. There's zero reason to force this. Things are fine as it is.

Questionmarktarius posted...

If I still had my old LG, I could buy a battery on amazon for $12.

Which exact LG?

archedsoul posted...

Which exact LG?

Leon

Questionmarktarius posted...

Leon

Lol, that's almost a decade old phone. Of course you'll find old stock being sold for $12. Nobody is gonna buy it otherwise.

Looking at it, it's made by some overseas company named DDONG, lmfao. I would never trust that in a phone.

archedsoul posted...

when they've made all this significantly cheaper and easier in recent years.

Which they've only done in response to threats of legislation regarding right to repair. Never let up the pressure, these corporations will take everything we let them take.

archedsoul posted...

Looking at it, it's made by some overseas company named DDONG, lmfao. I would never trust that in a phone.

I have a couple extra, because it's incidentally the exact same battery that every cheap bluetooth speaker had about five years ago.

Enclave posted...

Which they've only done in response to threats of legislation regarding right to repair. Never let up the pressure, these corporations will take everything we let them take.

Battery tech has gotten cheaper and repair kits, more standardized. We didn't need legislation in the US for thar. Maybe the UK and EU did.

However, that's irrelevant here. You can keep pressure on corporations, without letting governments do dumb things like forcing this. They could just do something like have one model made like that from each manufacturer.

archedsoul posted...

You can keep pressure on corporations, without letting governments do dumb things like forcing this.

For decades, cars were fucked over by the US demanding that headlights were bigass sealed glass things either rectangular or round, when Europe was getting simple bulb inserts.

there's nothing dumb about this other than you pointlessly taking issue with it.

the looming EU regulations is why you ended up with google/samsung stuff on iFixit and Apple repair kits showing up on the Apple website.

Fantastic news. Hope this gets adopted here in the states, if not I'll definitely consider importing phones now.

Questionmarktarius posted...

For decades, cars were fucked over by the US demandingthat headlights were bigass sealed glass things either rectangular or round, when Europe was getting simple bulb inserts.

Exactly.

TetsuoS2 posted...

there's nothing dumb about this other than you pointlessly taking issue with it.

the looming EU regulations is why you ended up with google/samsung stuff on iFixit and Apple repair kits showing up on the Apple website.

Looking this up, you guys are now getting this. So I guess they just kept fucking the EU over.

Because I've been using these since before the pandemic in the US. Also, I already addressed the rest in the last post.

archedsoul posted...

Battery tech has gotten cheaper and repair kits, more standardized. We didn't need legislation in the US for thar. Maybe the UK and EU did.

However, that's irrelevant here. You can keep pressure on corporations, without letting governments do dumb things like forcing this. They could just do something like have one model made like that from each manufacturer.

If there was no ongoing threat of legislation in the States you wouldn't see battery replacement being made easier but you'd absolutely still be seeing independent repair shops ordering batteries and them being seized at the border as counterfeit goods even if they came from the same factory as Apple got the batteries.

I feel like you don't really follow right to repair very closely at all.

Additionally, if you legislate they have one model follow these sorts of regulations you'll have really garbage quality phones that follow the regulations that are produced in as small of a quantity as the law allows. It'd be completely worthless legislation that would in fact increase e-waste instead of decrease it.

Enclave posted...

If there was no ongoing threat of legislation in the States you wouldn't see battery replacement being made easier but you'd absolutely still be seeing independent repair shops ordering batteries and them being seized at the border as counterfeit goods even if they came from the same factory as Apple got the batteries.

I feel like you don't really follow right to repair very closely at all.

Additionally, if you legislate they have one model follow these sorts of regulations you'll have really garbage quality phones that follow the regulations that are produced in as small of a quantity as the law allows. It'd be completely worthless legislation that would in fact increase e-waste instead of decrease it.

I have no idea what you're talking about. These things have been normal and cheap since before the pandemic in the US. Battery tech has gotten cheaper without legislation.

Who is seizing batteries in the US?

I'm sorry, did you think the right to repair movement has only been going on a handful of years?

Enclave posted...

I'm sorry, did you think the right to repair movement has only been going on a handful of years?

Be specific then. Which laws specifically made batteries cheaper and standardized kits, as opposed to you know, tech getting cheaper with time, and companies streamlining things for efficiency?

archedsoul posted...

Be specific then. Which laws specifically made batteries cheaper and standardized kits, as opposed to you know, tech getting cheaper with time, and companies streamlining things for efficiency?

Wasn't laws it was pressure from right to repair lobbying in attempts to get laws created.

He's generally an idiot on a lot of his politics but when it comes to right to repair? Check out Louis Rossman on YouTube. There's other sources but he's typically great on this specific subject.

Enclave posted...

Wasn't laws it was pressure from right to repair lobbying in attempts to get laws created.

He's generally an idiot on a lot of his politics but when it comes to right to repair? Check out Louis Rossman on YouTube. There's other sources but he's typically great on this specific subject.

That just sounds like speculation. I'm not watching YouTube videos of Rossman to find the source.

It should be widely documented if that really was the reason and not, you know, as I just said, the way more obvious ones like with everything else.

Yes, that's about what I expect from somebody like you. I'm sure Tim Cook felt benevolent and made it easier to replace batteries purely because he's just such a good guy and you're best friend and not because of political pressure being applied and trying to avoid legislation. Because corporations are ever so nice when they aren't being pressured into being pro-consumer.

Enclave posted...

Yes, that's about what I expect from somebody like you. I'm sure Steve Jobs felt benevolent and made it easier to replace batteries purely because he's just such a good guy and you're best friend and not because of political pressure being applied and trying to avoid legislation. Because corporations are ever so nice when they aren't being pressured into being pro-consumer.

Someone like me? Are you ok? Jobs died over a decade ago.

You mentioned legislation, and when I asked for proof, you changed it to lobbying, and when I asked for proof of that, you told me to go watch YouTube videos.

I'm sorry, someone like me doesn't just believe random users.