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https://www.slashgear.com/2107938/removable-battery-phones-making-comeback/
Many of today's mobile phones, like the slim iPhone Air, are lightweight and sleek, with an advanced design and the latest in modern technology. It's a far cry from previous models, which were bulkier, had buttons, and bulged in your pocket. But while mobile phones have evolved over the years, the current fixed-battery design is reverting to its old form, thanks to legislation from the European Union (EU). Based on these new guidelines, phones will once again need batteries that can be safely removed and replaced by the user.
The EU's legislation also mandates that replacement batteries, while meeting the device's technical specifications, not be bound by proprietary limits. This means that a phone must be able to accept a compatible battery that meets the device's safety and technical standards, whether or not it's manufacturer-branded. Plus, replacement batteries must be available to the user for at least 5 to 7 years following a model's end of production. The EU has placed a date of February 18, 2027, for these expectations to be met.
[...] The EU's new legislation requiring smartphones to have removable batteries accomplishes a few different things. First, allowing users to replace a spent battery with a new one helps extend the life of the device before its final disposal. Plus, it also enables battery repair or replacement without throwing out the entire phone. By giving users this capability, the rules are meant to encourage reuse of existing phones and help cut down on electronic waste.
[...] But if removable batteries become the norm once again, then phone design could take a step backward in terms of overall construction. That's because cases may need to become thicker to accommodate the removable batteries, and additional safety features would need to be added to protect the new design as well. Until the top phone manufacturers reveal newer models to satisfy the EU's standards, it's unclear what changes users can expect to see.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by pTamok on Monday March 02, @10:10AM (3 children)
Very soon after I get a phone that is new to me, I buy a case to put it in. Most of the case materials have more friction with my fingers than the phone's own surface, which means I am less likely to drop the thing, or for it to slip out of a pocket. The case also helps to ameliorate the shock if the phone is dropped.
I don't think I'm unusual in doing this.
It also has the effect of making the ensemble considerably thicker than the phone. I don't think the phone thickness is as big an issue as designers and marketeers like to say.
I know some people used naked phones. I don't have that kind of money or those aesthetic sensibilities. I don't think I'm alone.
As for waterproofing: this is not difficult. You don't need to open the battery compartment often, as is demonstrated by people who never do this during the life of their phones. Glueing the compartment shut with reversible/replaceable glue would work fine. The point is designing to make this possible without voiding the warranty.
Perhaps physical headphone sockets will be mandated next? I can but hope.
(Score: 2) by ledow on Monday March 02, @05:02PM (2 children)
As I said below, the XCover series of phones are IP68 and have removable batteries.
It's really not that difficult to do. In fact, mass-market Samsung products that you can go out and buy today do exactly that.
The fact that they're also rugged and have all the latest Android / 5G / whatever you might want means that there's absolutely no need for such a compromise.
Every phone could have a removeable battery in it. They just want to force you to take it to a shop to get it repaired so that you either a) pay them money or b) they can void your warranty.
(Score: 2) by Bentonite on Tuesday March 03, @07:09AM
Non-removable batteries are always about planned obsolescence - the company hopes that you throw the device out and buy a new one when the battery wears.
Most manufacturers don't have replacement batteries available after 3 years, even if you're willing to pay a ridiculous sum (a well treated Li-Ion battery can last 3-4 years or more even with regular usage, although at a certain stage, the remaining capacity isn't enough).
The only choice for battery replacement at that stage is 3rd party batteries - which the manufacturer does their best to prevent via digital handcuffs as to which batteries are accepted (thankfully, Chinese 3rd party battery suppliers go and reverse engineer such, to supply replacement batteries for popular devices).
It is illegal is any decent country to void a warranty just because a device was opened and/or battery was replaced, but manufacturers will often do so anyway.
Governments really should required that every mass market device uses a standard size and voltage removable battery (maybe 3-4 different sizes would be all that's needed), which cannot be obsoleted without a legitimate reason.
(Score: 2) by owl on Tuesday March 03, @03:03PM
You forgot: So that the marketers at the shop can influence you into buying a new phone instead of having the one you have repaired.