EU: Samsung and other brands may be forced to bring back phones with removable backs so that we can easily replace batteries
Gone are the days when we could easily take off the smartphone’s battery and replace it with a new one. You didn’t need a heat gun or a specialised tool to pop open the back of your phone, and you could easily do that with your fingernails. It seems like we c ...continues
@danie10 That would be TERRIBLE, IMO. The engineering that goes into modern phones, to make everything fit inside the thinnest & lightest enclosure will be completely negated but the need to be able to remove the back cover AND have a removable battery with a robust connector. I would hate this.
The EU doesn't often (or maybe ever?) make reasonable tech regulations, but here's hoping they just force manufacturers to have 2 models: one with a removable battery and one without.
@danie10 You remove the option to easily use non-rectangular batteries, or batteries split into several smaller ones. You'll need a much bigger & robust connector. You'll (presumably) need a latch or something to get the cover off. Making a removable cover whilst preserving IPxx water resistance will be nigh-impossible without glue. Wireless charging components are built into the back cover (again: connectors for those, etc). Antennas are built into/around the back cover (connectors!).
@leoncowle yes the wireless chargers may be an issue. I carried phones for many years before IPxx came in and none suffered water damage. The last Samsung I had with a removal cover, just used to press on, and had a rubber ring around the outside of the cover. It seemed to work fine though.
If I had the choice though, I'd still opt for something I can change the battery on.
@danie10 I hope by now with our interactions you realize I'm not saying it shouldn't be available. But it shouldn't be mandated to be the only option, is all I'm saying. Then you can have one with a removable battery, and I can choose one without, and we can both be happy. :-)
The EU's mandates often remove competition and/or stifle innovation. Imagine they had mandated USB A or Micro-B on phones many years ago. We would never have gotten Lightning, which (likely) led to USB-C.
@leoncowle I se some were speculating about it only being for the EU, but many think it may not be viable to have two versions. But I'd support an option yes, then we'd finally see what end consumers really want.
I always said for example I'd have opted for a slightly thicker phone if I could get more battery. Although I must say 5,000mAh does seem to be a break-even for me now.
Safety regulations require volatile lithium-ion batteries to be covered by a hard protective cover. To get modern phones super thin manufacturers took off that cover and essentially made the phone itself as the protective battery cover. Thus, having a removable back would make phones chunkier again. Plus there is the problem with the wireless charging coil.
Though I really would love to be able to carry a spare battery around and lengthen the phones usage time.
@danie10 my dad will be thrilled.
when all brands will have replacable batteries, my dad could actually fix phones with bad batteries.
hope that more pro repair laws will be added.
then when something breaks, I will not need to send it to repair shop, just bring it to my dad, I would be happy AF, knowing that my dad can fix everything.
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