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Will we ever have battery access?

T

tann

macrumors 68000
Apr 15, 2010
1,944
813
UK
meistervu said:
Take a look at the back of the iPhone 5. Now assuming that removable battery is a desirable feature, how would you add one without making it thicker and introduce gaps, creak, etc. It is a huge challenge with questionable benefit.

I used to have Palm phones with removable battery. The only time I ever removed the battery was to access the reset button. I did later on found a use for it: turn out there was enough of a gap between the battery and its cover to keep a folded $20 bill for emergency. The added bill also help keeps the battery cover from creaking.

I don't miss removable batteries and the compromises they entail.
Click to expand...

Haha and I thought I was the only person who hid money under the battery cover!!!

But the industry is moving away from user replaceable batteries. It just allows them to build sleeker, smaller and lighter products.
 
V

vistadude

macrumors 65816
Jan 3, 2010
1,423
1
the iphone 4 does have a big battery cover called the glass back. It's just that the battery has a proprietary and fragile connection port. The droid razr maxx has a 1 mm thicker battery, yet more than double any other smartphone in battery life.

The only reason the battery is not removable is greed and profits, because they know your phone would last for many many years if the battery life were good.
 
D

darster

Suspended
Aug 25, 2011
1,703
1
vistadude said:
the iphone 4 does have a big battery cover called the glass back. It's just that the battery has a proprietary and fragile connection port. The droid razr maxx has a 1 mm thicker battery, yet more than double any other smartphone in battery life.

The only reason the battery is not removable is greed and profits, because they know your phone would last for many many years if the battery life were good.
Click to expand...

That may be true, but the majority of people upgrade every 20 months, whether the phone has a replaceable battery or not. The only real greed going on is the battery manufacturers. Their profit will drop.
 
vastoholic

vastoholic

macrumors 68000
Jan 28, 2009
1,957
1
Tulsa, OK
vistadude said:
the iphone 4 does have a big battery cover called the glass back. It's just that the battery has a proprietary and fragile connection port. The droid razr maxx has a 1 mm thicker battery, yet more than double any other smartphone in battery life.

The only reason the battery is not removable is greed and profits, because they know your phone would last for many many years if the battery life were good.
Click to expand...

The Razr Maxx has a 3000 mAh battery compared to the 1400 mAh in the iPhone. Your last argument has nothing to do with each other. If they gave us a better battery, there would be no need for user replaceable batteries at all. If they made it replaceable, they could make the battery crappier or the same so you would be inclined to buy more batteries. It's not about greed. It's also largely to do with EPA regulations.
 
M

Mrbobb

macrumors 603
Aug 27, 2012
5,009
209
Just saw a case/bumper with built-in battery for the 4, like when you run out, just hit the switch and BAM, secondary power! Sure it makes the phone looks fat but if you are on a job site, desert of Iraq etc it's very handy indeed.
 
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
yukari said:
One of the reasons for not allowing battery access is that Apple wants everyone to replace the entire phone after about 2 years (typical battery life)--so no I doubt we'll ever see iPhone with battery access.
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You can go to the nearest Apple Store and they will put in a new battery for you. Or you can find a cheap replacement battery on the Internet if you can use a screwdriver without injuring yourself.
 
S

sk24iam

macrumors regular
Oct 25, 2009
191
0
I don't think it ever will; I think they will continue to improve the battery life though.
 
B

bushman4

macrumors 601
Mar 22, 2011
4,019
3,422
As long as Apple improves Battery life, there's really no need for battery access.
Millions of people use Iphones and the majority have no need for battery access.
 
S

Spectrum Abuser

macrumors 65816
Aug 27, 2011
1,377
48
Wow. A drastic difference of opinions from other forum users. I prefer access to a removable battery. So much in fact that the entire reason for my purchase of the Galaxy S III was because of the removable battery. These lithium cells don't stay in tip top shape forever and it's cheaper to buy a $14 replacement than a brand new smart phone.
 
Last edited:
V

vistadude

macrumors 65816
Jan 3, 2010
1,423
1
Samsung is coming out with an extended battery for the GS3. Apparently it doesn't add much thickness.

Spectrum Abuser said:
Wow. A drastic difference of opinions from other forum users. I prefer access to a removable batter. So much in fact that the entire reason for my purchase of the Galaxy S III was because of the removable battery. These lithium cells don't stay in tip top shape forever and it's cheaper to buy a $14 replacement than a brand new smart phone.
Click to expand...
 
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