Other iPhone in 2027: will we get user-replaceable batteries?

[wyliej]

Only if you want a thicker, heavier, more expensive phone, that’s prone to dust, dirt, and water damage.

I won't buy a cell phone with a non-removable battery, full stop. I have never owned an Iphone for that reason. My current device is an Samsung Xcover 6, which is IP68 rated and disproves the notion that swappable batteries make dust- and water-proofing impossible. (It also has a headphone jack.) It isn't substantially bigger or heavier than other devices on the market. The batteries cost ~$40 and are readily available. They last me more than a day per charge (and I can carry a spare if I might need more power).

Every rechargeable battery that has ever been made either has failed or will eventually fail. These are consumable items. Users should refuse to buy expensive time-bomb products with glued-in parts that are guaranteed to fail.

I do hope that more swappable-battery devices will be available in the future.

That said, I oppose this sort of heavy-handed regulation. Let the market decide what it wants, not the politicians.

 

[russell_314]

I won't buy a cell phone with a non-removable battery, full stop. I have never owned an Iphone for that reason.

This I agree with. You have a specific need or want and buy the phone/ product that fits it.

That said, I oppose this sort of heavy-handed regulation. Let the market decide what it wants, not the politicians.

Exactly. My issue is politicians don’t have a clue about technology or what people want. Don’t force me to buy something I don’t want.

 

[Applewatch42]

we all want user replaceable batteries

 

[ifxf]

Most people confuse replacing failed batteries with swap able batteries. You can still design a compact phone if you only need to support failed batteries.

 

[Applewatch42]

Most people confuse replacing failed batteries with swap able batteries. You can still design a compact phone if you only need to support failed batteries.

That is what AppleCare is

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Because it's much cheaper?

It's not about the money, it's about the effort involved.

If you NEED a new battery, $79 is already far cheaper than buying a new phone.

Halving that cost, while increasing the time and energy it takes to do it, doesn't seem like something most people would do.

 

[uacd]

You suggest "Waterproofing that thing might not be much of an issue." Why do you say such a thing? It is an issue. As are many other things that limit design with flat stupid regulations.

Waterproofing is easier than it seems. Bunch of rubber here, some glue there. I don't see an issue with making a back door for easy battery access with additional thick rubber seals so it won't drown. Phone might be negligibly thicker but it will still be waterproof.

Example of what I am talking about. See this grey rubber and a small pad for battery? This is how it's made wateproof. This camera is 450$! I mean, like... it is twice of the iPhone cost, and it can dive 10 meters deep. And don't look at the thickness of the camera, because if its size is compared to modern iPhones, there is simply no comparison. Thing would fit every pocket. There isn't any issue in designing similar battery but thin one for "elongated" iPhones.

Smh people see big potential issue with iPhone thickness if it gets removable battery, but why no one sees a problem in phablet-like sizes? Apple isn't doing any magic by making batteries "thinner", they are simply designing according to given space

 

[nathansz]

Only reason I had upgraded from 12 Mini to 14; and only reason now I am considering jump from 14 to 16e (or back to, finally, rather a Pixel 9a or 10a, considering base iPhone is reaching/crossing 6.3 inches soon anyway).

you could have just replaced the battery in the 12 mini

that's what I did, still my only phone

 

[nathansz]

the more interesting question could be : is more market fragmentation in the future with europhones manufactured in say India available only in eu markets with an eu compliant operating system ? the economics of this could get interesting

I could see that happening

 

[AlixSPQR]

It's not about the money, it's about the effort involved.

If you NEED a new battery, $79 is already far cheaper than buying a new phone.

Halving that cost, while increasing the time and energy it takes to do it, doesn't seem like something most people would do.

No, not most, especially since they haven't had the chance to do so the last ten years or so. But some will, and they might help others.

 

[uacd]

crap 3rd-party battery suppliers

Tbh even Apple isn't guarantor that battery will act as expected.
Few examples from my own experience:
- iPhone 6s. I always fail to mention that this was the first iPhone ever that made me try and switch to Galaxy S10+. Apple shipped me a crappy device with already pre-nut battery and outward LIED that it is totally ok when I reached support. The phone was shutting down each time wind blew on it, it was awful experience. They cared to start replacements only some time after, and free replacements and official Apple service were not available in country where I lived back then. So I had to pay to replace it;
- My gf's iPhone 11. OG battery was constantly draining, so I took it to official Apple service in Amsterdam. They installed a new one, but honestly a battery felt like old one. I first thought "maybe I need to give it some time", in settings it said that battery is genuine and usual stuff you get when servicing in original Apple service. Battery bloated in just 5 month during charging with original Apple lightning cable;
- iPhone 16 Pro. In less than a year, battery is already 91%. Phone was charged with 20W USB adapter.

Unfortunate accidents? Maybe. But my point is that Apple doesn't really guarantee that their batteries will work as expected.

If batteries were removable I could have avoided all that stupid bureaucracy and would have been replacing them as soon as I need, not when the phone barely holds charge for 3 hours of use. And I mean it's all time, you need to visit service, wait until they check what's wrong (isn't it already obvious?), say you some stuff like "come in three days! We will notify if longer" and then sometimes end up having subpar experience, all for a job that could take a minute or so.

 

[Happy_John]

I first posted this probably a decade ago and the engineering science has not changed:
-------------
User-removable batteries are flat stupid from a cell phone design engineering standpoint. There are reasons that iPhones dumped that idea long ago:
-dirt, water entry;
-tolerances to suit the inevitable 3rd-party battery suppliers;
-repairs needed thanks to the inevitable crap 3rd-party battery suppliers;
-safety issues thanks to the inevitable crap 3rd-party battery suppliers;
-extra volume and weight needed for modular battery access; and needed in a single large rectangular spot;
-added expense/weight building a module to accept removable batteries and the necessary complex electrical connection;
-existence of readily available third-party add-ons for those customers who need additional battery without forcing all customers to accept the downsides of removable batteries.

Bottom line is that user-removable batteries are simply less-good design.

OK, but, reading through the whole thread again (it's a slow day), I wonder if "user replaceable" means "modular" in the way you mean it.

Going back to the iPhone 4 or 4S, those were iPhones that made replacing the battery extremely easy. Remove two screws, one on either side of the bottom port, slide down the glass on the back of the case, and then, AFAICR, it was two more screws and then detach the connector the battery from the main connector. No adhesive, no need to tear down the whole device from the front.

Given the ease of this, I'd say this could be classified as "user replaceable", but it removes many of the downsides you mentioned above. In terms of tools, this could be implemented and need a single screwdriver and a tweezers or a spudger.

I don't take "user replaceable" as meaning the battery must be hot-swoppable or the battery needing an external case etc..

 

[rumourmonger]

you could have just replaced the battery in the 12 mini

Till when? That was 3+ years ago. And then what? Hunt for an old 13 mini in some secret vault kept when I have to switch from 14 to something else? I just don't get this line of thinking.

Besides even the brand new 12 mini battery left a lot to be desired. iPhone 13 was when the base iPhone battery thought of catching up with Android smartphone batteries (which were launched few years earlier). This trope has to stop to be honest - change the battery use the half decade old phone, "slap" a an extra power source on the back, carry a power bank, no body use headphone jack anyway. While the answer might as well - maybe stop using Apple devices. This constant "adjustment" and then in a way have to taking to the fringe is fatiguing really.

Edit: Tagging @kitKAC as well since you literally said the same thing (kinda word by word)

 

[nathansz]

Till when? That was 3+ years ago. And then what? Hunt for an old 13 mini in some secret vault kept when I have to switch from 14 to something else? I just don't get this line of thinking.

Besides even the brand new 12 mini battery left a lot to be desired. iPhone 13 was when the base iPhone battery thought of catching up with Android smartphone batteries (which were launched few years earlier). This trope has to stop to be honest - change the battery use the half decade old phone, "slap" a an extra power source on the back, carry a power bank, no body use headphone jack anyway. While the answer might as well - maybe stop using Apple devices. This constant "adjustment" and then in a way have to taking to the fringe is fatiguing really.

Edit: Tagging @kitKAC as well since you literally said the same thing (kinda word by word)

I only replaced mine last year. still running great

everyone's case is different

 

[wyliej]

If you NEED a new battery, $79 is already far cheaper than buying a new phone.

Halving that cost, while increasing the time and energy it takes to do it, doesn't seem like something most people would do.

On devices with swappable batteries, the replacement takes about a minute (most of which is taken up by shutting down the device) and can be done at home. Nothing needs to be mailed or taken somewhere.

I am not advocating for regulation here. The idea is so simple and obvious tha the market should be demanding this level of convenience and simplicity.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Tbh even Apple isn't guarantor that battery will act as expected.
Few examples from my own experience:
- iPhone 6s. I always fail to mention that this was the first iPhone ever that made me try and switch to Galaxy S10+. Apple shipped me a crappy device with already pre-nut battery and outward LIED that it is totally ok when I reached support. The phone was shutting down each time wind blew on it, it was awful experience. They cared to start replacements only some time after, and free replacements and official Apple service were not available in country where I lived back then. So I had to pay to replace it;
- My gf's iPhone 11. OG battery was constantly draining, so I took it to official Apple service in Amsterdam. They installed a new one, but honestly a battery felt like old one. I first thought "maybe I need to give it some time", in settings it said that battery is genuine and usual stuff you get when servicing in original Apple service. Battery bloated in just 5 month during charging with original Apple lightning cable;
- iPhone 16 Pro. In less than a year, battery is already 91%. Phone was charged with 20W USB adapter.

Unfortunate accidents? Maybe. But my point is that Apple doesn't really guarantee that their batteries will work as expected.

If batteries were removable I could have avoided all that stupid bureaucracy and would have been replacing them as soon as I need, not when the phone barely holds charge for 3 hours of use. And I mean it's all time, you need to visit service, wait until they check what's wrong (isn't it already obvious?), say you some stuff like "come in three days! We will notify if longer" and then sometimes end up having subpar experience, all for a job that could take a minute or so.


What's bad about USB-C? Yes it is somewhat less strong than Lightning, but all modern iPhones are USB-C, users absolutely love experience of being able to connect flash drives and USB devices and not having to deal with weird MFI accessories

What is so hard to grasp? It is not about what is or is not "bad about USB-C" in 2025; or what is good or what is not good about removable batteries in 2025. What is bad is government telling tech how to design engineer tech devices.

When government does that, all those smart people who will be inventing future tech nuances [or even the "next big thing"] constrain their thinking around that parameter to be "connectivity must be USB-C," and that hamstrings the entire creative process.

Imagine that government decided in 2001 that FireWire 400 [a huge improvement over the previously dominant SCSI] was great and should be required. Then the already tenuous IEEE industry competitors would not have had incentive to develop FW 800, or later Thunderbolt. And laptop designers all would have been designing laptops around large FW ports for the last 25 years, so laptops would be a different [thicker] shape, and laptop i/o would still be a huge constraint on performance. True desktop replacement [like MBPs have provided since Apple introduced Thunderbolt in 2011] would not be possible.

That is exactly what the EU are doing with the USB-C regulation. They are hugely constraining tech creativity.

 

[nathansz]

They are hugely constraining tech creativity.

a quick look around the world today tells me "tech creativity" could use some restraining

 

[Happy_John]

What is so hard to grasp? It is not about what is or is not "bad about USB-C" in 2025. What is bad is government telling tech how to design engineer tech devices.

When government does that, all those smart people who will be inventing future tech nuances [or even the "next big thing"] constrain their thinking around that parameter to be "connectivity must be USB-C," and that hamstrings the entire creative process.

Imagine that government decided in 2001 that FireWire 400 [a huge improvement over the previously dominant SCSI] was great and should be required. Then the already tenuous IEEE industry competitors would not have had incentive to develop FW 800 - - or later Thunderbolt. And laptop designers all would have been designing laptops around large FW ports for the last 25 years, so laptops would be a different [thicker] shape, and laptop i/o would still be a huge constraint on performance. True desktop replacement [like MBPs have done since 2011 Thunderbolt] would not be possible.

That is exactly what the EU are doing with the USB-C regulation. They are hugely constraining tech creativity.

To be blunt, it's the market, not governments or legislators, that decide what technologies dominate. And it is not always the best technology that wins out.

Betamax and VHS.

With all due respect, I feel you're massively overplaying the influence in reality that governments / legislators have over popularizing technologies.

The less than stellar success of Firewire was nothing to do with legislation or government intervention.

With the case of shifting from Lighning to USB-C, a far more important factor for end users was transfer speed and the ubiquity of USB-C compared to Lightning, not legislation. The shift to USB was better for everyone except the division of Apple which controlled licenses for making Lightning connectors.

USB-C is a form factor for a connector. It allows for future development rather than limits it. USB 3.2, USB4, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt4, Thunderbolt 5 etc.

 

[uacd]

What is so hard to grasp? It is not about what is or is not "bad about USB-C" in 2025. What is bad is government telling tech how to design engineer tech devices.

When government does that, all those smart people who will be inventing future tech nuances [or even the "next big thing"] constrain their thinking around that parameter to be "connectivity must be USB-C," and that hamstrings the entire creative process.

Imagine that government decided in 2001 that FireWire 400 [a huge improvement over the previously dominant SCSI] was great and should be required. Then the already tenuous IEEE industry competitors would not have had incentive to develop FW 800 - - or later Thunderbolt. And laptop designers all would have been designing laptops around large FW ports for the last 25 years, so laptops would be a different [thicker] shape, and laptop i/o would still be a huge constraint on performance. True desktop replacement [like MBPs have done since 2011 Thunderbolt] would not be possible.

That is exactly what the EU are doing with the USB-C regulation. They are hugely constraining tech creativity.

White I totally understand your argument that governments cannot dictate private entities what to do, we have probably entered new post-corporate age.

Companies nowadays are not simply private entities, they have certain degree of social responsibility. Tight OS lock-ins, artificial barriers in what you can do all create that responsibility. People get tied to certain brands because they have their rules.

In my opinion, USB-C mandate was much-needed push. Who knows how many years it would have taken Apple to implement that already mature connector.

I am just mad at EU they didn’t do it back in 2019 when many major Android phones have already switched to USB-C (example: abovementioned Galaxy S10+ for example which I sold due to stupid edge scree that I honestly couldn’t use).

Wrong? Sure, maybe. Good? Absolutely!

When time comes and they invent some sort of “USB-X”, EU will simply mandate everyone use that one and make USB-C obsolete. Overregulation? Yes, but what else to do if these companies milking their users for as long as they want.

Regulations exists so users will be able to get a better product. For same reason there are multiple regulations about power requirements, safety requirements and so on

 

[Happy_John]

White I totally understand your argument that governments cannot dictate private entities what to do, we have probably entered new post-corporate age.

Companies nowadays are not simply private entities, they have certain degree of social responsibility. Tight OS lock-ins, artificial barriers in what you can do all create that responsibility. People get tied to certain brands because they have their rules.

In my opinion, USB-C mandate was much-needed push. Who knows how many years it would have taken Apple to implement that already mature connector.

I am just mad at EU they didn’t do it back in 2019 when many major Android phones have already switched to USB-C (example: abovementioned Galaxy S10+ for example which I sold due to stupid edge scree that I honestly couldn’t use).

Wrong? Sure, maybe. Good? Absolutely!

When time comes and they invent some sort of “USB-X”, EU will simply mandate everyone use that one and make USB-C obsolete. Overregulation? Yes, but what else to do if these companies milking their users for as long as they want.

Regulations exists so users will be able to get a better product. For same reason there are multiple regulations about power requirements, safety requirements and so on

Much as I don't like to say it, I strongly believe you should not assume the part I've bolded above. Companies exist to increase shareholder value. If being socially responsible increase shareholder value, then great. If being social irresponsible increase shareholder value, they'll be socially irresponsible.

I don't think we should ever believe that a corporation, and corporation, has our best interests at heart. Depressing as it sounds, that's the role of governments, both at the local and national level.

Companies have customers and clients. States have citizens and residents.

Corporations and companies are not obliged to work for their customers' interests. The level of "duty of care" they are obliged to provide is low.

 

[williamofockham]

Much as I don't like to say it, I strongly believe you should not assume the part I've bolded above. Companies exist to increase shareholder value. If being socially responsible increase shareholder value, then great. If being social irresponsible increase shareholder value, they'll be socially irresponsible.

I don't think we should ever believe that a corporation, and corporation, has our best interests at heart. Depressing as it sounds, that's the role of governments, both at the local and national level.

Companies have customers and clients. States have citizens and residents.

Corporations and companies are not obliged to work for their customers' interests. The level of "duty of care" they are obliged to provide is low.

love this discussion - from battery replacement, os longevity , e waste , role of governments and corporations in society - in a previous life this qualifies as mission creep

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

On devices with swappable batteries, the replacement takes about a minute (most of which is taken up by shutting down the device) and can be done at home. Nothing needs to be mailed or taken somewhere.

I am not advocating for regulation here. The idea is so simple and obvious tha the market should be demanding this level of convenience and simplicity.

So you're saying trusted, replaceable batteries appear from nowhere, ready to be swapped whenever needed?

That's AMAZING.

 

[wyliej]

So you're saying trusted, replaceable batteries appear from nowhere, ready to be swapped whenever needed?

No, you order the battery when the existing one is starting to fail or when you want a second one to have to carry with you as needed. They have this thing called "e-commerce" now. You can order stuff over the Internet using a web browser and a credit card. It only takes a few minutes to place the order, and the product arrives in the mail in a few days.

If HP made cell phones, then they would invent some stupid subscription service for batteries, but that is unnecessary because people can buy things as they need them.

 

[klasma]

So you're saying trusted, replaceable batteries appear from nowhere, ready to be swapped whenever needed?

That's AMAZING.

That’s why standard batteries are so great. I can walk into any random supermarket or gas station and buy a couple.

 

[subjonas]

Regulations exists so users will be able to get a better product.

Hard disagree there. Like I said in my other post, getting consumers "better" products is exactly the role of the free market and competition (better value via better products and/or competitive prices), not the role of regulation. Better is in quotes because it's subjective as people disagree on what better is, which is exactly why the free market has to decide what the better product is via majority dollar vote (people will show what they ultimately care about most by what they spend their money on), not the opinion of a handful of people in governmental power. Government deciding what the better product is completely undermines the majority vote of the free market, which is the whole point of the free market.