Report: Apple Planning to Debut New Battery Replacement Method With iPhone 16

[NT1440]

I would guess in this case they mean in comparison to battery packs that just pop in and out like the old macbooks and powerbooks had

Oh trust me, I miss those batteries, but the physical enclosures for them takes away space for usable battery, and that’s not even factoring in the latching mechanisms.

Also, bring back the external battery level indicator!

 

[vegetassj4]

Yeah , like your average phone user can handle a soldering iron.

How about a hair dryer?

 

[d686546s]

Yes we did, and those mechanical mechanisms to eject them take up space and greatly reduce water ingress protection. A little rubber seal is not adequate to result in the stories of "my phone sat in a pond for two weeks". There are actual engineering tradeoffs that need to be made to accomplish that kind of ease-of-access for swapping batteries.

Agreed, there are always trade offs involved. I'm not convinced that overall we've gone in the right direction by prioritising protection against water and slightly thinner devices over relatability and enabling users to change their own batteries.

That's my personal view, for the record, and everyone else's mileage may vary, but I would very much appreciate to be able to change the batteries on my phone and laptop when necessary, rather than having to factor in yet another cost.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

I don't think anyone would appreciate the design tradeoffs that would come with a tool-less battery swap in the modern age. I just wish Apple would make getting a battery swap a less ridiculous process.

Going to the Apple store is inconvenient for many. In my area, Best Buy being able to do it is a complete fiction. They advertise the service, but bounce you around to multiple locations saying they don't have your battery, or the tech for the area is at a different store, or that Apple makes us hang on to your phone for a week while they mail a battery, etc.

Also, I shouldn't need "permission" from Apple to get a battery. If it's at 85%, it's noticeably degraded and the battery life sucks. But I have to wait until it hits the magic number.

 

[SpotOnT]

Now a battery that I can pop in and out easily. Yes, I would like that.

To all those saying such a battery takes so much extra space…I will point you to the 2011 Unibody MacBook Pro. Battery held in with a single screw. Takes about a millimeter of extra space.

I world gladly take having a one millimeter thicker phone in exchange for an easy to swap battery. Heck - the stupid camera bump would be smaller, and the phone would stop wobbling on the table! Hurray!!

 

[Bremse]

I used to have a Nokia phone with a removable battery. At some point the latching mechanism became worn out to the point where it would randomly shut down because the battery moved far enough to close contact.

 

[NT1440]

If this is such a big consumer demand, why is it not prevalent in the land of choices (Android)?

 

[TechWhisperer]

Invest more in R&D of batteries. Make better batteries.

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

If I recall…. All cell phones before the iPhone had very easy to replace batteries.
New technology?

Phones back then didn’t have liquid protection like we do now

 

[Bokito]

Those 80 and 83% EU requirements are completely arbitrary. Just had my 2020 iPhone SE’s battery replaced that still had 80% capacity after almost 1000 cycles, but the new one holds out at least twice as long. A lot of other things are at play too when it comes to batteries.

 

[needsomecoffee]

Recently replaced the battery in my iPhone6 (yeah I keep them a long time). There was one set of screws that were sooooo tiny. I think there were three. It took me about 45 minutes to put them in. I was laughing. Getting the tiniest Phillips head aligned & inserted into the extremely tiny screw-head was almost impossible. Then getting the screw into the tiny hole with its super-tiny threads aligned was also almost impossible. New battery has been great, and if Apple makes good design decisions re: facilitating battery replacement, I could have a new phone for the next decade. HTH, NSC

 

[bzgnyc2]

If this is such a big consumer demand, why is it not prevalent in the land of choices (Android)?

Why did the US government have to mandate seatbelts in 1968 -- over a decade after refined versions were available -- and later airbags following a similar pattern?

I suspect most consumesr don't think about their needs several years in advance nor the worst case scenarios whereas companies know in the long run that they will sell more phones the more often people replace them.

 

[ChrisA]

Like, didn't we used to have replaceable batteries in the days of 'dumb' phones? I always carried a spare with me - and my battery used to last for a week!

Those old phones used DRAMATICALLY less power than an iPhone and could run on a tiny battery

If you want a removable battery that will power an iPhone for a week then buy one of the larger sized Anker batteries and connect it to your phone with a cable. or, I think they make wireless chargers that you could rubber-band to your phone.

The problem is the power usage of modern phones.

 

[supergt]

What's it matter? Tools are required to do it yourself. Want to change it yourself? Go buy the tools. Otherwise, go to someone that does that sort of thing.

Yes, you are stating the obvious. Tools are required to open and work on the phone. But the difference is it could be one tool instead of four.

 

[supergt]

…I would certainly hope that anyone attempting to fix anything on their own would have a decent selection of the most basic tools one can own. I’ve taken apart dozens of phones with an $8 pentalobe screwdriver and the small screwdrivers for glasses repair.

The ribbon cables need to be layered in the proper order or they may crimp or prevent the display from sitting properly in place when reassembling, from personal experience.

The screws are small, there’s no getting around that. If you can’t handle using small tools then you have no business attempting a repair on any type of smartphone.

What do the screws being small have to do with the type of driver required? Last I checked screws all do the same thing so only one type is required.

 

[picpicmac]

This is going to be one of those threads, isn't it.

 

[spazzcat]

Like, didn't we used to have replaceable batteries in the days of 'dumb' phones? I always carried a spare with me - and my battery used to last for a week!

If you only use a phone for calling and turn off all the features it will last much longer.

Edit: we also didn't put thick phones in our pockets, we clipped them to our belts, not something anyone wants to go back to.

 

[NT1440]

Yes, you are stating the obvious. Tools are required to open and work on the phone. But the difference is it could be one tool instead of four.

Come on, this is a nonsensical complaint. You either have a screwdriver set or you don't. My guitar has different sized screws, my windows laptop, my car, my bike, etc.

 

[AlexESP]

Now a battery that I can pop in and out easily. Yes, I would like that.

To all those saying such a battery takes so much extra space…I will point you to the 2011 Unibody MacBook Pro. Battery held in with a single screw. Takes about a millimeter of extra space.

I world gladly take having a one millimeter thicker phone in exchange for an easy to swap battery. Heck - the stupid camera bump would be smaller, and the phone would stop wobbling on the table! Hurray!!

I know you talk about one millimetre figuratively, but one millimetre is a lot in the context of a device you hold in your hand. Then, there many more disadvantages other than thickness - I know some people would still be fine with it, but I think it’s clear that the majority wouldn’t.
And finally: it wouldn’t make your phone to stop wobbling, the camera module is much thicker than 1 mm.

 

[bzgnyc2]

That’s like complaining that torx drivers exist when you prefer to use a Philips head.

Pentalobe is in no way proprietary and a good screwdriver for it costs like $8. If you’re the type of person who actually repairs stuff you’d have bought one years ago…

It's not that they exist it's that they keep using new and multiple types of screws for no apparent reason. Is there something about these new heads that allows them to make a better phone? Is screw head technology evolving that quickly? If so why not at least make all the screws the new type rather than multiple types? It seems like every time I buy a new type of screwdriver (possibly in multiple sizes or driver heads), they switch to a new one. It's just annoying and it means another trip to the store possibly in the middle of a disassembly unless I have someone else's guide forewarning me of yet another tool.

Why add the friction? Why keep trying to exclude people from taking care of their own devices?

 

[NT1440]

What do the screws being small have to do with the type of driver required? Last I checked screws all do the same thing so only one type is required.

Please do some research on fasteners and what goes into determining the right one for the job at hand.

I've always viewed the pentalobe screws as a barrier to entry. IF you're afraid of a pentalobe screw you have no business fussing about with the extremely small components inside.

 

[NT1440]

It's not that they exist it's that they keep using new and multiple types of screws for no apparent reason. Is there something about these new heads that allows them to make a better phone? Is screw head technology evolving that quickly? If so why not at least make all the screws the new type rather than multiple types? It seems like every time I buy a new type of screwdriver (possibly in multiple sizes or driver heads), they switch to a new one. It's just annoying and it means another trip to the store possibly in the middle of a disassembly unless I have someone else's guide forewarning me of yet another tool.

Why add the friction? Why keep trying to exclude people from taking care of their own devices?

Do the bold, cite your sources. When the hell was the last time they switched up the screw types you had to use? I've been using the same pentalobe screwdriver for over ten years now.

Are you one of those people that falsely claims Apple is "always" switching up connection types...once every ten years?


I'm starting to suspect a whole bunch of people chiming in on this thread have never actually worked on an Apple device before...or any other type of small electronic for that matter.

 

[Macaholic868]

Thank you again EU!!!!! First you forced Apple into 2023 here in the USA with USB-C and again now with a battery that’s easier to replace! It must be nice to have a government that is actually interested in protecting consumers instead of one with just one party that pays it lip service and only occasionally does something and the other that actively gives consumers the middle finger. 😂

 

[ProbablyDylan]

In what world is applying electrical current to a battery housing easier than...screwing it into place?

 

[reilogix]

This is actually kind of great. By the time my 14 is ready to be replaced, the 17 will be out and they will have ironed out all the kinks from this process, inevitably introduced with the 16. Bravo!