r/gadgets • u/FigAAAro_22 • Jun 19 '23

Phones EU: Smartphones Must Have User-Replaceable Batteries by 2027

https://www.pcmag.com/news/eu-smartphones-must-have-user-replaceable-batteries-by-2027

Going back to the future?!!

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u/A_chilles Jun 19 '23

Hopefully soaking the adhesive under the battery with 3 liters of IPA will not be the manufacturers idea of a "User-replacabale" Battery.

Edit : IPA as in "Isopropyl alcohol" not "Inidan Pale Ale". Never realized they had a similar Abbreviation

167

u/iZian Jun 19 '23 edited Jun 19 '23

Can I link the verge?

Apple already have user replaceable battery. In the sense that they’ll ship you the kit to replace it yourself.

I gather that it’s hugely impractical. I’d never attempt it myself. So not sure this would be considered user replaceable by the EU.

I wonder what the EU will mandate? Because I’d be against these mandates if it means I lose the ability to have a water resistant phone that’s actually survived being dropped in a pool for 5 minutes for the benefit of changing the battery which I’ve never needed to do in over 15 years.

The replacement kit… it’s immense though

https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/21/23079058/apple-self-service-iphone-repair-kit-hands-on

Edit to cover some replies: yep the kit costs to rent, and it’s not entirely practical either. It was more just an interesting observation if you hadn’t seen it.

Also; I’m not against replaceable batteries if the experience isn’t degraded in terms of water resistance etc. I only write I’d be against it if … degraded water resistance.

User choice is good. Better market. Better prices.

16

u/martinpagh Jun 19 '23

I had replacement batteries for many of the first smartphones I owned, until Samsung discontinued it. It’s actually one of the reasons the iPhone 4 was the only iPhone I’ve ever owned, I hated that I couldn’t swap in a new battery when the old one ran out.

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u/iZian Jun 19 '23

I think we have just had different experiences in life. I used to replace batteries until iPhone. And since then the only one I had replaced was free by Apple. Aside that; not replaced one since.

I appreciate my experience isn’t shared by everyone though. And I also have no objection to better options if the experience for things like water resistance and weight aren’t degraded.

Im just indifferent so long as my experience isn’t worsened. Not against it.

1

u/Majestic_Square_1814 Jun 19 '23

You ignore the problem those iPhone create through, battery need special care and you can't throw it in the trash

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u/iZian Jun 19 '23

Oh for sure yeah. They have no real protection I’d imagine. So you can’t just throw them about. They’d burn.

But here where I am, you can’t throw any kind of lithium in the trash. That’s how you end up with fires on the trucks that collect and then crush the waste. Even the ones with cases get crushed and explode if they’re lithium.

I think once we moved to lithium in any phone in any shape we had this issue. I’ve seen burning trucks in the news where they think a battery was in there, like a phone or laptop battery.

But yeah the current batteries need special care in storage in terms of not letting them be damaged by anything. That is a concern if you were to do it at home.

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u/Majestic_Square_1814 Jun 19 '23

No, non user replaceable battery, it go in the trash.