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EU votes to mandate removable batteries in smartphones in a landslide; no more glued together junk!

UnNamed

Banned
This won't t solve anything.

Samsung, Apple, Huawei and Co. will simply produce less batteries, so if you need to replace the battery, you won't find original products or they will sell them at an astronomical price.

You say "just buy a compatible battery"... well no since they usually sucks because companies won't release the original specs and all these products are usually reverse engineered tech.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
You say "just buy a compatible battery"... well no since they usually sucks because companies won't release the original specs and all these products are usually reverse engineered tech.
Phone batteries aren’t rocket science. If you can grab a €10 battery that is 60% as good as an original battery, that’s still a big win for your wallet.
 

UnNamed

Banned
Phone batteries aren’t rocket science. If you can grab a €10 battery that is 60% as good as an original battery, that’s still a big win for your wallet.
Original batteries may be expensive but al least they are reliable.
I had many devices (notebook, smartphone, screwdrivers) with compatible batteries that died in less than 6 months. There is no save money if you have to buy the same product 6 times.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
Original batteries may be expensive but al least they are reliable.
I had many devices (notebook, smartphone, screwdrivers) with compatible batteries that died in less than 6 months. There is no save money if you have to buy the same product 6 times.
Yeah, well, that's true of course. I've had the most luck buying replacement from Amazon after reading user reviews. If a battery has hundreds or thousands of positive comments, I think there's little risk in getting it for the small price it costs. And with Amazon, if the battery completely sucks, you can always just send it back and get a refund.
 

Rockondevil

Member
being able to take the battery out and replace it with a new or alternate one is quite a big deal. If your phone is dead and you've got a friend nearby with a compatible battery, you could swap them temporarily if you need to do something urgent. Or buy 2 of the same battery in your phone to extend your battery life, removing the need for a battery pack.
How is a battery pack that works with many many devices (essentially anything that can be USB powered) less convenient than a proprietary battery for a specific device?
 

Blade2.0

Member
I think it would be better if governments stayed out of anyone’s business….
This always makes zero sense to me. Government regulations can be bad, don't get me wrong, but more often than not, they are a net positive.

We had a government before that stayed out of people's business and it led to terrible conditions for workers, child labor, and corporations that would literally just dump pollution into rivers.

I'd much rather have an authority that can stop these terrible things from happening. Sometimes regulations can lead to more freedom, actually. Like, I know I won't have my skin burned off for taking a dip in the river because we regulate these types of things now. I won't get lead poisoning from leaded gasoline particles in the air because we regulated these things.

The world is better off in many regards now because the government got off their sweet asses and actually started to do something about those issues.
 
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kikkis

Member
This always makes zero sense to me. Government regulations can be bad, don't get me wrong, but more often than not, they are a net positive.

We had a government before that stayed out of people's business and it led to terrible conditions for workers, child labor, and corporations that would literally just dump pollution into rivers.

I'd much rather have an authority that can stop these terrible things from happening. Sometimes regulations can lead to more freedom, actually. Like, I know I won't have my skin burned off for taking a dip in the river because we regulate these types of things now. I won't get lead poisoning from leaded gasoline particles in the air because we regulated these things.

The world is better off in many regards now because the government got off their sweet asses and actually states to do something about those issues.
Things you listed are generally non aggression principle violations. This is just government designing phones for you.
 

01011001

Banned
Things you listed are generally non aggression principle violations. This is just government designing phones for you.

and that's a good thing :) iPhones are using inferior connectors solely to sell third party manufactuters a license to make cables for it.
the EU stepped in and basically forced them to improve their phones 🤣

and the same here, but now across all vendors.
Phones are often build specifically to be hard to repair (see Apple again), or to make them as cheaply as possible, all at the cost of the end user and the environment, by just gluing everything shut instead of using screws and easy to remove parts.
so fuck that shit, these regulations are needed.
 
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kikkis

Member
and that's a good thing :) iPhones are using inferior connectors solely to sell third party manufactuters a license to make cables for it.
the EU stepped in and basically forced them to improve their phones 🤣

and the same here, but now across all vendors.
Phones are often build specifically to be hard to repair (see Apple again), or to make them as cheaply as possible, all at the cost of the end user and the environment, by just gluing everything shut instead of using screws and easy to remove parts.
so fuck that shit, these regulations are needed.
Thanks to "environmental" regulation hundreds of millions apple cables go to landfill once people move to newer iphones, adapters are really just extra waste too. Why does everything need to be repairable DIY style by a 4-year old? What if new battery chemistry that doesnt degrade much over time. Do they delay release until EU laxes its regulations, since removable batteries are hardly needed at that point. Removable batteries do compromise total capacity in a significant degree, and water resistance suffers too, leading to entire phone being send to landfill instead of just the battery.
 

Doczu

Member
Things you listed are generally non aggression principle violations. This is just government designing phones for you.
The only designs the EU mandates (as of now) is USB-C charging and the upcoming removable battery.
Both of which are pro consumer and to limit the amount of waste we generate. It's not them telling companies how big a phone can be, how much ram and disk space each tier should have 🤷🏻‍♂️
 

01011001

Banned
Thanks to "environmental" regulation hundreds of millions apple cables go to landfill once people move to newer iphones, adapters are really just extra waste too. Why does everything need to be repairable DIY style by a 4-year old? What if new battery chemistry that doesnt degrade much over time. Do they delay release until EU laxes its regulations, since removable batteries are hardly needed at that point. Removable batteries do compromise total capacity in a significant degree, and water resistance suffers too, leading to entire phone being send to landfill instead of just the battery.

water resistance is literally no issue, unless you plan on going for extended swims with your phone there will be zero notable difference for the end user.
the capacity will also not change in a well designed phone.
also batteries can fail over time no matter the technology used.
 
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Lasha

Member
This won't t solve anything.

Samsung, Apple, Huawei and Co. will simply produce less batteries, so if you need to replace the battery, you won't find original products or they will sell them at an astronomical price.

You say "just buy a compatible battery"... well no since they usually sucks because companies won't release the original specs and all these products are usually reverse engineered tech.

Apple's battery manufacturer will be more than happy to sell the batteries if Apple won't. The only spec that matters are connection and voltage. Batteries are batteries.
 

UnNamed

Banned
Batteries are batteries.
Yes and no. Chemistry could be the same, but power regulators inside can be different.
It's like power supplies, in theory are all the same, in reality cheap Chinese power adapters can cause you shocks and flames.
 

Lasha

Member
Yes and no. Chemistry could be the same, but power regulators inside can be different.
It's like power supplies, in theory are all the same, in reality cheap Chinese power adapters can cause you shocks and flames.

They can but don't need to be. Apple spec batteries are already easily available. The factories in China don't give a fuck as long as people are buying the battery. A market for reputable third party batteries will emerge as it has for every accessory.
 
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Futurematic

Member
Luckily Apple is big enough they can make a Euro-only model like they do with China.

We’ll see if Americans import the Euro-iPhones or if Euros import the standard iPhone. Can finally put consumer preference on swappable batteries to the test iPhone vs iPhone.
 
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daveonezero

Banned
It's not good at all. Some regulations from governments are for the better for normal folks.

Corporations are usually not too happy about it... Fuck them!
You don’t understand that regulation destroys competition.

This is always good for well established corporations and their government lackeys.
 

Darkmakaimura

Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Good to know the EU is good for something.

My current phone has one of those batteries that are built in and that you cannot remove. A couple weeks after my father passed away or so, my phone completely froze up. I cannot make a phone call or do anything. I had a complete utter panic attack after everything I was going through. I had to go to a neighbor's house and Google how to reset my phone since I don't have regular internet right now other than my phone.

Normally, if that happens to any of my other phones I had I would just remove the battery and reinsert it.

It's such a bunch of bullshit to have batteries built into phones now. Seems like a real scummy move to me.
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
You don’t understand that regulation destroys competition.
Oh boy, I pity these Europeans fighting for scraps and living in a socialist hellhole.

ti say what GIF by VH1


You can keep your competition, I will keep my vastly superior quality of life, ok? Oh wait, it’s precisely because we have competition EU phone phone bills are $40, likewise unlimited gigabit Internet access. Let me check the US prices on these….

Season 17 What GIF by America's Got Talent


Seriously, US folks should be banned from posting in these threads without taking some sort of a test.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
double post....


But i might as well add something. If the private companies are being dicks and doing dumb shit like removing a perfectly functional battery replacement system, and forcing dozens of people using wired headphones to buy more plastic junk in order to properly connect their headphones to their phone (which was modeled after the IPOD, by the fucking way....), or using a completely different charging/USB system for one brand of phone vs the other resulting in the creation of dozens of more plastic junk in order to work for that brand of phone alongside the grand USB C majority... it's safe to say that maybe the government should step in and say "no, we're not gonna let you take away functionality from your products and charge more for them in the chase of money"
 
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Toons

Member
and that's a good thing :) iPhones are using inferior connectors solely to sell third party manufactuters a license to make cables for it.
the EU stepped in and basically forced them to improve their phones 🤣

and the same here, but now across all vendors.
Phones are often build specifically to be hard to repair (see Apple again), or to make them as cheaply as possible, all at the cost of the end user and the environment, by just gluing everything shut instead of using screws and easy to remove parts.
so fuck that shit, these regulations are needed.

Well technically those are private companies and should be allowed to manufacture it how they want.

The way its SUPPOSED to work is we the collective vote with our wallet and let them know we don't want no replaceable batteries and what not.

Unfortunately 90% of people need their fix too bad to actually see that system through and allow rhe companies to be responsible for their own decision making.
 

01011001

Banned
Well technically those are private companies and should be allowed to manufacture it how they want.

ridiculously dumb take. many times in the past it was proven that companies will sell dangerous products if regulators didn't intervene.

there is a reason EVERY SINGLE product on the market in any western country needs to pass certain tests.


The way its SUPPOSED to work is we the collective vote with our wallet and let them know we don't want no replaceable batteries and what not.

Consumers have no real choice. first a new type of device class was sold.
the device class proved to be popular and quickly took over the market to the point where almost everyone had one.

then manufacturers at large changed how they make this class of device.
they made them with cheap glue instead of using metal screws, which lead to basically no repairability, no user serviceable parts that would help reduce waste.

due to the fact basically every brand now operates that way customers DON'T have a choice.
they either buy the device class that became almost a necessity, or they don't. that's the choice the customer has.

phones with removable batteries are almost always low end products or straight up oldschool flip phones that don't have the necessary features that many people need in their day to day lifes, often even for their job.

so the only "choice" people have is Super Low End products with replaceable batteries, or Mid Range to High End without replaceable batteries.

guess which one of these 3 has a replaceable battery, and is actually often seen as one of the best phones you can get with a replaceable battery!?
IAFRNtd.jpg


aside from the performance issue, the battery in that thing is TINY and it charges so slowly that it's almost impossible to actually use it throughout the day without it dying on you.
Basically it'll take like 4h to change as it only supports 5 watts charging.

these phones also don't get any OS updates and at best maybe 1 to 2 years of security updates.

and the only other alternative to these shitty phones that you got is phones designed for construction workers, these are usually bulky, at best middle class in performance, and not that easy to get.
getting a Samsung Xcover 6 Pro in Germany for example is only really possible by either importing it from the US, looking for second hand ones, or using unknown/dubious looking online shops.


imagine if Car manufacturers started to make it so you can't change your tires on all car models except extremely cheap 2 seater hatchbacks and heavy duty pickup trucks.
how exactly is the consumer meant to "vote with their wallets"?

"I need a car that's big enough for my family and which fits in my garage, but all of those have non-replaceable tires... well fuck my family! I'll get a small car with 2 seats to show those car companies that I want replaceable tires!"

that's ☝️ what you're proposing here.
any decent phone on the market has a glued on backplate, the ones that don't are low end phones that can barely open your email app without crashing due to the lack of RAM, or hard to find professional/heavy duty phones for builders.

you would have a point if Samsung had a big competitor that sold the same performance and form factor, that are easy to obtain... which doesn't exist.
you can't get a Samsung A54 equivalent phone with a replaceable battery.
 

Toons

Member
ridiculously dumb take. many times in the past it was proven that companies will sell dangerous products if regulators didn't intervene.

there is a reason EVERY SINGLE product on the market in any western country needs to pass certain tests.




Consumers have no real choice. first a new type of device class was sold.
the device class proved to be popular and quickly took over the market to the point where almost everyone had one.

then manufacturers at large changed how they make this class of device.
they made them with cheap glue instead of using metal screws, which lead to basically no repairability, no user serviceable parts that would help reduce waste.

due to the fact basically every brand now operates that way customers DON'T have a choice.
they either buy the device class that became almost a necessity, or they don't. that's the choice the customer has.

phones with removable batteries are almost always low end products or straight up oldschool flip phones that don't have the necessary features that many people need in their day to day lifes, often even for their job.

so the only "choice" people have is Super Low End products with replaceable batteries, or Mid Range to High End without replaceable batteries.

guess which one of these 3 has a replaceable battery, and is actually often seen as one of the best phones you can get with a replaceable battery!?
IAFRNtd.jpg


aside from the performance issue, the battery in that thing is TINY and it charges so slowly that it's almost impossible to actually use it throughout the day without it dying on you.
Basically it'll take like 4h to change as it only supports 5 watts charging.

these phones also don't get any OS updates and at best maybe 1 to 2 years of security updates.

and the only other alternative to these shitty phones that you got is phones designed for construction workers, these are usually bulky, at best middle class in performance, and not that easy to get.
getting a Samsung Xcover 6 Pro in Germany for example is only really possible by either importing it from the US, looking for second hand ones, or using unknown/dubious looking online shops.


imagine if Car manufacturers started to make it so you can't change your tires on all car models except extremely cheap 2 seater hatchbacks and heavy duty pickup trucks.
how exactly is the consumer meant to "vote with their wallets"?

"I need a car that's big enough for my family and which fits in my garage, but all of those have non-replaceable tires... well fuck my family! I'll get a small car with 2 seats to show those car companies that I want replaceable tires!"

that's ☝️ what you're proposing here.
any decent phone on the market has a glued on backplate, the ones that don't are low end phones that can barely open your email app without crashing due to the lack of RAM, or hard to find professional/heavy duty phones for builders.

you would have a point if Samsung had a big competitor that sold the same performance and form factor, that are easy to obtain... which doesn't exist.
you can't get a Samsung A54 equivalent phone with a replaceable battery.

I dont disagree. Its just a filling in the system that there is no real competition. Because a few own the majority of the capital that is needed if someone wanted to actually make a phone with those benefits. So the government is forced to intervene in the lack of ethics and/or options that are three. Theres a big huge asterisk in the free in free marker because of that sort of thing.

Still I suppose it's a good thing that the folks in the government cared enough.
 

ZoukGalaxy

Member
GOOD.
Grumpy Cat Party GIF by Internet Cat Video Festival


Samsung Galaxy S5 has a replaceable battery (removable cover on the back) and is water resistant, give me a break with those false pretexts to make the back glued from all manufacturers. Also, just screw it then like every oethers devices in the world.

I really wish game controllers were also included but maybe they are in some form, let's hope.
 
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daveonezero

Banned
ridiculously dumb take. many times in the past it was proven that companies will sell dangerous products if regulators didn't intervene.

there is a reason EVERY SINGLE product on the market in any western country needs to pass certain tests.
And this is why it is proflhivutve cost for new companies Ti enter into industries.

Large companies can either eat this cost of testing and certification or actually enforce those things to keep out competition.

And in the US there have been many phones that come with hardware switches but regulations stop them from being put on the actual cellular modems.

It’s been mandated that phone be less private and always on.
 
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