The EU replaceable battery mandate is superb. Once it comes in I'll buy a folding phone again and use it as my only device. At the moment I spread the load between my S23U and two tablets. The only thing making me do this is the captive battery situation! As a heavy user I would be recharging my one device three times a day and that would see the battery ruined in record time.
I have always been against these built-in batteries. Just look at the number of anxiety-ridden saps who limit their batteries to a 25-85% cycle because they're scared to death of declining battery health. These batteries cost around $15 and yet they're making $1500 perfectly good devices obsolete way before their time. Bring on the EU mandate I say! It will be the first thing they've got right!
Huh?(in Dave Chappelle voice when talking to the Mormon comedy) Your choice to use a smartphone and a tablet and calling it captive battery choice is purely on you!
Name me 2 products in 2 different product segments or categories that shared the exact same battery between that was available for retail sale both online and in stores anywhere in the world- EVER.
Go ahead I'll wait.
If you're going to say the Nokia N800, bare in mind there was no other products that were NOT discontinued (but for sale though on clearance) using the same battery - N95/E62/N80/E72.
With more components - either IN the battery case or in the product to facilitate charging, securing the connection and managing initial to constant charging will take up space and reduce battery capacities.
Another challenge: present to me a smartphone with removable batteries that ships in volume, globally with an easily accessible consumer support and global warranty support channel, and said batteries that mache 4200-6000mAh.
How many smartphones and tablets that are in production and supported that support this stance?!
I've never reduced the charging range on ANY smartphone, feature phone I've used since the Nokia 6600 debut, or thr limited iPad Pro 11" 2nd generations I've owned or the short time I had the iPad Mini 6 for 3 months. Not once b3cauee I believe Lithium ion polymer batteries do not need it with current charging technology. I do believe Apple's MagSafe Qi charging kills their iPhone batteries far too quickly.
I think you and the EU have a different meaning of what Obselence is. A battery can be swapped if internally not one product has it soldered - although Apple's insistence of heavy glue used on the MacBook i3 Intel that was discontinued or the 3rd generation iPad Air cones very close they've started using pull tabs in mobile devices to remove batteries.
Every manufacturer has a battery replacement program should internal batteries fail. Being internal does NOT increase battery capacity failure in any way at all. Does it remove consumer accessibility Yes it does.
I'd rather the manufacturer whom chosen the batteries and made the assembly or contracted out for the specific product should ALSO be held accountable for replacement and recycling at a very minimal cost to the consumer or at a payment - if internal and under the same level of extended software support or say 5yrs.
My reasoning for that 5yr mark is based on experience and watching the industry evolve:
PDA's:
Palm pilot and Microsft CE devices (hP Jornada, Casio Casseiopia, Compaq iPaq (before HP purchased) never lasted as useful longer than 3 yrs beyond theie initial software design. Newer products could do a lot more and faster.
- Sony Clies brought in MemorySticks,Color screens, WiFi when the Palm Pilot III was king in its 2nd year! I owned it.
- Compaq iPaq debut their expansion paq's 1yr later and was great extending life of that product but the next model had better DPad, slider lighter design, faster Bluetooth and wifi with camera adapter which was incompatible with the older model. Oh and a much higher resolution an brighter screen.
Nokia 9000i
Non color screen very minimal apps that had a closed system no new development was replaced with the 9200 and 9300 each faster mobile data speeds, colour screens wifi and yes removable batteries but the market chose blackberries due to email infrastructure.
We all know those got best out but lighter product with impeccably better screen better UI better user control and ease of use woth better music capability and was called the iPhone. Internal battery too.
You could do more. See more kn the screen EVEN if the first 2 generations were so limited in features. It grew and expanded those features.
Mobile networks changed early last year which made my iPhone 4S obsolete.
I cannot use it for its 2 primary funcriisn: phone and mobile network communications.
Apple recently invoked a software obsolescence where I cannot sign into it using my icloud to sync what it CAN do via software: sync contacts, calendar, notes and Safari bookmarks.
Guess what?
The battery STILL WORKS and has 90% health of its original capacity.
...get some historical knowledge along the way ..