Built in batteries.. good or bad..

[trog100]

they are becoming pretty common but are they a good thing..

cons.. the life of the device is governed by the life of the battery..

pros.. a thinner device and cheaper to make..

trog

 

[heky]

Built in batteries can also be replaced, but mostly not by the user.(Every smartphone repair shop will do it though, or if you want to keep the warranty, every manufacturer repair service will)

The good thing about built in batteries is the longer warranty. Since it can not be replaced by the user, the warranty is 2 years (same as device), which is not the case with user replaceable batteries( 1 year)

 

[trog100]

two years is okay for a cheaper device but not that long for an expensive device.. an expensive laptop would be in service for maybe five or six years.. i dont see anything with a built in battery doing this..

i dont see a two year warranty as being a good thing.. at least not one to justify built in batteries.. to be honest i think the practise comes close to taking the piss.. he he

trog

 

[heky]

If you have the money for an expensive device, you have the 30-50 bucks every 2-3years to pay the manufacturers service fee to exchange the battery for you.

 

[Caring1]

If you have the money for an expensive device, you have the 30-50 bucks every 2-3years to pay the manufacturers service fee to exchange the battery for you.

No!

 

[Frick]

two years is okay for a cheaper device but not that long for an expensive device.. an expensive laptop would be in service for maybe five or six years.. i dont see anything with a built in battery doing this..

i dont see a two year warranty as being a good thing.. at least not one to justify built in batteries.. to be honest i think the practise comes close to taking the piss.. he he

trog

Phones are different from laptops though. You don't (mis)handle a laptop the samr way you do a phone.

 

[heky]

No!

Do you own a car? Do you take it to the shop for servicing?

 

[Caring1]

Do you own a car? Do you take it to the shop for servicing?

Yes, and No!

 

[Frick]

Do you own a car? Do you take it to the shop for servicing?

Yes, and No!

The question is only relevant if you have a new car, in which case the answer should definitely be "yes", depending on how your insurance is affected.

 

[heky]

Yes, and No!

Really, so you for example change the clutch on your car yourself? So you must own all the special tools needed to do it. Yeah right...

 

[trog100]

If you have the money for an expensive device, you have the 30-50 bucks every 2-3years to pay the manufacturers service fee to exchange the battery for you.

i recon your are being a tad optimistic there..

i do know that super thin means built in batteries like it or not.. but its also a kind of built in obsolescence i aint over keen on..

trog

 

[heky]

i recon your are being a tad optimistic there..

i do know that super thin means built in batteries like it or not.. but its also a kind of built in obsolescence i aint over keen on..

trog

Why optimistic? If a device with a built in battery has a problem with the battery within the 2 year warranty period it will be exchanged free of charge. And if it has a problem after the warranty has expired, any repair shop will exchange it for you for around 30 bucks(+ the cost of the battery ofcourse). I really dont see what the problem is here?

 

[Frick]

Really, so you for example change the clutch on your car yourself? So you must own all the special tools needed to do it. Yeah right...

This is getting off topic, but that is very possible. A lot of people mend their own cars, some even do it as a hobby. I do it because I can't afford to have someone else do it. (And clutches are easy, depending on the model. )

 

[heky]

This is getting off topic, but that is very possible. A lot of people mend their own cars, some even do it as a hobby. I do it because I can't afford to have someone else do it. (And clutches are easy, depending on the model. )

Sorry for the offtopic...just tried to make an example. And since this is TechPowerUp, a lot of us mend our computers/gadgets on our own. And replacing a battery in a lap-top is much easier to do than replace a cars clutch.

 

[cornemuse]

This issue of built-in batteries seems a bit much for me, have to plug it into your usb port/whatever to charge, cant use it while charging, they now sell portable 'recharging' whatever-u-call-em's, now you have two items to recharge. If youre on (for instance!) the Trans Siberian Railroad & your batts go dead, you are pretty much stuck, but you can buy aaa, aa, ie, most batts, anywhere in the world. without a charger or a place to plug it into, well, , , , I take a cheap mp3 player to the gym, I keep a baggie with a few aaa's in it, player goes about a week for me, one minute I'm back in business, they have 110 outlets at the gym but who's gonna walk away from their fone, player, etc, while its charging?? Some do but work out on same machines for like 45 mins = flabby biceps but hard glutes!!

-c-

 

[Caring1]

Really, so you for example change the clutch on your car yourself? So you must own all the special tools needed to do it. Yeah right...

Yes I can and have changed multiple clutches on vehicles at home, without "special" tools.
Maybe you just don't know what you are doing.

 

[heky]

Yes I can and have changed multiple clutches on vehicles at home, without "special" tools.
Maybe you just don't know what you are doing.

So you can change a clutch, but cant change a built-in battery. Man, i feel sorry for you...

 

[Smanci]

Do I consider planned obsolescence and cashing in on "premium service" good? Not really.

 

[Caring1]

So you can change a clutch, but cant change a built-in battery. Man, i feel sorry for you...

You need to learn to read.
I have also changed non serviceable batteries too, I don't see the need to pay others to do something that is simple.
Save your pity for the mirror.

 

[hat]

It's honestly not hard to change a "non-replacable" battery. All that means is it's probably stuck in the phone with a sticky pad or something under 100 torx screws with a flat ribbon cable connecting it to the mainboard.

 

[heky]

You need to learn to read.
I have also changed non serviceable batteries too, I don't see the need to pay others to do something that is simple.
Save your pity for the mirror.

Wow...you have an attitude...and you obviously missed the whole point of the thread, since that is what i have been saying all along, built-in batteries are not that hard to change...and if someone doesnt feel up to the task to do it themselves, its not that expensive either. And just so you know, i have changed my fair share of built-in batteries of phones and laptops, since i did work in that business before changeing to automotive.(Am building Turbochargers for a living at the moment - working for one of the biggest Turbocharger manufacturers in world)

 

[Komshija]

The main argument for manufacturers to implement "non-replaceable" batteries is extra profit/cheaper costs of the production. Russian guys made good videos on YT about replacing such batteries on some devices.

 

[trog100]

The main argument for manufacturers to implement "non-replaceable" batteries is extra profit/cheaper costs of the production. Russian guys made good videos on YT about replacing such batteries on some devices.

apart from that the form factor is what its about.. shaving the odd millimeter of these phones phablets and laptops seems a major selling point.. having a (user) replaceable battery isnt..

i always think 300 to 500 charge/discharge cycles as the life time of a lithium battery.. many a phone in daily use will hit these figure easily within two years.. oddly enough when these phones do fail its now called a battery fault.. he he

things that dont get used as much will have a reasonable life span before the battery wears out so will some phones but in the end it does come down to how much use a device gets..

being able to replace a battery in any decent device used to be considered a must have.. now it dosnt seem to be this way.. and its all just to make things a bit thinner.. he he

the other downside is a major one for me.. its now impossible to extend run time by carrying spare batteries.. something i consider an essentail.. maybe power banks have taken over here but i aint so sure.. they aint quite the same as quickly bunging in another charged battery..

trog

 

[heky]

apart from that the form factor is what its about.. shaving the odd millimeter of these phones phablets and laptops seems a major selling point.. having a (user) replaceable battery isnt..

i always think 300 to 500 charge/discharge cycles as the life time of a lithium battery.. many a phone in daily use will hit these figure easily within two years.. oddly enough when these phones do fail its now called a battery fault.. he he

things that dont get used as much will have a reasonable life span before the battery wears out so will some phones but in the end it does come down to how much use a device gets..

being able to replace a battery in any decent device used to be considered a must have.. now it dosnt seem to be this way.. and its all just to make things a bit thinner.. he he

the other downside is a major one for me.. its now impossible to extend run time by carrying spare batteries.. something i consider an essentail.. maybe power banks have taken over here but i aint so sure.. they aint quite the same as quickly bunging in another charged battery..

trog

Li-Po batteries, which are mostly used in built-in devices are more on 1000+ charge/discharge cycles.

Sure...haveing to either quick charge the device or charge it from a power bank is not as convenient as just replacing a battery, but think about it, how often do you really have to do that. Also, the devicess you can buy today have much longer on-battery time, than the old ones did, simply becouse of the new technology being more efficient...so the need to change the battery during the day is declining too.

 

[trog100]

Li-Po batteries, which are mostly used in built-in devices are more on 1000+ charge/discharge cycles.

Sure...haveing to either quick charge the device or charge it from a power bank is not as convenient as just replacing a battery, but think about it, how often do you really have to do that. Also, the devicess you can buy today have much longer on-battery time, than the old ones did, simply becouse of the new technology being more efficient...so the need to change the battery during the day is declining too.

1000 plus.. do you have anything to back that up with.. sounds a bit too good to be true to me.. ??

and new technology might get more efficient but any gain there will quickly be gobbled up fancy new features requiring more power..

but to me built in batteries belong with planned obsolescence and cheap disposable devices..

so far not everything comes with none user replaceable batteries but its definitely a growing trend.. to me its not a good trend and i doubt i will ever be convinced otherwise..

one other thing that has not been mentioned is the fact that these batteries simply degrade with age.. the higher level of charge they are kept at the quicker they degrade.. how quickly isnt exactly known.. at least not by me but degrade they do..

trog

ps.. i think the samsung recall was down to built in batteries.. trying to make the batteries too thin.. it would not have happened with tougher more rigid replaceable batteries..