Why Do Consumers Still Buy Removable-battery Smartphones?

By Author: Angelika Muderris
Total Articles: 13
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Everyone knows that smartphones use Lithium-ion batteries that are rechargeable. These batteries have a special feature by which they stop charging once it reaches 100 percent charge.

The reason why these batteries are used in mobile phones is because they don't get damaged if you overcharge them. You might notice that these Lithium-ion smartphone batteries come in many shapes and sizes. Some of them are thin and long while there are others that are shorter and thicker.

Today, most, if not all, phone makers have long abandoned the idea of removable batteries. However, you can still see people reminiscing about removable batteries.

What are removable battery phones and do they still exist?

What is removable battery in mobile? Removable batteries are not built into the mobile phone. They can be easily taken out and replaced by removing the back cover of your smartphone.

Most smartphones at this day and age use non-removable Lithium-ion batteries. You might be thinking, do phones with removable batteries still exist? The answer: Yes, they still exist.

The following are some ...
... of the best removable battery phones 2021:

* Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro. This rugged phone is the ideal choice for those who want a smartphone with a removable battery. This phone has IP68 water resistance, a 6.3-inch Full HD screen, Exynos 9611 chipset, 25MP camera at the back, and a removable 4,050mAh battery.
The rugged design of Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro makes it ideal for outdoor use.
* Moto E6. Referred to as the best phone with a removable battery for most people. While it is not the flashiest or the most powerful phone on the market, it has the specs you need for a reliable Android experience.
The Moto E6 has a 5.5-inch HD+ display, octa-core Snapdragon chipset, and expandable storage up to 256GB.
* LG G5. While it is an older flagship, this is still one of the most capable mobile phones that has a removable battery. It has a 5.3-inch display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, which is still plenty sharp.
The LG G5 has the Snapdragon 820 paired with 4GB of RAM, offering generous speed, and dual 16MP + 5MP rear cameras.
* Moto E6 Plus. The Moto E6 Plus is an upgraded version of the regular E6 with better specs across the board. It has 4GB of RAM instead of 2GB, 64GB of internal storage as opposed to 16GB. The Moto E6 Plus has dual rear cameras and a larger display with slimmer bezels.
* Moto E5 Play. The Moto E5 Play is one of the best budget phones on the market. Apart from having a user-replaceable battery, this mobile phone has a ton of other features that make it worth checking out.
The Moto E5 Play has a 5.2-inch HD display that looks pretty good for the price, and the Snapdragon 425, which is plenty powerful for normal apps and games. It also supports up to 256GB of expandable storage.

Why do people still buy phones with removable batteries?

Having a battery that can be removed has several advantages. The most obvious one is that you can replace the battery very easily without much effort. You just need to open the back cover, remove the old battery, and place in a new battery.

Apart from that, the following are the other benefits of removable battery in mobile:

* You can easily perform a hard reset. Do you have a frozen phone? A good way to shut off your frozen phone is to do a hard reset. Hard reset is the method by which you can reboot your mobile phone forcefully if your phone freezes and stops functioning.
The best way to do a hard reset is by removing the battery, putting it back again, and then turning on your phone again.
* You don't need to carry power banks. If your battery is removable, you can carry an extra battery or a charged spare battery with you on standby. This is much more convenient than carrying a power bank.
You see, power banks take a lot of time to charge the phone to 100 percent. You also need to charge the power bank. As such, if you have a removable battery, then you can easily swap it with a new one and you will have a 100 percent charge without wasting time. This method is a great option for emergency situations where you can't wait for your phone to charge.
* Less water damage. Did you accidentally drop your mobile phone in the water? Or your phone becomes waterlogged? Being able to open up the back of your smartphone and remove the battery can help dry off your device before any damage can be done.
You see, removing the battery and drying it can prevent any potential short circuits that can damage the entire phone. In such a situation, you should make sure to remove the battery and SIM card as quickly as possible.

How long does a non-removable battery last?

Non-removable batteries are built into the smartphone and cannot be taken out easily by removing the back cover of your mobile phone. However, contrary to its name, non-removable batteries are actually removable.

You see, these batteries can be taken out with the help of some unique tools under professional supervision. It may involve tasks such as undoing the adhesive between the screen and the phone.

As such, when the battery dies in a non-replaceable unit, the main solution is to bring it to a repair store. Another is to buy your own toolset and bust open the smartphone yourself and void the warranty in the process.

Wondering how long non-removable batteries last? The lifespan of non-removable battery is roughly two years. You see, Lithium-ion batteries generally last for 500 recharge cycles with 100 percent depth of discharge before their ability to hold a charge starts to rapidly degrade.

For refurbished phone battery life, if you bought the device from QwikFone, you will find that the battery has retained 80 percent or 90 percent of its capacity for the phone to be pristine. However, if you notice its battery draining too quickly, QwikFone can provide you with a battery replacement through its repair services.

Are you curious why there are no more new phones with removable batteries? Here are the reasons why:

* Tighter and slimmer design. Non-removable batteries don't need a back panel, which means they take up less space inside the gadget. People want smartphones made from high-quality materials and with tons of features. As such, phone manufacturers decided to give them exactly that by making smartphones thinner.
By taking the bulk down, the manufacturers will use fewer of those pricey materials, which translates to a lower cost for consumers.
* Makes waterproof phones possible. You see, the fewer places exist to potentially let water in, the easier it is to keep it out. Remember, water damage isn't covered under most warranties. It's not just water. Several smartphones are dust resistant too. Having a non-removable battery in your phone will have less tiny rocks or sand damaging the insides of your device.
* Better for your phone security. How can non-removable batteries be better for your security? In an instance someone stole your phone, the battery tucked inside your phone, it will make it harder for the thief to disable tracking features.
* More room for other stuff. Did you know that a removable battery hogs up more physical space within the already tightly-packed confines of a modern phone? You see, unlike a sealed battery, a removable battery requires an extra layer of protection to shield it from everyday impact. And so, this adds extra thickness.
On a mobile phone where every millimeter counts and can be felt in the hand, there's little competitive edge to go thicker when everyone is making their phones thinner.
As such, instead of wasting space with extra padding for the battery, smartphone designers and engineers can fit in other features such as better speakers, wireless charging, better gaskets for weather-resistance, or a fingerprint sensor on the back.
* Weird-shaped batteries. You might have noticed that removable batteries are also limited to essentially being rectangles or squares. The batteries are in these shapes for easy installation and removal. However, new phone batteries are built to squeeze more power with unconventional designs.
An example of batteries with unconventional designs are the batteries used by LG G2 which is a step battery design. Another example is the iPhone X with its L-shaped battery.

If you value other phone features more than a removable battery, then a non-removable battery is the perfect one for you. Removable batteries are the least of your concern when it comes to future phones. After all, they will be even more integrated with even more custom parts and more sealed than they are now.

Angelika Muderris is a passionate writer who heads the operations at QwikFone , A UK-based company for refurbished phones.