Removable battery - another reason why it's a good thing.

[Grench]

Samsung created, IMHO, a near perfect smart phone in the Note 7. My main gripe and reason for not buying one is the non-replaceable battery. I'm still using a Note 3, which IMHO is still the best stylus equiped smart phone ever made - so far. The Note 7 Vs Note 3 trades water resistance for a removable battery. The Note 4 and 5 were both steps backwards from USB3, removable battery, and the removal of several sensors present in the Note 3. It amazes me how new phones lacking the feature sets of the previous generation are generally accepted - is it simply because they are 'new'?

https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/02/samsung-recalls-the-galaxy-note-7-amid-battery-fears/

Anyway, I'm thrilled that the Pyra is going to be modular and user serviceable - including the battery.

 

[ible]

i suspect most people expect to upgrade their phones (at least) every two years, so they don't care if they need a new battery then.

 

[Grench]

Phone prices are somewhat akin to the cost of a new major appliance (clothes washer, refrigerator, etc...)

Is it wrong to expect them to be durable and servicable?

I guess I'm alone in thinking that an $850 device (the price for a Note 7 off contract) should not be constructed to be inherently 'disposable'.

 

[ible]

 

[drock]

unfortunately new business models for electronic devices don't really plan on long term use. phones, desktops, laptops are all becoming harder to work on and manufacturers just want us to buy a new one. I do IT and personally only use ivy/sandy bridge hp probooks still due to their ease of repairability and power. You are not alone I feel the exact same way.

 

[ekianjo]

Samsung created, IMHO, a near perfect smart phone in the Note 7. My main gripe and reason for not buying one is the non-replaceable battery. I'm still using a Note 3, which IMHO is still the best stylus equiped smart phone ever made - so far. The Note 7 Vs Note 3 trades water resistance for a removable battery. The Note 4 and 5 were both steps backwards from USB3, removable battery, and the removal of several sensors present in the Note 3. It amazes me how new phones lacking the feature sets of the previous generation are generally accepted - is it simply because they are 'new'?

Nothing even remotely new, Samsung has been removing the removable battery function since the Galaxy S5

 

[Silent-Hunter]

At least the Galaxy Grand Prime still has a removable battery.

 

[levi]

And at least the Pyra does too!

 

[diligentcircle]

It's planned obsolescence, and it's a problem. Hopefully EOMA will help solve it in the long-term. But I don't see what the story about explosive batteries has to do with this. The batteries being removable wouldn't have made them less faulty, and you can't exactly continue to use a phone that has been partially burned by even a removable faulty battery. (I guess they would be able to recall just the batteries from those who had not suffered from explosions, but what difference would it make? You still need a battery to use it., so you're still waiting for the replacement battery.)

 

[kuru]

Still happy with the Note 3, just recently replaced the battery. Wouldn't want to miss out on that feature. And there's nothing cool on the newer models, except maybe gear VR compatibility - which is a novelty toy. I'm even using the old n900 from time to time, it's just easier to carry in some situations. And it does have that uniquely glorious resistive screen, that makes it as good, if not better than the active digitizer. There I go again, gushing about old Nokias. Ah the times when stuff was considered 'smart' and still managed to have buttons.

 

[ible]

well, planned obsolescence makes sense as a business model right now, at least for tech. everybody wants the latest cool gadget, so they'll want to replace it anyway. it's even being hinted at by Pyra and EOMA people (upgradeable CPU modules), to allay at least some left-behind fears.

maybe the problem is we're looking too much at specs and not at doing more efficient algorithms; we're rewarding lazier code development just because it's easier.

there was a book i was supposed to read in German class in high school (i think), "Als ich ein kleiner Junge war", though it was pretty tough (didn't have a very good vocabulary back then, still don't). the author's father IIRC was a leather-maker, and his stuff was so well made that it didn't wear out, and so he had very few repeat customers. the cheaper stuff down the alley wore out, and people came back to get fixes and more, since it was cheaper; the boy's father drove himself out of business because he was too skilled at making things last.

but there are people who are willing to pay for long-lasting, good quality stuff. just maybe not a lot who are also interested in linux and general purpose computing...

 

[levi]

I remember being told in school that nobody would make an everlasting light bulb, for similar reasons. That hasn't stopped manufacturers first coming up with CFL bulbs and now LED bulbs. If this continues, we'll be passing our light bulbs down to our children.

 

[_jr_]

I don't know whether semiengineering.com is a reputable source, but browsing there seems to indicate that with currently available process technology we've reached a point where faster stuff will also become more expensive. If true that would be a significant change .and may increase the market for durable gadgets.

 

[fusion_power]

Such an expensive Smartphone and no replacable/removable battery? -Fail! Who designs this crap and who buys it?

 

[Alperoot]

IMO, this is the only reason for removable batteries : faulty batteries and boot loops. I honestly don't think privacy exist in the world we live after I saw some examples.

 

[diligentcircle]

IMO, this is the only reason for removable batteries : faulty batteries and boot loops. I honestly don't think privacy exist in the world we live after I saw some examples.

That's not true. All batteries degrade over time and eventually become completely useless. Lithium-Ion batteries, in particular, lose a huge chunk of their capacity after only a couple of years.

 

[Alperoot]

i suspect most people expect to upgrade their phones (at least) every two years, so they don't care if they need a new battery then.

Oh rly? Every two years? Because when a new iPhone comes out, my friends suddenly become tempted to buy it

Edit: Btw, is it possible to flash ubuntu touch on an Android phone, or in this case, Note 7?

 

[Plume]

Edit: Btw, is it possible to flash ubuntu touch on an Android phone, or in this case, Note 7?

Yes. No. Maybe. It depends how your phone's drivers are organized.

 

[Kippykip]

Yet I've gone through 3 Galaxy S4 Batteries in it's lifetime. On the 4th battery now so far so good.
But I couldn't imagine buying a $700 phone only for the battery to puff up/explode with no easy way to replace it.

 

[Klumpen]

I remember being told in school that nobody would make an everlasting light bulb, for similar reasons. That hasn't stopped manufacturers first coming up with CFL bulbs and now LED bulbs. If this continues, we'll be passing our light bulbs down to our children.

This would be really awesome.
Hopefully my LED bulbs last that long.