Regulations approved by the European Council now mandate that companies, including Apple, must ensure that batteries in the iPhone and other products are replaceable by users.
My first waterproof smartphone was a Motorola Defy+ from, I think, 2011. Dustproff, submersible, hardened. I put it through it’s paces, too, it got absolutely battered and I regularly filmed underwater with it.
The battery was removable behind a panel on the back that could be opened with a single sliding clip. It took far longer for the phone to boot up than it did to actually swap the battery and no tools were needed.
How often are you throwing your phone in the ocean? Perhaps try not doing that, and you’ll find that “fully waterproof” is completely unnecessary. Mediocre water resistance will protect most consumer electronics from damage up to 30 feet deep, and unless you’re trying to FaceTime your mom while on a scuba dive, you will not encounter a use case where “fully waterproof” would have made the difference. Basic electronics care will cover keeping the phone away from water, and any water found in the home that it may be accidentally dropped in won’t be deep enough or high pressure enough to penetrate a properly sealed battery door.
Couldn’t you say the same thing about your battery? Take care of it and it will last? I’ve only needed to replace one ever–and it was faulty and covered under warranty…
Except it won’t. The battery will fail, sooner or later. A splash of water will not materialize out of thin air around the phone. Yes, accidents happen, but the battery doesn’t even need an accident to fail, only the passage of time.
How can it stay fully waterproof?
Water resistant: By being negligibly more expensive to properly engineer and build
Fully Waterproof: By being a fair bit more expensive to properly engineer and build
In both cases, the cost is reasonably tiny, compared to the markup of the price on the actual cost
Yes but how do you properly seal the phone without stuck components?
With gasket. We’ve been sealing most things for centuries without using a glue-in option. Usually because things need to be serviced.
Exactly this.
My first waterproof smartphone was a Motorola Defy+ from, I think, 2011. Dustproff, submersible, hardened. I put it through it’s paces, too, it got absolutely battered and I regularly filmed underwater with it.
The battery was removable behind a panel on the back that could be opened with a single sliding clip. It took far longer for the phone to boot up than it did to actually swap the battery and no tools were needed.
Samsung Galaxy S5 was already reasonably water resistant (IP67). The back had a seal around the battery. See this article for the details: https://www.anandtech.com/show/7942/galaxy-s5-followup
It’s something that’s already been done in many devices. Many old devices too. What do you think the issue will be?
Gaskets, yes. See any wrist watch (except smartwatch) serviced or battery replaced. Very sensitive things that claim water resistance.
How often are you throwing your phone in the ocean? Perhaps try not doing that, and you’ll find that “fully waterproof” is completely unnecessary. Mediocre water resistance will protect most consumer electronics from damage up to 30 feet deep, and unless you’re trying to FaceTime your mom while on a scuba dive, you will not encounter a use case where “fully waterproof” would have made the difference. Basic electronics care will cover keeping the phone away from water, and any water found in the home that it may be accidentally dropped in won’t be deep enough or high pressure enough to penetrate a properly sealed battery door.
Couldn’t you say the same thing about your battery? Take care of it and it will last? I’ve only needed to replace one ever–and it was faulty and covered under warranty…
Except it won’t. The battery will fail, sooner or later. A splash of water will not materialize out of thin air around the phone. Yes, accidents happen, but the battery doesn’t even need an accident to fail, only the passage of time.