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.
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.