The debate about which type of battery in smartphones is better has been going on for a long time, but manufacturers still continue to release smartphones with non-removable batteries, which is inconvenient in the opinion of many. What are their differences, the pros and cons of each solution? Let's try to figure it out.

A long time ago, all smartphones came with a battery that you can take out at any time. Thanks to this, you could quickly reboot your smartphone if something went wrong or quickly replace the battery with a second, fully charged one. Or in the end, it is easy to replace an old, exhausted battery with a new one. That all changed in 2007 when Apple introduced its first iPhone.

Soon, in all fresh devices on Windows Phone and Symbian, the battery was not removable. Nokia E7, X7, Lumia 800, HTC Radar - access to the battery is closed in all these devices. However, it's not just about copying the iPhone idea and distrusting users: these batteries are in many ways better than their removable counterparts.

Looking at smartphones of each platform, the percentage of removable and non-removable batteries is approximately the same, reflecting the balance of pros and cons of each type.

Non-removable batteries (Apple iPhone, Nokia E7, X7, Lumia 800, HTC Radar)

Benefits:

batteries can be of any shape, passing between other components, which allows you to make the device more compact, and the batteries themselves - more capacious
the design of a phone with a non-removable battery is more often simpler and more reliable
the user will not be able to insert third-party batteries into the phone, which can cause damage or even fire the phone

Disadvantages:

these batteries have no alternative charging options other than via USB or the charger itself
when the capacity of the battery decreases over time, the phone has to be carried to an authorized service center and pay not only for the battery itself, but also for work on its replacement
there is no way to take a second, spare battery in case of a long trip

Traditional, removable batteries (Nokia N95, N97, E6, 808 PureView, Lumia 710, HTC HD7)

Benefits:

these batteries can be purchased relatively inexpensively, stored in pockets, and quickly replaced when needed
when the battery capacity depletes over time, you can simply throw out the old one and buy / insert a new one
in case of malfunction of the smartphone (freezes), you can remove the battery, thereby turning off the phone, and then turn it on again
3rd party batteries can provide more capacity with virtually the same dimensions and are easy to replace

Disadvantages:

since such batteries are smaller than their non-removable counterparts, their capacity is noticeably lower due to the form factor
batteries should be of standard shape for ease of installation and storage
batteries from third-party manufacturers must be selected with extreme care, as they may not provide the promised capacity and even be dangerous to use

The Department of Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina has produced a graph that is quite frightening. As the number of charge / discharge cycles of the battery increases, its voltage, capacity and performance rapidly decrease. For a year of use, the battery with a capacity of 1800mAh dropped to 1350mAh.

Of course, it also matters that the country in which the tests were carried out is known for its hot climate, and Li-Ion batteries are extremely sensitive to temperature. If the temperature stays above 30 ° C, any battery will lose some of its capacity regardless of time. Much also depends on when users charge their phones. If you charge your phone whenever you can without waiting for a big discharge, that's good. If your phone is discharged to such an extent that it literally asks for charging, the harm to the battery increases significantly.

If you add these two factors together, high temperature and deep battery discharge by the user, you get a 50% reduction in battery capacity per year, in less than 500 cycles. In this case, you may be lucky and you can replace the battery of your smartphone while still under warranty, saving money.

Let me give you my example of the catastrophic degradation of a non-removable battery: we took our Macbook to service last week, since the battery life did not exceed 10 minutes! Diagnostics showed that the number of cycles in 14 months from the date of purchase was about 600, the battery capacity dropped by 50%, and the voltage was slightly higher than the minimum required for the computer. The result was the opening of the 'sealed' Macbook and the replacement of the battery. The price is 100 euros. Not cheap.

Of course, it should have lived much longer, but my daughter almost always carried it for charging only when the battery was already completely empty. Deep discharges almost every time ...

Li-Ion batteries cannot “just work” because they are complex chemical compounds in which lithium ions float between the cathode and anode through an electrolyte. After a while, the electrodes become 'passive' and the chemical reaction can no longer function well, losing capacity and voltage. Compare that to the rest of your phone, which remains the same month after month. The case may get a little scratching, the AMOLED display will darken slightly, but the battery that is the main consumable is the fastest to become unusable. That is why you shouldn't give up using removable batteries.

However, despite all this negative, the use of non-removable batteries will not be a big problem, because an experienced user will charge the phone regularly (without waiting for discharge below 50%). With such a consumption, the number of cycles before battery degradation will increase from several hundred to several thousand.

In the hands of an enthusiast, the chances of a battery lasting more than 18 months are extremely slim. However, usually by this time the battery becomes another person's problem or the phone itself goes into a drawer.

I have smartphones that are more than five years old and therefore, before giving them to someone, I replace the battery with a new one or buy a spare one, because any device needs to be used as originally intended, and not 1/2 of the battery capacity.

It also upsets me that my iPhone, Nokia E7 or Lumia 800, despite the perfect appearance, is already using only 80% of the battery capacity, or even less, and I can not do anything about it.

What type of batteries do you prefer? What is your experience with batteries living for more than a few years?

As it turned out, the "non-removable" battery is very easy to change. It only takes a little courage and watching a couple of youtube videos.
I used to order a bunch of spare parts for electronics from Ali. We changed the glass and speaker in phones, and even the laptop screen, without paying a single ruble to the services.

The battery was packed in a standard bubble wrap. My battery link burned out,
There are slight differences in the font and the placement of the inscriptions, but, in general, everything is the same with the old battery.

To remove the back cover of the phone, you need to carefully and consistently flip off all the latches with a thin tool without damaging them. A plastic card, scalpel, or even a fingernail will do. If you have a phone repair tool, great.
The only special hardware we need is a very small square screwdriver.

If you do not have such a screwdriver, order it in advance - ali repair kits cost a penny.
This is what an old battery looks like. Soft as plasticine and pretty battered by life.

I, as a good girl, did not throw it in the trash can, but I will take it to the collection point for used batteries, and I do not advise you to pollute the environment. We cannot change the world, but we can make it a little better.
The battery came charged by as much as 54%, which surprised me a lot. Thanks to the Chinese, I also saved on charging the phone.

The mount that holds the battery is noticeably stretched, because the old one was greatly swollen. But this does not affect the fixation of a new one.

When assembling, I lost the SIM card cover, and then I was looking for it for a long time. Don't do as I do - don't drag the disassembled phone from place to place, even for a photo, and disassemble it over light paper or a large towel.

Little life hack: I really hate protective glasses and bumpers - that's not why I bought a phone with a white back panel. For two years of use, the back panel was very rubbed and scratched (I often put my phone with keys or a change), and the camera began to shoot like a cloudy three-megapixel camera. I got upset and got ready to order in China a new original socket with glass for the camera for as much as 9! dollars. But my boyfriend suggested polishing the phone with a car polish (not requiring a typewriter), and my camera takes decent photos again, and the scratches on the plastic are almost gone! A little later we will try to polish the phone with a typewriter, maybe it will be even better.

The battery began to discharge more slowly, but 2450 milliamperes is still very little. But, unfortunately, I cannot insert a more powerful one into my phone. With active use of the Internet, I put the phone down in a few hours, it gets terribly hot and glitches, and when charging, if you touch the camera with your finger, you can feel how it shocks slightly.
Eh, who would send a new phone with a cool camera for review ...

P.S. The photos in the review were taken on the Huawei ascend mate 7 phone, I apologize for their poor quality.

P.P.S. Today is my birthday, and I still haven't chosen a present. Dear readers, please advise a phone within 20-30 tr. with a good camera (for a blog). The quality of the photo saddens me so much that I even begin to look towards iPhones, although I have never had an iPhone. Are iPhone cameras as good as they say? I also thought to take a closer look at Sonya, I heard good reviews about them.
Or is it easier to buy a DSLR? A familiar photographer offered a Canon 60D "carcass" for 19,000 rubles, but it seemed to me that it was too expensive for this photo quality, especially since I also needed to buy a lens. To be honest, I know very little about this, I just want sharp photos.

The battery and its characteristics are some of the key parameters for choosing a smartphone. After all, the convenience of using the phone will depend on them. If the battery is not strong enough, then you will have to constantly charge it. That is, mobility drops, and you are constantly tied to an outlet. At the same time, if the battery has a large capacity, it increases the dimensions of the phone. Hardly anyone wants to carry a brick in their pocket. It is also important to choose between the version of the battery: removable or non-removable. Recently, more and more phones with non-removable batteries have appeared. In this article, we will talk about their pros and cons.

In the past, even before the advent of the smartphone class, almost all phones had removable batteries. However, everything changed after the appearance of the Apple iPhone on the market. After that, the number of models with a non-removable battery began to increase dramatically. Moreover, a variety of manufacturers began to produce them. Phones with a non-removable battery are presented in different price categories and operate under various operating systems (Android, Windows Phone, Symbian). If you need it, read the review here.

Why did non-removable battery phones become popular? The main impetus for development in this case was the attractive design.

The non-removable battery allows manufacturers to make the device much thinner and more attractive than phones with a removable battery. Manufacturers could not ignore this opportunity and Apple was the first to set fashion in this direction.

Let's take a closer look at all the pros and cons of smartphones with removable and non-removable batteries.

Non-removable battery phone

pros

manufacturers are given leeway in the design of the battery and the phone itself. Non-removable batteries can bend around and pass through other components of the device. As a result, they are releasing more compact smartphones with powerful batteries;
if the battery is not removable, then the design of the phone can often be made simpler and more reliable than in the case of a removable battery;
a non-removable battery acts as a "foolproof". That is, the user will not be able to install a low quality battery in the phone by mistake or inexperience. It is worth reminding that the installation of low quality lithium batteries may cause the phone to catch fire.;
the assembly of the case is performed better. In those phones where there is no removable battery, there are practically no backlashes, nothing creaks, the casing is better protected from moisture and dust.

Minuses

devices with a non-removable battery can only be charged using a standard charger or via a USB interface;
there is no possibility of using a second battery to extend the battery life. Basically, nothing prevents you from using the power bank;
if it loses a significant part of the capacity, then to replace it you will have to contact the service center.

Mobile phone with removable battery

pros

if the battery loses its capacity during operation, you can pull it out and replace it with a new one yourself;
removable batteries are inexpensive, you can purchase a spare;
you can purchase a battery from another manufacturer, which will have a larger capacity than the standard battery;
if the phone freezes, you can remove the battery and reset the settings to factory settings.

Minuses

choose third party batteries carefully. It is not enough just to choose a model with similar characteristics. You also need to carefully choose the manufacturer. We advise you to buy batteries from certified companies;
since removable batteries are limited to a specific form factor, their capacity is less than non-removable ones.

Some phone models with a non-removable battery

We can say that the fashion for non-removable batteries went with the iPhone. IPhone 6 Plus - 5.5-inch IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution. The display contrast is 1300: 1 and the brightness is 500 cd / m2. The heart of the device is the 64-bit A8 processor.

Dual-core processor with a clock speed of 1400 MHz. The PowerVR GX6650 chip is responsible for graphics processing. The amount of RAM is 1 GB. The internal memory is 16 GB.

This smartphone with a non-removable battery has a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels.

The basis of the hardware platform is the NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip with a clock frequency of 1500 MHz. It contains 4 cores ARM Cortex-A9 + 1. The volume of RAM is 1 GB, and the internal memory is 32 GB. The front and rear cameras have a resolution of 1.3 and 8 megapixels, respectively.

The operating system operating system LG Optimus Vu is Android 4.0. The non-removable battery has a capacity of 2080 mAh.

Below you can watch a video about replacing the battery on the LG Optimus Vu.

The phone is designed as a candy bar with a non-removable battery. The smartphone display has a diagonal of 4.3 inches and supports the Mobile Bravia Engine technology. The resolution is 1280 by 720 pixels. The main Xperia S has a 12MP Sony Exmor R sensor and 16x digital zoom. There is also autofocus with a choice of an object on the display, LED flash, support for face detection, scene auto selector, stabilizer, Sweep Panorama, etc.

The Xperia S has a 3.5mm headphone jack that lets you listen to FM radio and music tracks. For communication with the outside world, there are modules Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, HDMI, NFC, DLNA. Support for GLONASS is implemented, and the capacity of the non-removable battery is 1750 mAh.

Below you can watch the video on replacing the battery on the Sony Xperia S. At the same time, you can read the material about.

The display of the smartphone has a diagonal of 5.1 inches with a resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels. The hardware platform is based on the 64-bit Exynos 7420 chip. It includes four A53 and A57 cores. They operate at clock speeds up to 2100 MHz. The Mali-T760 core is responsible for graphics processing. The phone has 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM available. The internal memory can be 32, 64 or 128 gigabytes.

The smartphone runs Android 5.0.2. The front and rear cameras have a resolution of 5 and 16 megapixels, respectively. The main camera has support for OIS, True HDR, autofocus, F 1.9, Pro mode and other functionality.

There is a Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth, an infrared port for controlling appliances in the house, USB 2.0 and NFC. The non-removable lithium-ion battery has a capacity of 2550 mAh. It supports extreme power saving and fast charge in an hour.

The appearance of non-removable battery phone models marked a new milestone in the development of mobile technology. This solution allows to reduce the size and increase the overall tightness of the device, however, at the same time, difficulties arise when it becomes necessary to replace the worn out battery. In the current article, we will consider how to replace a non-removable battery in a Samsung, LG, Xiaomi and other popular brands.

Reasons for introducing non-removable batteries

A significant part of modern smartphones are protected from dust and moisture, and some are even able to survive diving to shallow depths. The introduction of such indicators required achieving a certain degree of tightness of the case, and the back cover, which opens access to the battery, has always been the weak link in the chain.

The transition to non-removable batteries made it possible to make the structure solid. In addition, the change significantly influenced the dimensions of mobile devices - they became thinner. The presence of a built-in battery allows you to vary its location and form factor. So, the iPhone 9 installed L-shaped batteries with increased capacity, without increasing the overall size of the device.

Pros and cons of a non-removable battery

The introduction of non-removable batteries comes with the following benefits:

The use of non-removable batteries is also associated with a number of disadvantages:

Smartphone models with non-removable batteries

Nowadays it is easier to name models that come with removable batteries than vice versa. Initially, a smartphone with a non-removable battery was released by Apple - again, by its designers, the trend was set for the rest of the world and other manufacturers of mobile devices in particular. This is the characteristic of the iPhone 6 Plus with 5.5-inch IPS display and all subsequent models of this smartphone.

The South Korean giant, which released the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a built-in battery, is not far behind. This model received a 5.1-inch screen and a powerful processor.

LG introduced the Optimus Vu (P895) phone to its customers, which has the same modern feature that allows you to significantly reduce dimensions. Sony's first model with a non-removable battery was the Xperia S, and HTC's was the One X. A video of the disassembly of all these devices can be found in the public domain via the Internet, and then we present generalized instructions and recommendations regarding the procedure.

How to change a non-removable battery in a smartphone

First of all, you need to figure out how the back cover is detached from the rest of the case. In some models, this will require unscrewing the bolts located on the edges, on others, it is enough to pry the joint with a thin plastic.

For further operation it is required:

Remove all extraneous elements from the phone: SIM cards, memory cards, plugs for connectors.

Detach the rear cover.
Examine the inside of the smartphone, which is accessible after removing the cover. Depending on the model, a cover plate may be present here. If so, it is removed by unscrewing the mounting screws. You may need a screwdriver with a specific shape that is different from a Phillips or flathead.

The next step in the instructions on how to remove the non-removable battery in the phone is to determine where the cable is attached. This is necessary in order not to damage the wiring contacts at the time of removal.
The battery is now disconnected from the case. Often, it is planted on an adhesive base, which requires a careful procedure. Use a plastic scraper and detach all sides of the battery step by step.
The loop is disconnected and a new battery is connected.

Many modern devices are appreciated not only for their functionality, but also for their elegant design. Sometimes, in order to create a gadget with a more interesting appearance, you have to change some design features. This is how the first non-removable battery appeared. In fact, it is the same lithium battery as the removable one. D the main difference is that it is not intended for self-replacement by the ownerphone ... Pioneers in the use of similar power supplies became Apple, whose marketing policy is quite consistent with the installationnon-removable devices to a smartphone.

Comparison of removable and non-removable batteries

It would be wrong to say that now every mobile phone is equipped with a similar battery, everything depends only on the manufacturer. In terms of functionality, that is, capacity, operating time in different modes and reliability, non-removable batteries do not differ from their “readily available” counterparts. For comparison, you can take two models produced by Samsung and have approximately the same market value.

The J5 Prime is the only smartphone in the Galaxy series to come with a replaceable battery. The manufacturer's declared characteristics: 54 hours of audio playback, ~ 12 hours of video playback, 16 hours of talk time in the GSM network.

Other phones in this series are equipped with non-removable batteries. Declared characteristics: 71 hours of music, 17 hours of video, 21 hours of talk when using a GSM connection.

There is a difference, but it is not critical, especially since the Samsung J5 is equipped with a slightly more powerful power supply - 3100 mAh versus 2400 mAh in the J5 Prime.

Pros and cons

In order to choose the most suitable option correctly, you need to understand exactly what are the pros and cons of non-removable batteries in your phone.

It's worth starting with the pros:

Despite the fact that this is more a design decision than a technical one, the installation of a battery that the user cannot replace on his own is a kind of "Foolproof" ... The fact is that not all power supplies on the market belong to equally conscientious manufacturers, and not every smartphone owner bothers to find a new battery that is ideally suited to it. From this point of view, non-removable batteries protect the gadget from the consequences of working with an unsuitable device.
The creation of a one-piece case, the lid of which is not intended for constant opening, allowed protect internal mechanisms from dust, dirt and accidental moisture.
A few more positive aspects are related to the design of the phones. Using a non-removable battery allows the production of thinner models with a back wall made of any material.
Finally, assembling the gadget is made more enjoyable. Nothing to creak and move , and the problem with the breakage of the back cover retaining device disappeared safely.

Phones equipped with non-removable batteries have several disadvantages.

The first and most important is the main design feature, that is, the impossibility of replacing the power source, since it is:

does not allow the use of spare batteries;
makes it problematic to dry a phone in water;
does not make it possible to independently replace an aged and lost battery capacity.

In the modern world, all these problems (with the exception of drowning the device) already have one or another solution. Instead of a spare battery, you can get it, which is an excellent portable charger. Modern gadgets have time to become obsolete in 1.5 - 2 years, and during this time a non-removable power source is unlikely to have time to wear out so much.

There are only two unresolved minuses left:

The first one - the impossibility of forced reboot of the smartphone, if there is some kind of "glitch", and the power button does not respond.
Second - situations when a large amount of water has got into the gadget and you need to understand how to effectively dry it.

How to reanimate a drowned man?

Usually the first tip in this case is to turn off the power source immediately. How do you dry a phone with non-removable batteries?

First, about what you should definitely not do. Drying your phone with a hair dryer or similar device that generates hot air is a great method to ensure that your lithium battery is used up. Using a vacuum cleaner to blow out moisture will also fail.

There is only one option left. You can dry the non-removable battery with rice or silica gel. To do this, you need to pour the adsorbent into the bag, put the phone there and tie it tightly. It is advisable to keep an eye on the phone, wiping off any moisture that has come through every hour if necessary.

How to turn off the phone if it freezes

How to turn off a phone with a non-removable battery if it suddenly freezes and refuses to execute user commands? If a smartphone has a removable battery, then there is no problem: you just need to remove it and insert it back. When the battery is not removable, and you have to deal with it for the first time, you get a feeling of confusion: a person simply does not know what to do. It's great that there are several simple ways to solve this problem.

If your Apple phone is frozen , you need to hold down two buttons simultaneously for a few seconds: Home and the start (power) button. This activates the fast reboot process while saving all the necessary data. There is no reset of the current settings: perhaps this is the best way of all that can be applied.
What to do if your Sony smartphone freezes? The presence of a removable cover in many models of phones from this company allows you to solve the problem using the Power off button. It needs to be squeezed with something thin and held for a few seconds. If Sony does not remove the lid, this is also not a bad option: in order for the phone to start rebooting, pull up the volume button while pressing the power button. The device should turn off immediately.
What to do when HTC smartphone freezes? Here, too, everything is extremely simple and accessible: there are two ways to solve the problem. The first is to hold down the power button before the device starts to reboot. The second - just like in the case of Sony, the lid of which is not removable - hold the volume up, simultaneously with the power button of the device.
How to turn off a phone with a non-removable battery if it's a Samsung? It will be enough just to hold the power button for 10-20 seconds until vibration appears inside the device. This means that the reboot has begun and there is nothing more to worry about.

What if you have a different phone model? The same as with the others: also hold the power button until the device starts rebooting, and if this does not help, we work with the volume and power buttons, while holding them down until the smartphone starts to reboot.

Both battery types have objective advantages. Removable allows the owner to customize the gadget for themselves, but also requires responsibility and ability to handle technology. Fixed - an excellent choice for a person who wants to buy and use without delving into technical difficulties.