Smartphones: Detachable vs built-in batteries?

Franzel2oo Level 1

November 25, 2018, 4:00 am

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Smartphones: Detachable vs built-in batteries?

I remember back when you could take out your smartphone battery at any moment of your choosing. This used to be a very handy way to fix phone freezes (at least temporarily) and a fast way to get your phone to cool off when it got too hot.

Then came the new generation smartphones with the batteries built and locked in. Needless to say you can't take the battery out in case of a phone freeze. You will simply have to wait it out and hope it unfreezes, or wait till the battery runs out.

If the newer models of smartphones had detachable batteries, would you go for it, or stick with the built-in battery models?

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amelia88

amelia88

I miss the days of detachable batteries because of that reason you mentioned - when phones freeze! Back in the day you used to just be able to take out the battery and start from scratch. You could also have multiple charged batteries so if you were out and about you had a backup if you really chewed through an entire battery.

6 years ago

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Barida

Barida

There are also great benefits of using inbuilt battery and as you can see, you will always get to enjoy some good times as long as you are making use of a nice phone that has got a good battery as well.

6 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

I also do the same thing when my phone hangs. But with today's phone, that would not be possible anymore giving me no choice but to visit a phone repair shop. You also have a point of bringing extra batteries when you are going outside. That's the good side of having detachable batteries.

6 years ago

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allyn2017

allyn2017

True, sometimes I just wait until the battery drains and turn it on after I charge it.

6 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

Well, that's a lot of patience of yours. I could not wait for the battery to drain. I'll definitely look for a way to restart my phone when it hangs.

6 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

That is the very hassle that my old phone did not give me. How much I missed my old phone. I switched because I thought that it is starting to hang a little too often. But when I switched phones, and the new phone starts to hang too, the battery is not there for me to detach. Really really miss those old days.

6 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

I miss my old phone too. I am now using a built in battery phone and sometimes, I'm having a hard time when it hangs because I cannot remove the battery.

6 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

Yeah, and all that is left to do is to wait for it to run out of battery. It takes a lot of patience. But I do think I should take it to a service center since it is still covered in warranty. I just hate the thought of handing over my phone with all my personal files in it.

6 years ago

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Alymae

Alymae

True. I still remember I have two batteries before since powerbanks are still not in the market. I like it detachable because when my phone heats up I just pull the battery out and when it hangs, I just do the same. I actually like it than my new phone now.

6 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

That's very keen of you to mention. I've also found it really helpful to carry extra batteries so that there would be no charging time needed. I simply had to replace it with a fully charged one. Much faster than using a charger or power bank.

6 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

Too bad that warranty is limited when it comes to phones. There is a short panic attack that I feel whenever my phone will suddenly hang. Bringing it in a service shop will cost you money, but if you a detachable battery, you can just remove it and put it back again then give it a go again. I hope things could be simplier like before.

6 years ago

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Wenkx03

Wenkx03

I agree with you. Also when your phone don't turn on. You have this trick to shock the circuit of your phone. You detached the battery then connect the charger before putting you battery. It really helps me a lot back then.

6 years ago

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knnon

knnon

Today's solution to a phone hang is holding down the power button along with the volume up or down key. At least for an HTC that trick works very well. I'm not sure about other phones though. The phone I use now doesn't hang at all and I haven't encountered any problems with considering it's a cheap China phone.

6 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

I still have a detachable battery. So I guess I'm lucky in that regard. It's probably the company's way of selling more of their phones. Because you'd have to buy new gadgets each time the battery fails.

6 years ago

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Alymae

Alymae

Yep. I have this old phone and I want to buy a battery for it. The shop owner said that it is no longer available. It was such a pity because I like that phone. I would continue using it even if it is an old model.

6 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

It's really a secret marketing strategy. They want us to keep buying their phones. Especially, the newer models. By making the batteries non-removable, we have no choice but to consider buying a new phone. And by then, we're more likely to opt for the latest models.

6 years ago

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Enyi

Enyi

This is the whole essence of a detachable battery which I like so much one can actually have 2_4 batteries which one can be changing it when the other dies. Inbuilt in battery isnt just for me.

6 years ago

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knnon

knnon

Its easier to replace batteries back then as it didn't require a technician to do it. Now you'll need someone to take your phone apart for you and hope that they piece it back together perfectly. I wish they'd make phones with detachable batteries again. The reason they probably made it built in is to make it more water resistant. It's just a guess.

6 years ago

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Janie1994

Janie1994

Personally, I prefer the built-in battery. There's a lot of dangerous chemicals and matters in smartphones and I would rather not be able to ever encounter them Plus by putting the battery in the phone and not having it be detachable, the phone companies have more space to work with when it comes to fittign everything in the phone.

6 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I’ve often heard about smartphone batteries exploding (the built in kind)...I remember Samsung had a big issue a few years ago with their Galaxy smartphones exploding constantly - it was a manufacturing fault I believe. I guess nothing is completely safe, even built in batteries.

6 years ago

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Janie1994

Janie1994

That was Samsung's own fault for their design faults. Its basically the same as that hoverboard that started exploding. It also happens when people treat their phones poorly i.e. leaving it on their beds to charge, storing it in an area that's too hot, or some other type of misuse.

6 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I see! I didn't know it was a design fault but that's very interesting - I am sure that when that started happening Samsung had to re-evaluate and fix the problem to ensure it wouldn't keep on occurring.

6 years ago

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Alymae

Alymae

True. I have a friend who had this problem before. Her Samsung phone overheated. She was lucky it did not explode like the other phones of Samsung. As of now, she is no longer using the Samsung brand. The experienced gave her a fright.

6 years ago

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allyn2017

allyn2017

That's a really good point. I haven't thought of that. So basically, it is more environmental? Since people won't change batteries often when they have built-in batteries?

6 years ago

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Janie1994

Janie1994

Honestly, no. Smartphones, all smartphones rely on minerals which are not only expectionally dangerous to mine, also contribute heavily to deforestion and the contamination of water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Most companies have conflict-free policies for minerals but it's very difficult to enforce them. Most detachable-batteries belong to non-smart phones which means they use less minerals BUT those battery packs that people like to replace more regualrly can be as bad or worse for the environment since batteries hold dangerous chemicals and if disposed of improperly, can cause serious environmental harm. TL;DR Everything is terrible, but if you want to get down to the final detail smartphones might be slightly more environmentally friendly but its a major if.

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

I think built-in batteries are more durable and can last longer than detachable ones. Anyway, let me just share this, I miss the old days when you can just automatically take the battery out of the phone if something bad happens like sending a text message to the wrong recipient, it was the best and easiest thing to do. Lol.

6 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

This made me laugh out loud because I totally used to to this! These days without being able to take out the battery you’re just left in a state of panic if you send a message to the wrong person!

6 years ago

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Franzel2oo

Franzel2oo

Lol. I particularly remember doing this one time. The details are embarassing so I'll spare you them. But this is also one great advantage to having detachable batteries. They're absolutely convenient to manage.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I always prefer devices with an interchangeable power source, in this case smartphone batteries. I normally have a spare battery for my basic phone and smartphone, it comes in handy at times to have a fully charged spare battery along with a power bank.

6 years ago

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edencaga

edencaga

There can be a positive side in detaching batteries but I'm too lazy to remove battery or place it so I prefer built in batteries. I think people who created batteries found ways not to easily empty the battery that's why they invent the built in batteries.

6 years ago

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Barida

Barida

The inbuilt battery of the phones that I have used have made me agree that making use of such phone is always a great choice. You can't just believing what this kind of device can do when it comes to a nice performance.

6 years ago

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focusedwriter10

focusedwriter10

The performance is okay, but in case the phone hangs, you might everything in your device. Restarting is an issue, and some actually format while restarting.

6 years ago

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Alymae

Alymae

True. This happened to me! Ugh. My phone was reformated. I got really angry I throw my phone, lucky that it landed on my bed

. Restarting is an issue with this type of phone.

6 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

Some experts said that built in batteries are much safer than the detachable ones. But I would still prefer the detachable batteries. So that whenever my phong hangs, I could remove the battery to restart it unlike built in batteries that I have to wait for it to respond again.

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

We share the same sentiments. Sometimes, when my phone hangs, I just wish that I could just remove the battery, so I could restart it just like the old times.

6 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

I usually got irritated whenever my phone hangs before and the only solution that I could do for it to restart and function again is to detach the battery and put it again. But it seems impossible to do that anymore since I already have a built in battery phone.

6 years ago

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Franzel2oo

Franzel2oo

I like expert advice. But I like devices that work to my preference as well. All devices could falter at one point, but that often depends on how you handle them. I used to do just fine with my phones and their detachable batteries. I could do fine much longer with them still and be safe.

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

I agree with you. No matter what type of device there is, as long as you use it properly, it wouldn't malfunction easily.

6 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

My smartphone is old and has a battery you can take out and replace. While it is a nuisance when you drop the thing and the battery falls out, I prefer to know I can change the battery for a new one if the battery fails. It seems a false advantage to have a built in battery.

6 years ago

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Franzel2oo

Franzel2oo

Exactly. A false advantage really. I once had a friend who had to wait more than half a day for his phone to unfreeze. If he had a detachable battery, that phone freeze would have been a quick fix.

6 years ago

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esteban123

esteban123

I still prefer those smartphone that have detachable batteries because they are good whenever I am experiencing some lag or hang on it, I can easily remove the battery out so that the lagging that I am experiencing should be taken off right away.The good thing here is that we can easily replace our old batteries whenever it is detachable unlike in the other ones that the while smartphone might be replaced which would only means a greater cost to incur.

6 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

That's another really good point - it was so much cheaper buying extra detachable batteries than it was replacing an entire phone. These days if something messes up with an inbuilt battery you basically have to replace the whole thing and that can be super pricey.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Detachable batteries are better because in the event the battery becomes weak and old, i can always buy a new one which lasts longer.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I do agree with you that Smartphones with detachable batteries are better because whenever the phone hangs, you only have to take the battery out and this would reboot it and fix the problem. The latest smartphones have fixed batteries and this makes it very inconvenient to reboot whenever it hangs or freezes because you need to wait until the battery loses its charge or you have to do a reboot procedure in which you stick a needle to a little hole in your phone and press a combination of keys to reboot it.

6 years ago

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Bravosi

Bravosi

I'd go for detachable batteries option, as it's easier to maintain them and fix them when needed. If a smartphone with a built in battery dies or something happens, you'll have to bring it to some technician to fix it for you, while with a detachable you can practically buy a new one and be done with it.

6 years ago

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knnon

knnon

I miss the power we have over our phone when the batteries were detachable. These days it's hard to do anything about your phone freezing as you can't take out the battery anymore. Come to think of it, it's also tedious to have to take out the battery if you needed to change sim card or remove your micro SD. But even with that minor nuisance it's still better to have the option to take a battery out. So it's a detachable for me!

6 years ago

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nrnlss

nrnlss

True, and when you have issues with your bats you just have to buy one and put it yourself. Now you if your phone has built-in bats you have to pay expensive charges just to exchange it's battery.

6 years ago

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knnon

knnon

Exactly! Detachable batteries are inexpensive and so easy to buy, with built in ones you need to find a legit shop that sells an original and you'll need to have someone else to put it in place and it doesn't come cheap. It's ridiculous really how much we need to spend on a battery replacement just because a phone needs to be disassembled before you can replace it.

6 years ago

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gutzman

gutzman

I do agree with your point. The phones with detachable batteries is easier to maintain compared to built in ones. Built in battery phones are more costly because you have to pay for the service of opening your phone and for the new battery. On the other hand, detachable ones' battery could be replace by buying a new battery and you can attach it yourself.

6 years ago

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nrnlss

nrnlss

That's my biggest issue actually, my last phone has built-in battery and I had issue with the battery now when I ask how much would it cost it is so expensive so I have no choice but to buy new one. It was really a waste of money, because it is still good just have some battery issues.

6 years ago

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esteban123

esteban123

I am very happy that my smartphone that I am using right now has a detachable batteries which is very easy for me to fixed whenever I am experiencing some problems with it. I don't want to have those smartphones that do't have a detachable batteries because I don't have the money to go to the nearest cellphone repair shop to pay for the expensive repairs for just a very simple error on our smartphones.

6 years ago

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nrnlss

nrnlss

You are lucky, what's the brand of your phone? I have noticed that almost all of the brands now have built in batteries phone.

6 years ago

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nrnlss

nrnlss

My current smartphone and the smartphone before this has a built in battery, it is really hard because if the battery malfunction you can't just buy one, unlike detachable batteries. Actually that was the issue in my last phone, the battery.

6 years ago

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Franzel2oo

Franzel2oo

See, this is one of the reasons why I'm tempted to think the built-in batteries has a profit angle to it. A bad battery before meant yiu could just buy a new one. Now, a bad battery means you buy a new phone. Who needs to sell only a battery when they can sell a new phone altogether?

6 years ago

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nrnlss

nrnlss

Yes, I think it's their market strategy. They'll have more phone sales, because of it.

6 years ago

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agbuyarashel

agbuyarashel

I never had a gadget with a built-in batteries because I'm scared. I feel like it should nit be like that hahah.
I have a friend and she own a samsung tablet with built-in batteries and she can't do anything when it lags or hangs because the battery canno't be detached. And so, she waits for the battery to get drained because it automatically turns off. She'll charge ut and open again. It's such a hassle.
i would not want to do that.

6 years ago

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romyter013

romyter013

I choose the built in batteries. Before i used to buy like 3 extra batteries in case i get low battery outside. Now we just need to buy the right charger for our phone an we can connect this to any port. Can be from the mall, restaurant or from our laptop. So to make sure that I wont get low battery again because I need to check all the time my emails through my phone is to buy a good quality and high maH power bank for charging anytime I want.

6 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

I think phone developers and manufacturers have their reason of making phones with built in batteries. As our mobile phones develop, they put more functions. Those functions add extra loads that needs electric supply. Thus the constant need to upgrade our batteries to accommodate the need for a higher supply. But if you put a higher supply, you would have to put a complicated cooling system to regulate the heat by-product during the process. (you might notice that your phones heat up when you use heavy ram games or open multiple applications at the same time). These complicated cooling systems are very important to phones with higher battery usage since without them, then there is the high risk of phones malfunctioning or even worse exploding. (Cases of phone exploding have scattered all over the news just years ago). To prevent consumers from accidentally damaging the cooling systems of the more advance-but-needs a higher battery out put phones, they made phones with built-in batteries.

6 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

I prefer the detachable battery ones
Tho's built-in permanently are not what I like. Like you said, you cannot remove them when they overhat
you cannot replace them when thy expire too

6 years ago

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nrnlss

nrnlss

Yes, and it is dangerous because it ks detach to the phone and when it has defect, you can't change it by yourself.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

I think having a phone where the battery can be accessed and removed by anyone with the proper schematics is very dangerous. Built in battery phones are the best for that reason.

6 years ago

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Bravosi

Bravosi

But what will you do, should the battery inside that phone die? It will be a problem to switch it and buy a new one yourself. You have a point about the battery being removed by ANYONE, but yet again, if they got their hands on that battery, then your phone is a goner as well by that time.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

I'd get a new phone in such a situation. Or take it to a shop where a professional can open up the phone, and replace the battery. As for the previous scenario I mentioned, not just thieves or bad guys could swipe a phone and remove the battery, but what about small children or teenagers? People who have a full house or are at family gatherings where there are many children present, the last thing you want is for one of them to get access to your battery and swallow, damage or end up losing it somewhere.

6 years ago

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anyone01

anyone01

In case you intend to kee a device for longer period then a replaceable battery is a great choice, as Lithium batteries have a tendency to lose maintaining capacity over the duration of use. However typically I havent found any prob in non removeable batteries, rapid charging has turn out to be a not unusual feature in devices, so whenever yiu are out of juice just recharge and it recharges really quickly.

6 years ago

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esteban123

esteban123

@nrnlss I am just using an old and ordinary smartphone that was issued to me by the company that I am working for, I am using now a Star mobile phone which is a simple smartphone with has some normal features. Even though it is not one of the best smartphone out there I am already satisfied with it as long as I can easily detached the battery whenever I am experiencing some problems with it.

6 years ago

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vinaya

vinaya

I use a phone with detachable battery. Perhaps, I am old fashion as I am thinking to upgrade my phone. The only device with non-detachable battery that I have used is iPod. I did not like the fixed battery. When the device heated due to excessive use and shut down suddenly, I had to wait the device to cool down. One of he benefits of using detachable battery is you can replace the battery if the battery back up does not last long.

6 years ago

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mark8625

mark8625

I am currently using a mobile which its battery is built in. I dont have problem about it so far. I think they invented it for a good purpose and that purpose works for me so much.

6 years ago

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jpk0007

jpk0007

That is very true, I certainly miss my phones with the detachable batteries. It was very convenient to remove the battery whenever the phone froze. Also when you have a detachable battery you can always carry a spare battery with you and use it whenever you required it. However, the phones with built-in batteries are more advanced and they get charged very quickly as compared to the detachable batteries. I would surely have preferred a phone with all the modern features like fast charging with a detachable battery.

6 years ago

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esteban123

esteban123

I agree with @vinaya that is why I still prefer the detachable batteries of a mobile because I can easily replaced my battery whenever I am experiencing some problems with it and can easily cool down my battery whenever it gets very hot due to excessive use since I am really using my phone for a longer period of time which is something that I really taking care about.

6 years ago

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focusedwriter10

focusedwriter10

I have had smartphones with inbuilt and detachable batteries. From the experience, I prefer smartphones with detachable batteries.

6 years ago

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rlpzbeermoney

rlpzbeermoney

We are out of luck. Detachable batteries on smartphones are a extinct breed now. Only the cheap Chinese phones have them now. I'd rather go with Built-in batteries to be honest. The purpose of using detachable batteries is to prolong the life of your smartphone. Reaching the 2 year mark, your phone's batteries will probably be not the same brand new. Most people just upgrade to the next time since even the performance of the phone has deteriorated already. Even if I put a brand new battery in it, it would still feel unlike brand new.

6 years ago

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rose61

rose61

I've never used a smartphone with a built-in battery. I use a detachable one which can be replaced if it becomes less reliable. I can also have several batteries in case one runs out. When the phone hangs,I kicksrart it by means of removing the battery and it works well.

6 years ago

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mosesoscar

mosesoscar

I remember when I newly acquired my Tecno Pop1,which has a detachable battery, and while reading the manual I read it is not advicable to forcefully detach the battery, as that has the potential of damaging the phone. But a time came when the phone froze, and due to impatience I"forcefully" detached the battery, and on oning it back again I noticed my data connection has one faulty; at that instant I wished the phone's battery wasn't detachable, as if it was I wouldn't have had tp detach the battery. I therefore belive that phone manufacturers know best when they decided to come up with phones whose batteries are not detachable.

6 years ago

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davedaot04

davedaot04

If only these new generation phones have detachable battery then I would save money and spend every penny on it. Built-in batteries today are hard to get replace and costs a lot if possible, depends on the phone.

6 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

I know, right? Well, that's their new marketing tactic. You have to buy new phones when something goes wrong with the battery. I think that's how they sell more of their gadgets nowadays. I miss having extra batteries.

6 years ago

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burgosmichael24

burgosmichael24

I still prefer detachable battery than the built-in one. Sometimes I get stressed when my phone lag or freeze and because of that detachable battery are better for me.

6 years ago

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mhingnhormz

mhingnhormz

Smartphones: Detachable vs Built in batteries: In terms of smartphone i will do for built in now because of my experience. I use smartphone before which the battery is detachable and I am dissapointed on it, the battery can easily be damage i need to charge i everytime i use my data , and when i replace it a new one my phone got stuck and can"t open anymore.

6 years ago

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ivandelrey

ivandelrey

I think I want detachable batteries because right now my phone badly needs a battery replacement but there's no Apple Store near me. I contacted Apple about this and it looks like I don't have any other choice but to have it replaced on an unauthorized store. So yes, I prefer detachable batteries but probably expensive because well... APPLE.

6 years ago

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JBeleren

JBeleren

The design of smartphones nowadays is the main reason why all of the companies use built in battery. The trend right now is to have a big screen but a slim and thin body and putting in a non removable battery would mean they don't need to put a back plate which then gives them more freedom in making the design slimmer. If they would go back to having removable batteries on phones I would definitely go choose that over the non-removable ones.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I have 2 Smartphones, one has a detachable battery which is an older model and serves as my backup phone and the other a newer, more powerful smartphone which has a built in battery. What I noticed is everytime my older 1GB Ram Smartphone freezes, I would just take out the batteries and reinsert it and press the on button then the phone would be good again. On the other hand when my 3GB Ram Smartphone freezes, I would wait until the screen moves again, which takes a long time, or I would wait for the battery to run out, or I'll do a hard reset which is also time consuming. I really don't understand why smartphones with built in batteries were not equipped with an easy reset button.

6 years ago

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