this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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In my experience, batteries start to deteriorate after about two years or so.
Consider buying a phone which lets you change the battery considerably easy. I watch teardown videos of phones before i buy one to compare the process and the likeliness of me breaking something in the process. Of course not everyone is going to do this, but you could ask a friend to do it (i changed batteries for phones of at least 3 or 4 people by now).
I'd say that's only half the problem. While ease of disassembly is a factor I'd personally consider when buying a phone, I feel like the more difficult part is finding a good quality battery replacement. For the most popular phones (Galaxy S series, iPhones, and a few others) you can probably find a battery at a reputable site like iFixit, otherwise you're stuck with ordering something that supposedly matches the part number on Amazon or some sketchy Chinese site. Is it a new part or a refurbished OEM battery? Is it anywhere close to advertised capacity? Will it work any better than the used battery you're replacing?
My tip would be to look for replacements which are advertised to work with the specific phone model but are not necessarily original replacement parts, bc like you said they tend to be fake and of bad quality. There are a number of brands who have specialized in this market by now. There are also very few brands who sell original parts via ifixit (e.g. google for pixel phones)
Also, if you want to replace a battery stay away from samsung. They glue the batteries in so tight that you have to use alcohol to loosen up the adhesive.
Also also, if you want to replace anything, stay away from apple. They have a history of bricking devices software side if they detect third party parts.
Honestly, this is more bad "charging hygiene" than anything else. I thought this was the case too until like 10 years ago when I learned how Li-on batteries worked, and since then, I've had negligible battery deterioration after 3+ year old devices.
The TLDR is don't charge your phone past ~80% except on rare days you need the extra juice, and by extension, definitely don't leave your phone on the charger overnight. Most people do exactly that and it absolutely murders your battery health.
If you're on Android, AccuBattery is helpful with charge alarms and detailed info if you want to learn about it.
If you have a Samsung with the "protect battery" quick option, it's a god send and makes this all super easy.
If the battery greatly damages itself by charging past 80%, then the device should be aware of that and accommodate. I should never have to set an alarm to unplug my phone in fear of destroying it. This isn't the 90s, where we tried to avoid over-charging Ni-Cd batteries. Making it work for the lowest common denominator is the only way to do it.
If, you know, you're a company that doesn't want your customers to buy more of your stuff. Yay e-waste.
I don't know about other manufacturers but I have a Pixel phone and it has a smart charging feature that learns what time you normally unplug it in the morning, and it intelligently manages the charge overnight to minimise potential battery damage from overcharging. Is this not a standard feature across phone manufacturers?
My OnePlus 7t also has this feature, but it was added as a recent Android software update. It's great to see that it's on the Pixel! This probably means that it'll probably be distributed among other flavors!
Ain't it a shame that you're talking about tossing a phone for an $8 battery?
It's such a racket. My 3 year old phone is perfect except for the battery. I remember back in the day I could pop open my case with my thumbnail and the battery was just sitting there ready to swap. Nowadays that process involves specialized tools and heating pads to melt glue. I'm hopeful that the industry is trending toward removable batteries again, but that's still years away.