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I don't think this is where peak battery tech ends up. At current capacities, batteries are becoming genuinely dangerous, and faster charging only amplifies the

I don't think this is where peak battery tech ends up. At current capacities, batteries are becoming genuinely dangerous, and faster charging only amplifies the risk. Charging high-capacity cells outside a temperature-controlled charger is risky, and even reputable chargers shouldn't be left unattended — many workplaces ban it outright (it only takes one fire to make that policy). Phone batteries are the worst of it: highest power density, fastest charging, odd geometry, and tight space constraints. Manufacturers shrink the phone by offloading temperature monitoring and heat dissipation onto the phone's own electronics and housing — so replaceable, externally rechargeable batteries are tricky to design. IMO, swappable batteries were a feature because batteries used to suck. In less volume-constrained devices like cameras, swappable batteries still work — but you're trading single-charge runtime for that convenience. This last point is actually a real killer, an easily swappable battery in a phone probably sacrifices >10% "maximum" capacity in lost space. e.g a phone with a glued battery can have 5000mAh but the same phone with a more durable battery connector can only be 4500mAh.

8note 6mo ago
> e.g a phone with a glued battery can have 5000mAh but the same phone with a more durable battery connector can only be 4500mAh. alternatively, i can trade more bulk for more battery. if its got a connector, why cant i put a bigger batter in the slot that sticks out?
- numpad0 6mo ago
  That brings back memories! Yes, many devices before iPhone had normalized internal batteries indeed had aftermarket extended batteries. They would come with matching bulged back covers to fit the significantly oversized battery.
  - hdgvhicv 6mo ago
    My early iPhones had external battery cases, which even when attached (when travelling a long distance) were smaller than modern iPhones in the important dimensions.
  - golem14 6mo ago
    That's true even today for HAM radio handhelds. There is a cottage industry of ever larger snap on batteries for Baofengs and others. Very handy. Random thought: Maybe Apple should use radioisotope batteries to never have to change them, ever. I jest.
    - TeMPOraL 6mo ago
      > Maybe Apple should use radioisotope batteries to never have to change them, ever. I jest. They could make an RTG battery out of Promethium-147, a beta-emitter with half-life of 2.6 years and history of use in nuclear batteries, or Iron-55, an x-ray source with similar half-life. That would be perfect and totally on-brand for Apple, as the battery would naturally force the phone to be replaced in 3 years, and they'd have a solid safety/security justification for why any repair or replacement must be done in authorized Apple stores, by authorized personnel, with authorized parts and equipment. In a store where you could, oh so conveniently, just buy a new iPhone.
  - tracker1 6mo ago
    And it was pretty great... No to mention the shell swaps, etc...
- Oxodao 6mo ago
  Thinkpad T480, with dual battery was a really great idea
cogman10 6mo ago
The main thing that makes all this hard to do is the form factor. Give these phone batteries a standard geometry and interface and pretty much all these problems immediately go away. 3 prongs on the battery (ground, positive, data). A standard protocol so the battery can communicate things like SOC or acceptable charge rate with the charger. And viola, you are off to the races. Yes, this will mean manufacturers will have a hard limit on how thin they can make their phones and a constraint on what designs they can employ.
thelastgallon 6mo ago
We don't need fast charging. Phones will be left on wireless charging surfaces, which will eventually be ubiquitous. Everyone hates usb-c plug in. Just leave it on a surface, pick it whenever you want. We don't need to fast charge anything, phones or EVs. Slow charging preserves battery life and smart charging will charge whenever it is cheapest.
- Oxodao 6mo ago
  I've never seen anyone hate usb-c, what world do you live in? And on phones fast-charging's cost on the battery life expectancy is negligible[0] Also, wireless charging is finicky and comes at a cost: way less efficient energy transfer. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLS5Cg_yNdM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLS5Cg_yNdM
  - sham1 6mo ago
    Well hatered for USB-C for charging connectors seems to be strong in this thread alongside the dislike for being able to have changeable batteries. Hell, this thread even has a person whose argument against USB-C is that mandating it will mean that the EU will get conquered by Russia.
  - fingerlocks 6mo ago
    I hate USB-C. Hi. I do a lot of woodworking and the port easily clogs with sawdust and lint. It was very easy to clean it each day when I had a lightning connector, a common toothpick would suffice. Now I have to purchase specialized non-marring micro tool scrapers to clean the port without damaging it. The scrapers break after a few cleanings, so this is an ongoing monthly recurring cost. Yeah I can charge wirelessly, but I still don’t want sawdust in my phone hole after a day of ripping wood.
    - pshirshov 6mo ago
      why not to buy a rubber usb-c plug?
    - Oxodao 6mo ago
dzhiurgis 6mo ago
Slop
lwhi 6mo ago
Ultimately the main benefit obtained from not allowing battery replacement, is an increase in sales of newer models. While your reasoning has _some_ merit, it reads as an apologia for the status quo .. rather than an example of why we should prevent easy battery replacement.
theshrike79 6mo ago
It's the exact same as with EVs. We COULD have an EV with a 200kWh battery that can go 1000km++ on a charge in -30C weather. But nobody really needs that beyond a few outliers. What we NEED is ubiquitous and easy charging. Going for a burger, it'll take 20 minutes for you to order, eat and walk out. On a 300kW charger in the parking lot you can in theory get up to 100kWh charged. Or less with a slower one. Even plugging in to a 50kW charger for 20 minutes is enough. Same with shopping etc, giving "everyone" a 2kW charger in a parking lot is table stakes in 2026. And with phones: just have the possilibity of charging everywhere. I have 13€ Ikea Qi2 ("Magsafe") compatible chargers[0] everywhere in the house. Anyone can just slap their phone on one and it'll charge a bit. There's no reason why we can't have more of those in public - we did try when wireless charging first appeared, but it was a whole chicken and egg thing. Nobody had phones that supported it and finding the exact 1x1cm spot where the phone charges was a pain. Qi2 with the alignment magnets takes that problem away completely. [0] https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vaestmaerke-wireless-charging-stand-50618429/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vaestmaerke-wireless-charging-s...
- brianwawok 6mo ago
  But why put charges at burger shacks? For most people most of the time charge while you sleep. On trips charge along the highway. Every single store doesn’t need chargers, it’s a waste.
  - throw0101d 6mo ago
    > For most people most of the time charge while you sleep. Unless you're a 'garage orphan': no garage, driveway or parking pad, and have to park on the street. * https://electricautonomy.ca/news/2019-06-24/solving-the-electric-vehicle-garage-orphans-problem/ https://electricautonomy.ca/news/2019-06-24/solving-the-elec... * https://www.theenergymix.com/garage-orphans-scramble-for-charging-while-multi-unit-buildings-lag-on-installations/ https://www.theenergymix.com/garage-orphans-scramble-for-cha... Apartments (either rental, or condo ownership) may have underground parking with a few slots for charging.
    - 6mo ago
audunw 6mo ago
The danger of batteries doesn’t have much to do with their capacity. Many solid state batteries are far safer than liquid electrolyte ones, while also having higher energy density.

8note 6mo ago

> e.g a phone with a glued battery can have 5000mAh but the same phone with a more durable battery connector can only be 4500mAh. alternatively, i can trade more bulk for more battery. if its got a connector, why cant i put a bigger batter in the slot that sticks out?

numpad0 6mo ago
That brings back memories! Yes, many devices before iPhone had normalized internal batteries indeed had aftermarket extended batteries. They would come with matching bulged back covers to fit the significantly oversized battery.
- hdgvhicv 6mo ago
  My early iPhones had external battery cases, which even when attached (when travelling a long distance) were smaller than modern iPhones in the important dimensions.
- golem14 6mo ago
  That's true even today for HAM radio handhelds. There is a cottage industry of ever larger snap on batteries for Baofengs and others. Very handy. Random thought: Maybe Apple should use radioisotope batteries to never have to change them, ever. I jest.
  - TeMPOraL 6mo ago
    > Maybe Apple should use radioisotope batteries to never have to change them, ever. I jest. They could make an RTG battery out of Promethium-147, a beta-emitter with half-life of 2.6 years and history of use in nuclear batteries, or Iron-55, an x-ray source with similar half-life. That would be perfect and totally on-brand for Apple, as the battery would naturally force the phone to be replaced in 3 years, and they'd have a solid safety/security justification for why any repair or replacement must be done in authorized Apple stores, by authorized personnel, with authorized parts and equipment. In a store where you could, oh so conveniently, just buy a new iPhone.
- tracker1 6mo ago
  And it was pretty great... No to mention the shell swaps, etc...
Oxodao 6mo ago
Thinkpad T480, with dual battery was a really great idea

cogman10 6mo ago

The main thing that makes all this hard to do is the form factor. Give these phone batteries a standard geometry and interface and pretty much all these problems immediately go away. 3 prongs on the battery (ground, positive, data). A standard protocol so the battery can communicate things like SOC or acceptable charge rate with the charger. And viola, you are off to the races. Yes, this will mean manufacturers will have a hard limit on how thin they can make their phones and a constraint on what designs they can employ.

thelastgallon 6mo ago

We don't need fast charging. Phones will be left on wireless charging surfaces, which will eventually be ubiquitous. Everyone hates usb-c plug in. Just leave it on a surface, pick it whenever you want. We don't need to fast charge anything, phones or EVs. Slow charging preserves battery life and smart charging will charge whenever it is cheapest.

Oxodao 6mo ago
I've never seen anyone hate usb-c, what world do you live in? And on phones fast-charging's cost on the battery life expectancy is negligible[0] Also, wireless charging is finicky and comes at a cost: way less efficient energy transfer. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLS5Cg_yNdM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLS5Cg_yNdM
- sham1 6mo ago
  Well hatered for USB-C for charging connectors seems to be strong in this thread alongside the dislike for being able to have changeable batteries. Hell, this thread even has a person whose argument against USB-C is that mandating it will mean that the EU will get conquered by Russia.
- fingerlocks 6mo ago
  I hate USB-C. Hi. I do a lot of woodworking and the port easily clogs with sawdust and lint. It was very easy to clean it each day when I had a lightning connector, a common toothpick would suffice. Now I have to purchase specialized non-marring micro tool scrapers to clean the port without damaging it. The scrapers break after a few cleanings, so this is an ongoing monthly recurring cost. Yeah I can charge wirelessly, but I still don’t want sawdust in my phone hole after a day of ripping wood.
  - pshirshov 6mo ago
    why not to buy a rubber usb-c plug?
  - Oxodao 6mo ago

dzhiurgis 6mo ago

Slop

lwhi 6mo ago

Ultimately the main benefit obtained from not allowing battery replacement, is an increase in sales of newer models. While your reasoning has _some_ merit, it reads as an apologia for the status quo .. rather than an example of why we should prevent easy battery replacement.

theshrike79 6mo ago

It's the exact same as with EVs. We COULD have an EV with a 200kWh battery that can go 1000km++ on a charge in -30C weather. But nobody really needs that beyond a few outliers. What we NEED is ubiquitous and easy charging. Going for a burger, it'll take 20 minutes for you to order, eat and walk out. On a 300kW charger in the parking lot you can in theory get up to 100kWh charged. Or less with a slower one. Even plugging in to a 50kW charger for 20 minutes is enough. Same with shopping etc, giving "everyone" a 2kW charger in a parking lot is table stakes in 2026. And with phones: just have the possilibity of charging everywhere. I have 13€ Ikea Qi2 ("Magsafe") compatible chargers[0] everywhere in the house. Anyone can just slap their phone on one and it'll charge a bit. There's no reason why we can't have more of those in public - we did try when wireless charging first appeared, but it was a whole chicken and egg thing. Nobody had phones that supported it and finding the exact 1x1cm spot where the phone charges was a pain. Qi2 with the alignment magnets takes that problem away completely. [0] https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vaestmaerke-wireless-charging-stand-50618429/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vaestmaerke-wireless-charging-s...

brianwawok 6mo ago
But why put charges at burger shacks? For most people most of the time charge while you sleep. On trips charge along the highway. Every single store doesn’t need chargers, it’s a waste.
- throw0101d 6mo ago
  > For most people most of the time charge while you sleep. Unless you're a 'garage orphan': no garage, driveway or parking pad, and have to park on the street. * https://electricautonomy.ca/news/2019-06-24/solving-the-electric-vehicle-garage-orphans-problem/ https://electricautonomy.ca/news/2019-06-24/solving-the-elec... * https://www.theenergymix.com/garage-orphans-scramble-for-charging-while-multi-unit-buildings-lag-on-installations/ https://www.theenergymix.com/garage-orphans-scramble-for-cha... Apartments (either rental, or condo ownership) may have underground parking with a few slots for charging.
  - 6mo ago

audunw 6mo ago

The danger of batteries doesn’t have much to do with their capacity. Many solid state batteries are far safer than liquid electrolyte ones, while also having higher energy density.