How do you charge the spare battery?
Swapping batteries you need to reboot the phone too.
I use a small powerbank usually while travelling, more practical and it can charge more devices, and no need to reboot
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I always had and still have an external universal charger.
A reboot doesn’t hurt. it’s just 30 seconds.
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Hum… Good point, i’d like to elaborate on that.
All my Xperia’s have new-like battery life after 7 (XA2) to 10 (X) years of daily use. And i was so happy the time it fell in a beautiful lake of North Finland, about the waterproofing of the 10 II, who waited peacefully at the bottom of the water until i could rescue it 
.
So both battery and waterproofing of the Sony’s are really top notch, and that is why i cross finger for the continuation of official support for this Xperia range 
(not even starting with their wonderful Jack here 
).
But that said, a smaller manufacturer will be very unlikely to have the same craft in making batteries that Sony has. When i ask people around, most have issues with ageing batteries on their phones. And many manufacturers seem more eager to provide bigger batteries in phones, that really dealing with the ageing issue the way Sony somehow does. Maybe its very hard though to build such good cells.
So in that sense, when we think that the build will not pair Sony’s, it would make in that light sense to be able to replace it. Then again price matter. If a new battery costs 100eur+, many owners won’t buy it on an ageing phone that is likely to have other issues before! For example if the glass quality is not great, screen gonna get cracked too early to leave time to the battery to actually age . Again I’ll praise here Xperias and their Victus Glass…
So its a whole package really isn’t it?
I’d say in the “real world”, statistically speaking, so on first year of owning a phone you gonna drop it bad, so low quality screen is gonna crack. On the second year you may drop in in the pool, so thats you water damage there. On the third year, battery is gonna start ageing. But here is the point: if the main aim is long-life-hardware, should replaceable battery be the first to take care about? Maybe yes if that is the easiest of the 3 to deal with for Jolla tough… Needs some thoughts i guess. Durability is a concept to look from various angles, to be coherent.
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Agreed. I’d really like for a port to the new Xperia 10 vii. Looks to be an excellent bit of hardware.
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jolly good.
Valid points, but aiming for long-lasting hardware isn’t realistic. Software and standards evolve much faster and often render hardware obsolete.
Also there is another plus with xperias, one can find good quality protective cases/screen that help the durability of the device. I think a 3-5 year life span of a device is realistic for must of us.
For what it’s worth:
- my xperia xa2’s battery is dead (inflated). Replacement on the way, will see if i’m qualified enough to replace it myself (i think so, but we’ll see).
- my wife’s xperia x battery is dead (also inflated). Seems a lot more difficult to replace than on the xa2 (plus i can’t find the battery at an affordable price, and we don’t really need more than one spare phone).
- my old samsung galaxy xcover 3 had replaceable battery and water resistance (battery also dead).
So, yes, batteries die, and being able to replace them easily is a good thing.
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You were lucky…
One phone has failed me due to ingress of water - and it was the only rugged, waterproof phone I have ever owned. I knew things were bad when I suddenly had the vibration motor run non-stop in my pocket. Turns out the shell would flex under pressure leaving the o-ring seals useless. (Edit: i.e. being squeezed, not from water pressure.)
Despite this being a battery with an easily replaceable phone, I did not exchange the worn-out phone with a new one, since it was also the worst phone I ever owned. (Even considering the modern-era “Nokia” 3310)
/s
I don’t think a phone with a replaceable battery can be fully waterproof, it may be water-resistant at best. Also, once you open a waterproof device to replace the battery, it no longer maintains its waterproof rating unless you replace the seals and use specialised equipment to properly re-pressurize it under heat.
For safety and performance, I would only use OEM batteries. Tbh I’d consider buying a new phone instead.
ps: I had serviced my xperia X officially under guarantee, after some time the back panel came off
This depends of course on your definition of fully waterproof.
In my case it was IP67, so 1 meter water column for 30 minutes. The battery door was sturdy (only not sturdy enough!), sealed with an o-ring and held in place by a screw. It was pretty easy to open and close, which was only needed to replace the battery or the SIM, and had proven waterproof for a couple of years up to that incident.
Also, my experience from a decade of waterproof cameras is good. Doors for battery, connectors and SD card have kept water out for more than 60 minutes and at depths down to 30 m. You need to be pedantic about keeping the seals clean, for sure.
So my conclusion is that it is possible to make a waterproof device with a user-replaceable battery. Whether it is worth it is another matter. I would certainly like a phone that can take some rain or the condensation that forms when putting a cold phone in a warm pocket while skiing. Designing the seal for frequent opening and closing doesn’t seem necessary to me.
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Not knowing the J1, I’d just like to add that other makers also had issues with the battery connection in the 90’s and 00’s. This was not so much the lack of gold plating as a mechanical design flaw. When e.g. hitting or dropping the phone at a certain angle, the battery could move a bit and very briefly interrupt the connection.
On the topic of standard batteries and e.g. the 18650 cells that have been mentioned previously:
One has to consider that cylindrical cells provide less stored energy compared to rectangular cells or “pouch” batteries in the same space. On the other hand, cylindrical cells are cheaper.
Does anyone know what standard prismatic cells there are? I don’t seem to find any, but haven’t tried too hard either.
(Also, the 18650 cells are 18 mm in diameter, so the battery pack would be at least that thick. Rechargable AA or AAA batteries might be a better fit.)
Since it’s become a ‘battery’ thread, I’ll throw in my two bits.
I have gigaset made phone because:
- Battery replacement
- Screen replacement (screws, no glue)
- Microphone / 3.5 mm jack / Speaker replacement (screws, no glue)
So, basically what I had when I had a J1 and the first Fairphones.
I’ve done a number of screen repairs, one microphone repair and rotate my batteries.
These (Gigaset GS5/rephone) phones are not waterproof, but have survived 1meter of water with prompt action (ie. external water off, battery out, let it dry).
For my purposes I’d be happy to never buy another phone.
However, If the next Jolla phone is not as gigantic as the C2, I’d save some money to get one just for the camaraderie.
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I have 10 III and I never came to the situation to replace screen, microphone or speaker nor did I have to replace a battery.
So..?
What’s the conclusion?
Is it necessary to replace components coz they’re not the highest quality?
Or…
Have very good quality components lasting a long long time?
I’m in fraction two. Sonce the old Nolia times I prefer a phone breaking the floor when it falls
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Usual case is:
Phone drops to the floor and display breaks.
Battery worn out / low capacity or bloated.
So in general, it’s for maintenance and sustainability, also environment protection and for not wasting resources.
I’ve never heard that it’s possible to change parts with new parts of better quality. Am I wrong?
True. That is Sony’s magic there. Premium harware+Mid-change chip, for about 400eur.
Plus Jack, plus 6’ screen. The latest, 10 VII even doesnt have that long screen that some didnt like.
It takes decades of R&D to get there. And patents. Many big names in the smartphone industry cant boost same results as Sony’s.
Would be for me a dream if Jolla coul partner officially with them: Fr the next gen, buy batches of 10 VII directly from Sony, flash and sell them to us 
.
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IIRC fairphone did it, you could upgrade the camera module with a newer one (not sure if it was FP1 or FP2).
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The idea for a new smartphone is to have a durable device. This means being able to easily obtain replacement parts (battery, screen, lenses, etc…).
This may have already been mentioned, but I’ll say it again
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oh yes. that would be magic:
pre-flashed and officially support SFOS on a 10 vii.
i would be a happy boy.
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Well lucky you, but I had two Xperia 10 IIIs (one from me and one from my brother) where I had to replace the display. Both with the same error. I dropped my phone from “calling” height (and I’m not that tall so that’s not so far up) and the screen, although having no external damage, was completely black and didn’t show anything anymore. Same for my brother’s phone…
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