Why won't phone manufacturers give us what we want?
Does anyone else here see a clear trend for phone manufacturers deliberately diverging from customer wants and needs when introducing new phones/features?
Here are three examples of seemingly irreversible trends that an awful lot of people DON'T WANT:
- Non-replaceable batteries - I've NEVER had a smartphone battery that lasted all day, or a smartphone battery that wasn't shot after about 18 months. Why should I need to buy a new phone every 18-24 months just to get around this, when newer phones typically offer such marginal improvements over their predecessors? I'm currently using a 2 year old LG G5 (WITH a removable battery), and I have no need for the marginal improvements offered by the G6, G7 or any of the other current handsets. I'll just replace the battery when it no longer retains enough charge for my use. I also have absolutely no need for a waterproof phone (which is one of the most common arguments made for sealing a battery into a phone).
- Glass backs - these are marketed as more attractive but basically they are guaranteed to smash within months of purchasing a phone, requiring the customer to buy another phone, which benefits nobody but the phone manufacturer
- Disappearing 3.5mm headphone sockets - even if Bluetooth "always worked", and never randomly disconnected, why would I want to rely on remembering to keep a pair of wireless headphones charged at all times? It's hard enough making sure that my phone retains enough charge (particularly as its battery will drain more quickly if it's connected to a Bluetooth headset). Why not just give us a CHOICE?
Everywhere I go I see poor suffering phone users desperate to top up their depleted batteries via whatever method they can, and the phone manufacturers simply look the other way and focus on the really important stuff like waterproofing, glass cladding and wireless headsets. How can we get them to get their heads out of their a*ses?
In short, phone manufacturers are cynically looking for new ways to force customers to replace their phones or invest in new hardware more frequently than they would like. While they have an obvious motivation, I was wondering how the masses could make their voices heard in a protest against the cynical product evolution cycles of the big manufacturers?
Offhand I can't think of any other market where manufacturers can get away with making their products less and less appealing to customers with every new release, while effectively giving customers no choice but to purchase them (because of the short lifespan of their existing battery).
Apart from everything else, their current policy means that an unnecessary number of discarded phones will finish up in landfill every year, when their owners would really rather have kept them.
Would anyone else here like to send a loud message back to them that they are flying in the face of their customers' wishes by cynically forcing these technology or design "advances" on them?
Here are three examples of seemingly irreversible trends that an awful lot of people DON'T WANT:
- Non-replaceable batteries - I've NEVER had a smartphone battery that lasted all day, or a smartphone battery that wasn't shot after about 18 months. Why should I need to buy a new phone every 18-24 months just to get around this, when newer phones typically offer such marginal improvements over their predecessors? I'm currently using a 2 year old LG G5 (WITH a removable battery), and I have no need for the marginal improvements offered by the G6, G7 or any of the other current handsets. I'll just replace the battery when it no longer retains enough charge for my use. I also have absolutely no need for a waterproof phone (which is one of the most common arguments made for sealing a battery into a phone).
- Glass backs - these are marketed as more attractive but basically they are guaranteed to smash within months of purchasing a phone, requiring the customer to buy another phone, which benefits nobody but the phone manufacturer
- Disappearing 3.5mm headphone sockets - even if Bluetooth "always worked", and never randomly disconnected, why would I want to rely on remembering to keep a pair of wireless headphones charged at all times? It's hard enough making sure that my phone retains enough charge (particularly as its battery will drain more quickly if it's connected to a Bluetooth headset). Why not just give us a CHOICE?
Everywhere I go I see poor suffering phone users desperate to top up their depleted batteries via whatever method they can, and the phone manufacturers simply look the other way and focus on the really important stuff like waterproofing, glass cladding and wireless headsets. How can we get them to get their heads out of their a*ses?
In short, phone manufacturers are cynically looking for new ways to force customers to replace their phones or invest in new hardware more frequently than they would like. While they have an obvious motivation, I was wondering how the masses could make their voices heard in a protest against the cynical product evolution cycles of the big manufacturers?
Offhand I can't think of any other market where manufacturers can get away with making their products less and less appealing to customers with every new release, while effectively giving customers no choice but to purchase them (because of the short lifespan of their existing battery).
Apart from everything else, their current policy means that an unnecessary number of discarded phones will finish up in landfill every year, when their owners would really rather have kept them.
Would anyone else here like to send a loud message back to them that they are flying in the face of their customers' wishes by cynically forcing these technology or design "advances" on them?
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Comments
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In the shop, most customers want:
- A thin light phone - which means building the battery in
- Waterproofing - which leads to removal of the jacks
- To wow their friends - which leads to things like glass backs (granted wireless charging is also a reason to move from metal)
- A big screen - which means you can't use modern phone one handed any more.
There is a market out there, for a cheap small, medium spec phone with big removable 2 day battery, and quality camera. Maybe with 5" screen and small bezels it could be very retro sized.
No manufacturer has made it yet, because it would be a hard sell in the shop, and go down like a lead brick in the playground or workplace.
We looked for such a phone for my daughter, and the nearest was Xiaomi 4x, and at just £100 its was bargain.0 -
Manufacturers make phones that people will buy. If people stop buying phones with inbuilt batteries, they won't be made. Similarly if people avoid handsets because pf the lack of headset sockets the news will soon get back. Don 't be a sheep. Buy a phone with the specs you need and want rather than what the ads tell you is popular.0
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Moto G5 has easy replacement battery and seems a reliable mid range phone, I operate two of them
But I heartily agree with the OP about built-in obsolescence:mad:
PS. Motorola is replacing the Moto G5 with the G6 and YES its battery is glued in!!
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Don 't be a sheep. Buy a phone with the specs you need and want rather than what the ads tell you is popular.
You've hit on the main reason for my OP: I can't buy a phone with the specs that I want because the manufacturers are no longer offering them. Samsung and LG both used to sell flagship phones with removable batteries, and I'm sure alot of people bought Samsung or LG for that reason alone (I know I did), but they've both now reverted to the money-grabbing "battery dead? time for a new phone" philosophy.
I need a decent processor and decent amount of RAM and storage because I run alot of apps, but there is no current handset on the market which offers me this as well as a removable battery.
As for handset sexiness - my LG G5 is very light, slim and sexy, has a nice large 5.5" screen, AND has a removable battery. It's not impossible to achieve. It just requires a will to do it, and maybe an acceptance that waterproofing is maybe not as important to most people as battery life or the longevity of their handset.
If you asked a million smartphone users whether they would like the option to carry a spare battery in their pocket that they could pop in if their main battery died, I wonder how many would say yes? Purchasers of fruit-based smartphone products probably don't even know that it's possible.
If you asked the same people what they would like more: waterproofing or being able to carry a spare battery - I wonder how many would choose waterproofing?0 -
If you asked the same people what they would like more: waterproofing or being able to carry a spare battery - I wonder how many would choose waterproofing?
You can have water proof to IP67 (1 metre deep for 30 mins) and a replaceable battery, many hand held 2 way radios are built to that specification. The problem arises when you want a phone with the thickness of a pocket diary... I would guess nearly all phone buyers want a phone that easily fits in their pocket/handbag.
Most phones are seen as having only a 2 year life to match the typical phone + SIM contracts that many opt for, and batteries generally have enough capacity after 2 years to last most of the day on a single charge unless really hammered on YouTube...
A slim phone can be ruggedised by using a "building site rated" tough case, such as the Griffin Survivor series... they are rain and drop proof.0 -
... in this country.You've hit on the main reason for my OP: I can't buy a phone with the specs that I want ...
Phones like you describe are made, and sold in millions, but in other countries. Manufactures spend millions on market research, or more accurately on predictions on what will sell in 18 months time.
So for instance for India, the market is VERY different:- DualSIM is essential, as folks have multi SIM and use different ones for types of call calls, local, national, international. Phone are often shared in a family.
- Micro SD is key, as there is thriving local market of man and laptop who can fill your SD card with the latest Bollywood for a small fee.
- Obviously battery life is king, hence bigger removal batteries, slower processor and lower res screens.
Most folks would say waterproof, as many toilet dive on a surprising regular basis.If you asked the same people what they would like more: waterproofing or being able to carry a spare battery - I wonder how many would choose waterproofing?
PS - Cards on table, ex. Nokia engineer here, so know al little about this process
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Most folks would say waterproof, as many toilet dive on a surprising regular basis.
You think? Interesting. I'm tempted to start a poll to test the water.
I suppose it comes down to likelihood vs impact: likelihood of running out of battery some time soon? >90% I would guess for most people. Likelihood of dropping your phone in the loo some time soon? Probably alot lower but the impact is pretty terminal!
It's a shame that we can't easily buy handsets directly from India, or somewhere else that the features that I want are more readily available. I'd have thought that battery life was pretty close to being king here in the UK as well. Well, front row of the balcony at Buck House at least ;0)0 -
You think? Interesting. I'm tempted to start a poll to test the water.
I suppose it comes down to likelihood vs impact: likelihood of running out of battery some time soon? >90% I would guess for most people. Likelihood of dropping your phone in the loo some time soon? Probably alot lower but the impact is pretty terminal!
I can tell you that the only reason that I upgraded my phone was to get one that was waterproof.
But I did choose one that had an SD card and a headphone socket as those things were also something that I wanted.
Why people would buy a non waterproof phone is beyond me!“Time is intended to be spent, not saved” - Alfred Wainwright0 -
I have a Moto G1 and the battery still lasts me two days.
My main gripe with new phones is the large size. I want something that will fit easily in my pocket... like a Moto G1.0 -
If you asked a million smartphone users whether they would like the option to carry a spare battery in their pocket that they could pop in if their main battery died, I wonder how many would say yes? Purchasers of fruit-based smartphone products probably don't even know that it's possible.
And if you asked them if they already (for intents and purposes) do that, I'd reckon a significant portion of them do.
I have one of these: https://transparent-uk.com/techlink-rc3000-ultrathin-lithium-polymer-lipo-3000mah-silver-white-power-bank-527080.html?mkwid=s_dc|pcrid|252677636861|pkw||pmt|&mh_keyword=&bnine=true&gclid=CjwKCAjwur7YBRA_EiwASXqIHNvbjIcUY75tmUSey4Bc65pqFJuGCvfAL9Bj91VOr8VJbF92ZnJVhBoCElEQAvD_BwE
It's slimline, light and about the same size as my iPhone. It's not much different to carrying another battery around that I could replace, but arguably more convenient as I don't have to faff around switching batteries in my phone to make sure they're more charged in the first place.
I just don't think there is a market for what you want (or at least a big enough one) as the power bank market covers it off well enough.
My understanding was that the non-replaceable battery allowed for the components to be packed in tighter to the phone chassis, so you could get more/bigger components if you didn't have to accommodate for user access to the battery.
Apple also replace batteries for £25 - which isn't that expensive if you do need to replace an obsolete battery.0
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