[Opinión] Smartphones sold in the European Union must have removable batteries from 2027. It’s a good time for manufacturers to revive a type of design that – in our opinion – should never have been lost, and the new series that would serve as an example for others could be the Samsung Galaxy S25.

Samsung pleasantly surprised us when they announced at the launch of the S24 that they would have seven years of version updates and security. The move followed steps announced by Google for the Pixel, with a general goal for all its Android partners to improve software support and extend their life cycle, not deprecating them through software in a very short period of time, as happened in the last decade. .

Technological obsolescence, a consequence of today’s industry, was (and is) as practiced as it is denied. The software path was used, but also the hardware. We still remember the loss of artificial performance of some models after a certain period of use. Another questionable part is the batteries. It is a consumable that sooner or later we will have to replace, but the difficulty of this in the integrated is evident. In addition to the high price that the technical service fee.

It should be borne in mind that modern smartphone batteries typically last 800 charge cycles (two to three years) before dropping to an effective capacity of 80% at best, and that for many users this means they don’t last a day. use. In this scenario, v Android Authority He wonders What’s the point of seven years of software support when a component as important as the battery needs to be changed long before that?.

We generally agree with the situational analysis. Degradation of the battery and thus the reduction of its lifespan is one of the reasons for replacing mobile phones. Also a problem are “bloated” batteries that tend to separate or crack the back cover of the terminals.

Replaceable batteries in the Galaxy S25 (and others)

Apple, as in other cases (removal of SIM cards, audio jack or charger), set the trend for integrated batteries and almost the rest of the industry followed suit. Most decisions respond to commercial reasons that may interest those in Cupertino, but not the users. Considering that Apple only reacts when it has no choice, as we saw with the implementation of the USB Type-C connector, our gaze goes to the other big one, Samsung, also with a great capacity to push trends in the mobile phone market. .

It should be borne in mind that the European Union will adopt regulations that will force manufacturers to use replaceable batteries starting in 2027. Another flagship like the Galaxy S25 would be the perfect series to beat. A removable battery has great advantages over a built-in battery. You can easily and affordably replace it when it loses its maximum capacity, or you can carry several to increase autonomy without having to wait minutes or hours for a charge.

Arguments from design (more like excuses) use integrated batteries, they don’t last. Models like the FairPhone 5 show that relatively thin and light structures can be produced using removable batteries. And others like the XCover 6 Pro confirm that water and dust resistance certifications can be maintained. In reality, most of us won’t care a millimeter or gram up or down as long as we can get the above benefits.

Manufacturers They need to expand on their recent commitments to extend software updates to hardware. The Galaxy S25 could be a great starting point. A positive point for Samsung and a benchmark for the entire industry.