Among the many changes, the new rules would require batteries in consumer devices like smartphones to be easily removable and replaceable. That's far from the case today...
I bet it would, depending on the definition of “removable”. A casually removable cover that’s also waterproof usually involves a rubber seal that can fail a bunch of ways. On the other hand, shrink-wrapping the electrical parts of a phone all together is cheap and nearly foolproof.
If they allow batteries that can be replaced with specialised but available tools that might be a nice middle ground.
Most batteries can be replaced relatively easy if you have special tools. The inside of phones is actually surprisingly modular. The hardest part is usually just getting the back cover off without ruining it… and that you can’t easily source original batteries and have to rely on 3rd party ones of questionable quality.
Would this affect the waterproof ratings of phones? It would make the phone less sealed.
Plenty of phones were waterproof with removable batteries before a marketing campaign.
I bet it would, depending on the definition of “removable”. A casually removable cover that’s also waterproof usually involves a rubber seal that can fail a bunch of ways. On the other hand, shrink-wrapping the electrical parts of a phone all together is cheap and nearly foolproof.
If they allow batteries that can be replaced with specialised but available tools that might be a nice middle ground.
Most batteries can be replaced relatively easy if you have special tools. The inside of phones is actually surprisingly modular. The hardest part is usually just getting the back cover off without ruining it… and that you can’t easily source original batteries and have to rely on 3rd party ones of questionable quality.
Maybe companies should be required to sell spare parts at a reasonable rate, then.