I was not sure where to put this thread so if it is the wrong section mods please feel free to move it.
I generally keep my mobile phones longer than the 2 year contracts so sometimes have replaced batteries.
On my last phone upgrade there was not a phone available that had a removable battery (not from the shop I was using anyway) so against my better judgement opted for a Samsung galaxy A3 with non removable battery.
Less than 12 months into my contract the battery started not holding a charge, discharging 50% overnight whilst not etc.
There were no apps running in the background etc so I sent the phone off to the Samsung service centre here in the UK expecting them to fit a new battery or replace the phone under warranty as the warranty is 2 years.
I have been without the phone for 2 weeks now & Samsung have contacted me & told me that the battery shows signs of “abuse” & it will cost £90 ($120) for them to fit a new battery ?
I asked what “abuse” considering the battery is sealed inside the phone, I am using the charger that came with the phone & have never let the battery discharge below about 35%.
They can”t tell me what the “abuse” is just that that is what their service engineers have told them.
My options are to pay them to fit a new battery or have the phone back as it is & presumably it will not be to hard to fit a new battery myself, assuming that I can get one, but that will void the remaining 14 months warranty left on the phone itself ?
I know that the very latest phones all have non removable batteries but my question is what is the best android mobile I can get with a removable battery.
Is it the Samsung S5 ?
If so will I see much of a difference in performance by going back to a phone that is 3-4 years out of date ?
I went from an S3 to the A3 so missed out the S4 & S5.
What is the S5 like compared to the A3 ?
LOL “best”
check reviews and the newest blabla super big screened phone is the best with a mega score on benchmark this.
Looking at your own use another phone could be best
I hate phones with a screen bigger then 5” (for me that is about the max that easy fits pockets and holds and operated with one hand)
only get phones with a battery that I can remove and with a memorycard
And since I tend to do work here with for axample a chainsaw, rocks and IDK lifting stuff sometimes a phone gets crushed.
So I will not pay more for one then Samsung asks you for a new battery
Also it allows me to get the sim only subscription (my wife and me unlimited calls and SMS in Europe and North America and 4G 1GB internet with reduced speed ater that for €4.99 month, my son the same amount but he has 20GB a month)
So look at China for a new phone. just make sure the bands used in your area are compatible and ou should be ok.
What firm is doing a sim only deal with unlimited minutes for 4.99 TM ?
My wife is on a sim only deal, 500 minutes, 2,000 minutes to any phone on the same network, 3GB data & unlimited texts for £8 or 9.50 euros.
Try to get the Note 3 or Note 4
I am not after the “best” phone TM, I don”t use my phone for much besides calls & texts, just internet banking & a couple of apps I use, weather, satnav.
I like Samsung, probably because I am used to the operating systems so if you are familiar with one Samsung phone you can pretty much easily use any Samsung phone.
I only changed from the S3 mini to the A3 as I found the text keyboard a little small for my fingers as other than that I was perfectly happy with the phone.
The S7 “flagship” Samsung phone would be wasted on me as I would use hardly any of the features & it dosen”t have a removable battery.
If I can buy a “nice” phone with removable battery I will pay off my contract & go on the same sim only deal that my wife is on.
We are at SFR and my son at Virgin (same SFR network)
It is very nice to call the US and not to worry about costs for example.
Nice phones well despite it having way too little mrmory i am really fond of the Doogee Titans2 I now use, very sturdy and it looks different from all those boring phones.
My son used it for a while but ran into memory space problems so he has a Doogee X5(or X6) pro that was little more expensive then non pro but compatible with 4G of France. Lots of storage and battery easy to swap, memory card
Costs around $80 from AliExpress.
LG G4
A flagship phone from 2015 with one verry good Camera and all bells and withles. And you can swap the battery
A lot of casese, even an Otter Box Commuter Case
Was the G4 the one with boot loop problem
I stayed with the Treo [Palm OS, not Android] because it has a replaceable battery, which used to last a week or more (I don’t keep the phone on except when I want to check messages, it’s a portable answering machine for incoming, used for outgoing calls or texts)
Verizon did some kind of update a few months ago that definitely abuses the battery.
The phone wakes itself up overnight and puts up a screen saying it needs to connect to the network.
They’ve changed the cell phone system, at least Verizon’s version, so it wants to always be checking the Internet.
I would not be surprised if the “abuse” of your battery is also because your carrier is making the phone drain it down without notice.
Remember, now the cell phone watches and tracks you so it can tell nearby merchants it’s advertising them to you.
Get your ham radio license before they make them illegal ….
The Note 7 that was just released is recalled.
I use an LG C2000 flip-phone, usually turned off, with removable battery; I enjoy privacy. 
That deal you are getting, £4 for unlimited minutes, is unbelievable & there is nothing even close available from any provider in the UK.
My wifes sim only deal of 500 minutes for £8 a month is about the very cheapest deal available here.
Another case of “rip off” Britain
Oh no we were at Orange for the same unlimited calls (also international) and I had 1 GB internet my wife 2
I paid €23 and she €30
Now it was just a flashdeal last “Black Friday”
And since I wanted to go to SFR, they have a better signal here, it was no brainer.
My son with his 20gb for €5 is even more of a deal.
That is a deal in the states we can get unlimited calls and texts with 1gb 4g throttled after for $35. 10gb for $45 and $60 for unlimited non throttled 4g. Since my daughter and wife use Netflix and YouTube all day and night it was cheaper to get unlimited 4g on the phones then internet installed at home. Its amazing to me they can use 120+GB a month on a phone
Just my daughter using my phone when I get home from work and on weekends she has used 67 gigs this month and still a week left on this cycle
I love my Moto X Pure even though it doesn’t have a “user” replaceable battery. When the time comes, I’ll replace it myself. From what I read, the back cover will probably have to be replaced as well.
Yeah, but they repair for free
I’m with the The Miller, I’m thrilled with my $60 “chiPhone”:
http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_282795.html
I’ve had it for about 3 months, and so far so good. One of the biggest perks of a Chinese no-name phone is that most of them have removable batteries. (Battery life is fantastic too, I can easily get 6 or 7 days on a charge with moderate usage, but no mobile Internet.)
I stay away from samsung products not a fan of the quality to price performance. LG is a lower selling point but they have been having so many issues lately. I usually buy either Sony or Panasonic for most of my household stuff. Sony mobile phones also great value but none removable batteries also a basic android skin but you get the walkman app the best media player.
All thought they still have enough power stay away from the snapdragon 801 Qualcomm is stopping the updates for graphics drivers so no android 7 for 801 CPUs and older. I still have a Z and Z2 laying around.
Cant you call consumer affairs and make a complaint? I can not see how you would have damaged the device? If its sealed its impossible? On phones the CPU is what control charging. All phones are per-programmed to allow a certain amperage my phones is limited to 1.5amps cause of heating issues but the exact same model in japan has quick charge 2.0.
After several phone calls today to both Samsung & my service provider (three) it turns out that when I asked & was told in the store that the phone warranty AND battery warranty was 24 months that information was incorrect.
I had specifically asked about battery warranty as I generally keep my phones past the contract end so have had to replace batteries myself.
As I knew that phones that I had had in the past (with removable batteries) had had 24 month phone warranties but 12 month battery warranties & this new phone was going to have a non removable battery I asked about the battery warranty & explained why I was asking.
The assistant assured me that both the phone & battery had a 24 month warranty & that as the battery could not be removed there was no way it could have a shorter warranty than the phone itself.
This made sense to me at the time & I bought the A3.
I have been informed by Samsung today that the battery warranty is only 6 months, which is why I have to pay for the replacement.
I have spoken to three customer service who have told me that there is nothing that they can do even though I think that I have been mis-sold the phone & contract.
Lesson learnt not to believe the information given to you by the spotty teenager in the store who dosen”t actually know what he is talking about & lesson learned to always read what you are signing up to :person_facepalming:
There was a case in Australia that all phone companies have to cover the full phone for the full term of the contract batteries and all. Make a complaint! You can try to cancel your contract seeing as it is there fault?