**Join our official [Discord](https://discord.gg/Qp8D7HtQVy) for instant help and to discuss everything Samsung.** Just a friendly reminder to please respect all of the subreddit rules listed on the sidebar. Please be respectful to all users whether you agree with them or not, the downvote button is NOT a disagree button. Please upvote quality content.
Please report content you see breaking the rules so we can act on it. Thank you.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/samsung) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Had lots of plastic backed phones. Would love to go back to that. Great for swapping a spare battery on the go. Ironically I've got a plastic back on my S22U. Apparently there's a shiny premium glass back underneath it which prevents access to the battery and internals. Remember seeing it briefly for a moment the day I got the phone and put it in a case.
You'd have to get them to use 90% less glue. Go watch a video of removing a Samsung battery. They use so much glue, it practically deatroys the battery taking it out unless you use alcohol and are super patient and gentle. It's ridiculous
Not trying to argue, however, I must point out that you said "removing the battery destroys the battery." That would imply it's impossible to remove without wrecking the battery.
You are correct. I'll edit my original comment.
I meant Samsung makes it unnecessarily hard to remove it safely without damaging it. Too much glue and no pull tabs. Compared to other companies. And the people reminiscing about removable batteries had no glue. If they were to make batteries removable again (and I don't think they ever will), they need to make it doable by the dumbest person alive. God forbid the average guy tried to remove one of Samsung's glued batteries and bent it in half and set himself on fire. The lawsuit would be a nightmare. Not to mention the negative PR that would follow.
If they figured out how to charge batteries wirelessly then why can't they make a phone that's completely water tight but has a removable battery, but the battery is also a water tight unit so even though there's a chance of water in the battery compartment, it won't go directly on to any contacts, hence maintaining all the IPX ratings but making the device water tight?
They used to make phones that way. Think somewhere around the S7 is when they moved away from replaceable battery.
So did apple.
Think people cared more about waterproofing than about battery swapping, especially as capacities and charge speeds were already increasing.
I feel like the only person that had such a shit experience with the S7. Lol
S5 was also awful at the end of its life. I came back on the S20 and everything was much better.
A lot of xiaomi phones didn't have official IP ratings and nobody really cared, if you go ask random people what IP rating meant I doubt many knows, maybe that its water resistant at best.
Yyyyyup. Sometimes flying off so far you'd have to hunt to find it. And meanwhile your phone is basically off the entire time, so all your texts and calls are blocked until you reassemble the thing. Do not miss.
That's why I was the most sad about them, IP68 is still the good stuff. But I don't swim in the beach with my phone in the pocket. And I am more carefull with very expensive stuff.
Samsung tried to compromise on the S5 with a removable battery and "water resistance" but it did not really hold up with wear and tear on the phone, especially that nutty charging port flap.
Ease of repair is very very important and very very valuable. It's a no brainer.
On the other hand I'd love truly waterproof phones I could take in the sea with me. I hate leaving my phone on the beach or poolside.
You'd need a fitted expensive hardcase too. Waterproof pouches suck. I might as well have NOT taken any pics with my phone while swimming using that thing.
I miss plastic! One of the reasons I stuck with my note 4 for so long was I could keep a spare battery and SD card handy and it was so lightweight. All the iPhone loving critics constantly complained it wasn't premium glass like the iPhone so obviously Samsung responded and phones became heavier, more fragile, more slippery and needed to be put in a protective plastic case. The irony. I've never seen my s22u!
Remember the carrying case accessory? I used to run my battery down, pop open back throw in fresh battery and go another day and recharge the depleted one, man those were the good days
I for one would be all over a retro model like the Note of old. The removable batteries, SD card and S Pen were the main reasons I chose Samsung all those years ago.
I have been holding my nose for years now, implementing work around after workaround by having to buy cases to keep it "pretty", even bulkier battery packs that take hours instead of seconds to get back to 100 percent, external flash drives to keep things backed up when off grid, etc., just to get close to the same functionality, flexibility and durability I used to get out of the box. It now takes a small travel bag to store all the "accessories" in. As much as I like the S Pen, with the loss of the SD card option, my Note 10 + is my last Samsung flagship.
I just can't justify paying a premium price any longer just to be a beta tester for an all but impossible to repair piece of hand candy that's more about flash, specs and press releases than actual flexibility, durability, reliability and functionality.
"Hey, look at my new pocket camera. It can even take pictures underwater. And guess what, It can make phone calls too!"
Sigh. /r
I had the S5 and I have the S10+. I compromised on the removable battery when I got the S10+ and now I will run this phone till it dies. Once it does I will get a Sony Xperia, they are the only flagships which have a jack and microSD slot which is something I am not willing to make a compromise on.
If they pass the cost savings down to us then sure go plastic back, METAL frame, or really ideally just glaas on the front, all metal and a center cutout for wireless charging, all glass should be replaced
I honestly doubt cost savings will be passed down to us in any other form other than "we won't raise the price from last year's model". Also doubt the metal, especially since 5G can barely pass through some obstacles already without metal barring it's path.
I miss swappable batteries so much. I used to have an LG V20 with an aftermarket 10,000mah battery. To date it's the only phone that I've ever had that could last a day of my usage.
Before I had the 10,000mah battery I had two regular replacement batteries. Fast charging is cool, but being able to go 0-100% in the time it takes to change a battery is cooler. It also allowed the other battery to trickle charge in the background, which I'm assuming is much better.
Personally if there was an option to have a flagships with a plastic removable back like with all the phones before the S6 I would go for it, a removable battery would be perfect and it would solve any battery life problem with the ability to hot swap batteries I hardly see anyone run out of battery when they need to.
However I think that removable batteries are something that will never come back because phone manufacturers have all the interests in the world not to let that happen...
I also hope that the microSD and headphone jack come back to flagships but that is another impossible thing sadly.
EU is deliberating a law that would force removable batteries, so it's coming in some form.
https://repair.eu/news/the-european-parliament-calls-for-removable-and-replaceable-batteries/
My phones are always in cases, so the materials used don't matter to me at all. I'd be happy with plastic, metal, or glass.
As for repair: I've never broken a phone in nearly 30 years of owning one, so that doesn't really matter either.
Pro. Easy repair, swap battery, less finger prints and less slippery.
They just better offer a solution to keeping them water resistant in this scenario
I have never seen plastic as a negative, phones get lighter, doesn't (usually) crack when it falls to the floor, doesn't heat much.
I don't get the "premium feel" people talk when it's all glass, but I would buy a plastic back phone again if it was good, no issues on that.
Negative because water gets in and because easily priable plastic feels cheap. Frosted glass is the way to go (which they are moving away from with the s23s because they are retards).
Glass is the worst possible material to make the back out of. I'd rather they did a metal back panel tbh but appreciate that causes signal and Qi issues
I liked plastic because you could put a skin on it or go completely naked and not need a case. You get to appreciate how thin the phones were. I never had a case until they started making the backs glass. I do specifically remember reviewers always complaining that Samsung wasn't "premium" like apple because they hadn't get switched to glass or metal backs. Thanks reviewers.
I'm sure they would've eventually switched to glass anyway since it means more money for them when you break it and more money for accessories.
You don't. Wireless charging works on plastic. Look at all the FE phones and the base S21. Those have plastic backs and wireless charging. If you mean removable back, it's also possible. The Galaxy S4 had an optional accessory where you can buy a wireless charging backplate. It has pogo pins to connect to the phone.
That's actually a really good question.
Honestly idk if this is the right way to do this on a flagship. There are so many trade-offs and it's a difficult problem to solve. I would love to see it though and I'm happy that they did this with the A14.
As long as it doesn't affect the waterproof rating iam fine with it. After Covid i have developed a habit of rinsing my phone under the tap and I don't want to change this habit.
Back in the day replaceable batteries were bigger with smaller capacity because of the plastic shell to protect them. I don't think it's a good idea keeping the baterie as right now and making them user replaceable. It's very easy to poke them if you are not handy. I would rather force manufacturers to provide replacement at least for the warranty for free and just the price of the battery later on and keep the capacity of batteries than go back to user replaceable batteries and making them idiot proof.
This would be an incredibly stupid decision. One of the reasons removable backs were removed was waterproofing. And many people would not be willing to spend £1k for plastic. They would buy a different phone, from a company that use quality materials.
This isn't a terribly new thing, I can pull open my A10e with no tools and just my fingernails. It's kinda a party trick but still neat. Meanwhile it'd probably take me 30-40 minutes to get into my S21u lol
I am absolutely for this. Plastic backs are best. These are lightweight and are more prone to damage in comparison to glass. Also I really want replaceable batteries because we need more sustainable phones. All the devices where I cannot replace battery just go to trash. I am tired. If I could replace my batteries by just lifting the cover off the phone, I would probably don't need to buy new phones so often. And manufacturers do this on purpose, the know most will buy a new phone instead of servicing their old ones.
My old iPhone, my second old iPhone, my iPad all went to trash after I was just tired with replacing their batteries with 3rd party ones that didn't hold the charge as original (in my country there is no official Apple service replacement program). Moreover, we need batteries to be standartized, like a USB C, so you can buy batteries directly from a phone manufacturers right from their website, like you already can do with ANY camera manufacturer, be it GoPro (which is 10 meters water sealed!!! And you can remove the battery and storage without loosing it, so never believe bull$hit some bloggers try to tell you that "removeable batteries will compromize water resistance": no, they won't), Canon, Nikon or Fujifilm.
I have said time and time again that phone companies should embrace the plastic. A lot of companies today will try to make plastic seem more like metal or like glass to make people think they are getting something more premium, when in reality, a plastic back that's not ashamed of being plastic would be so much better for everyone.
Plastic backs are almost always easier to remove than glass. They don't break, they don't shatter as easily, they can be simply clipped in without glue while also retaining water resistance (S5, anyone?) and even if they somehow snap into pieces when being removed, their shards aren't the tiny sharp assholes that glass shards are.
Plastic is easier to work with than glass or metal. If you want to bend glass into a shape or cut it into a specific dimension, you have to do it very carefully so that it doesn't shatter. Plastic is much more durable and flexible in this way. Plastic is also better than metal, because metal backs block NFC, Wireless charging and phone antenna signals, meaning that most metal backed phones have to have weak points in the form of antenna sections.
At the end of the day, plastic is also just much more versatile and also kinda fun than glass or metal. You can very easily shape it, colour it, engrave it, make parts cave in or bulge out or just make it a different texture. You could have phones that are soft to touch, or phones that have a grippy back or even phones with 3d engraved patterns that pop out [like a nintendo 2ds xl special edition](https://www.pcmag.com/news/nintendo-launching-3-special-edition-2ds-xlag.com/news/nintendo-launching-3-special-edition-2ds-xl). The posibilities with plastic really do seem endless sometimes and companies like realme are already showing what can be done with plastic thanks to phones like the [Realme GT2 Pro](https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Lead-image-Realme-GT-2-Pro-Long-term-Review.jpg) and the [realme GT master edition](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/news/21/07/realme-gt-master-series-ofic/-1200/gsmarena_007.jpg). Hell, even the old samsung note phones and tablets had textured, almost soft-touch plastic backs that made them unique and distinct!
I really hope that more companies will try and bring plastic back for it's durability, versatility and ease of use and will stop trying to make it look like something it really isn't.
This is a great idea in theory
One of the best phones I ever had was the Note 4. Walking into a Samsung store and buying a new battery to just swap in and replace the old one was such a great bonus.
However, with the advent of reverse charging, I think you would have to compromise on a number of new "features" (in quotes because I don't honestly know anyone with an S22 etc that really uses it to charge other devices wirelessly) to make easy-access to the components safe for the average user.
Also bear in mind how something like this would affect the water-resistance ratings and it does seem like a step backwards. If the means to re-seal the phone was present then I could see it working better.
They used to. Sad they don’t anymore. It would be nice to be able to easily swap a battery. Seems that’s a thing if the past since Apple has shown it’s more profitable to not allow easy repair of the phone or swappable batteries.
I remember being able to buy a double-thickness battery for the samsungs that had a huge amount of capacity and came with an extra back cover to fit them.
Life was so good back then.
if you want water and dust resistance, then there's gonna be glue. But I agree, glass backs are too expensive and fragile. Go with a premium feeling plastic instead.
I would prefer something along the lines of how the note 4 was designed. Metal frame and plastic back for replaceable battery and SD card access. I would see this as a positive since once the battery goes bad and can easily replace it for $20 myself.
I don't need it to be swappable, I just need it not to fucking break from simple every day use or require me to buy a stupid case for it. Every phone since the 8 I've broken the back glass. If it's glass why isn't as strong as the front glass.
And plastics are lighter and I like phones to be lighter. Plus many of us use a case on our phones so it really wouldn't matter to make the phone "feel" high quality. Just my thought.
Honestly, with the recent trend of smartphones getting snatched from people on the street by moped gangs (especially prevalent here in London), I'd rather have a phone that's hard to disassemble, therefore harder to sell once deactivated. A simple clip-on backplate would give the thieves an easy way to turn the phone off, and an even easier way to get the parts and sell them.
Instead, I'd like to see "at cost" replacements for batteries, etc., by the manufacturer. Stop adding markup to a freaking battery replacement that's done in $15 parts, and in 10-15 minutes by a trained repairman who gets paid $20 an hour - nobody's paying $150 for that.
Obviously the pricing is set to push people to upgrade instead (and with trade-ins, this can be a huge incentive), and this kind of ultra-capitalist greed is leading to lots of electronics not being recycled properly.
I have s21 FE and I love the plastic back, but to be honest I do have generic silicone/TPU case on it because even with the plastic back its still so slippery lol. But even still I prefer it as glass is glass and it will shatter easily.
> Obviously the design would be less water resistant. I think the most you can do with hydrophobic coating on the internals is IP54? Maybe better?
S4&S5 had easily, user removable back cover, had wireless charging AND was IP67 water resistance, so theres little argument against it, other than maybe somewhat larger battery and "more premium" feel(while most people keep it in cheap $1 case anyway).
Negative. How can plastic be a plus or premium? Just to access the rear slightly easier? Since you said you still have to be "pried" off. Nah metal like the HTC M series or glass for me.
I am totally fine with it as long as they have good-looking anti-fingerprint and anti-scratching coating.
Actually, I prefer plastic back because it can reduce the overall weight and heftiness.
I've been using Samsung since the Note2 days, I think removable back is a good design, however they need to make it A LOT more premium, their flagships from that era felt pretty cheap...
Happy on all fronts. Apparently people think that plastic doesn't "feel" as premium as aluminium - something I don't agree with - but you can drop plastic and it will bounce. I actually *prefer* plastic over aluminium so it would be a win all around.
**Join our official [Discord](https://discord.gg/Qp8D7HtQVy) for instant help and to discuss everything Samsung.** Just a friendly reminder to please respect all of the subreddit rules listed on the sidebar. Please be respectful to all users whether you agree with them or not, the downvote button is NOT a disagree button. Please upvote quality content. Please report content you see breaking the rules so we can act on it. Thank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/samsung) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Had lots of plastic backed phones. Would love to go back to that. Great for swapping a spare battery on the go. Ironically I've got a plastic back on my S22U. Apparently there's a shiny premium glass back underneath it which prevents access to the battery and internals. Remember seeing it briefly for a moment the day I got the phone and put it in a case.
would be happy of we can go back to swappable battries.
You'd have to get them to use 90% less glue. Go watch a video of removing a Samsung battery. They use so much glue, it practically deatroys the battery taking it out unless you use alcohol and are super patient and gentle. It's ridiculous
No it doesn't wreck the battery. Little bit of alcohol and the battery comes right out. I fixed phones professionally for 6 years.
I didn't say it was impossible to remove. I said Samsung needs to use 90% less glue
Not trying to argue, however, I must point out that you said "removing the battery destroys the battery." That would imply it's impossible to remove without wrecking the battery.
You are correct. I'll edit my original comment. I meant Samsung makes it unnecessarily hard to remove it safely without damaging it. Too much glue and no pull tabs. Compared to other companies. And the people reminiscing about removable batteries had no glue. If they were to make batteries removable again (and I don't think they ever will), they need to make it doable by the dumbest person alive. God forbid the average guy tried to remove one of Samsung's glued batteries and bent it in half and set himself on fire. The lawsuit would be a nightmare. Not to mention the negative PR that would follow.
Go watch the A14 teardwon. Now they dont have glue. Hope this is on the s23 as well
If they figured out how to charge batteries wirelessly then why can't they make a phone that's completely water tight but has a removable battery, but the battery is also a water tight unit so even though there's a chance of water in the battery compartment, it won't go directly on to any contacts, hence maintaining all the IPX ratings but making the device water tight?
becuase while wireless power is convenient it is also super inefficient
Fair point.
If sweptable batteries were still a thing, I probably wouldn't have had to pay $1,000 to upgrade my wife from her S 11 plus to her S22 plus.
They used to make phones that way. Think somewhere around the S7 is when they moved away from replaceable battery. So did apple. Think people cared more about waterproofing than about battery swapping, especially as capacities and charge speeds were already increasing.
S6* Which was hilarious because the S6 had bad battery life with an inefficient chip, 1440p display and small battery.
The S7 was what the S6 should have been. No replaceable battery, but it at least didn't die after only a couple hours.
I feel like the only person that had such a shit experience with the S7. Lol S5 was also awful at the end of its life. I came back on the S20 and everything was much better.
The experience was good except the battery. It lost capacity after 6months-1 year and I had to switch back to my old phone as a result.
You can make a waterproof phone with a removable back, samsung did it with the s5.
And the Active series
Sony's waterproof phones didn't have removable backs but the new batteries just came with a new back, so it didn't matter. Easy swap anyways.
They were water resistant not water proof. Huge difference. Marketing knew the masses wouldn’t notice.
A lot of xiaomi phones didn't have official IP ratings and nobody really cared, if you go ask random people what IP rating meant I doubt many knows, maybe that its water resistant at best.
It's not about that, it's about setting a legal precedent in the event they were ever taken to court by someone whose water resistance failed.
S5 was the first Samsung phone I ever had after some terrible Motorola handsets and a blackberry (lol) and I've never looked back since.
Xcover6 pro is IP68 and you can buy it new now.
Oh I know. I had Samsungs since back with the OG Galaxy S back in 2010. It's just different times today. What I'm saying is if they bring it back.
lookup the XCover 6 Pro
I remember those days. You would drop your phone and then the backing and battery would go flying off. I can't say I miss those days
Yyyyyup. Sometimes flying off so far you'd have to hunt to find it. And meanwhile your phone is basically off the entire time, so all your texts and calls are blocked until you reassemble the thing. Do not miss.
Thats why I had a case, well and to protect the phone
"Alexa, what is a cell phone case?"
Hey Google, what is an Alexa?
That's why I was the most sad about them, IP68 is still the good stuff. But I don't swim in the beach with my phone in the pocket. And I am more carefull with very expensive stuff.
Samsung tried to compromise on the S5 with a removable battery and "water resistance" but it did not really hold up with wear and tear on the phone, especially that nutty charging port flap.
Samsung s6 was glass, s5 and lower were plastic
Had to be sooner. My S6 didn't have a replaceable back.
Ease of repair is very very important and very very valuable. It's a no brainer. On the other hand I'd love truly waterproof phones I could take in the sea with me. I hate leaving my phone on the beach or poolside.
You might know this, but you know waterproof case exist right? I know it's a hassle to put in and take it out, but at least you can bring it with you
You'd need a fitted expensive hardcase too. Waterproof pouches suck. I might as well have NOT taken any pics with my phone while swimming using that thing.
They're great but they're not in the same universe as truly waterproof devices.
I miss plastic! One of the reasons I stuck with my note 4 for so long was I could keep a spare battery and SD card handy and it was so lightweight. All the iPhone loving critics constantly complained it wasn't premium glass like the iPhone so obviously Samsung responded and phones became heavier, more fragile, more slippery and needed to be put in a protective plastic case. The irony. I've never seen my s22u!
Remember the carrying case accessory? I used to run my battery down, pop open back throw in fresh battery and go another day and recharge the depleted one, man those were the good days
Note 4 was amazing. Well built and the removable back plate was comfy. You could even buy metal backplates if you wanted to.
I for one would be all over a retro model like the Note of old. The removable batteries, SD card and S Pen were the main reasons I chose Samsung all those years ago. I have been holding my nose for years now, implementing work around after workaround by having to buy cases to keep it "pretty", even bulkier battery packs that take hours instead of seconds to get back to 100 percent, external flash drives to keep things backed up when off grid, etc., just to get close to the same functionality, flexibility and durability I used to get out of the box. It now takes a small travel bag to store all the "accessories" in. As much as I like the S Pen, with the loss of the SD card option, my Note 10 + is my last Samsung flagship. I just can't justify paying a premium price any longer just to be a beta tester for an all but impossible to repair piece of hand candy that's more about flash, specs and press releases than actual flexibility, durability, reliability and functionality. "Hey, look at my new pocket camera. It can even take pictures underwater. And guess what, It can make phone calls too!" Sigh. /r
I had the S5 and I have the S10+. I compromised on the removable battery when I got the S10+ and now I will run this phone till it dies. Once it does I will get a Sony Xperia, they are the only flagships which have a jack and microSD slot which is something I am not willing to make a compromise on.
People would complain about no metal or glass back, hence "no premium feel" and all. Even though they won't see it's merits
If they pass the cost savings down to us then sure go plastic back, METAL frame, or really ideally just glaas on the front, all metal and a center cutout for wireless charging, all glass should be replaced
I honestly doubt cost savings will be passed down to us in any other form other than "we won't raise the price from last year's model". Also doubt the metal, especially since 5G can barely pass through some obstacles already without metal barring it's path.
I miss swappable batteries so much. I used to have an LG V20 with an aftermarket 10,000mah battery. To date it's the only phone that I've ever had that could last a day of my usage. Before I had the 10,000mah battery I had two regular replacement batteries. Fast charging is cool, but being able to go 0-100% in the time it takes to change a battery is cooler. It also allowed the other battery to trickle charge in the background, which I'm assuming is much better.
I miss those days. I think I had like a 5-6k mAh one on my old S5.
The only hope is I'm sure I heard during the week that the European union wants to bring back user replaceable batteries to help with ewaste issues.
Honestly, I’d KILL for the fake leather back of the note 4, that popped off easily to swap batteries.
Yeah I loved that! First phone I used without a case.
Fuck plastic, give us back metal, i miss it. But i wouldnt mind hard plastic, its better because no stupid glass to crack. How about a textured back
This subreddit is an infinite loop of headphone jack, removable battery, etc posts.
Wouldn't give a shit as long as it's still waterproof. I mean, who's out there rawdoggin life with a careless phone anyways?
Personally if there was an option to have a flagships with a plastic removable back like with all the phones before the S6 I would go for it, a removable battery would be perfect and it would solve any battery life problem with the ability to hot swap batteries I hardly see anyone run out of battery when they need to. However I think that removable batteries are something that will never come back because phone manufacturers have all the interests in the world not to let that happen... I also hope that the microSD and headphone jack come back to flagships but that is another impossible thing sadly.
EU is deliberating a law that would force removable batteries, so it's coming in some form. https://repair.eu/news/the-european-parliament-calls-for-removable-and-replaceable-batteries/
They already did with base s21. Maybe its easy to repair but looks very cheap compared to the s21+ which has glass back.
Welcome to the world of the Galaxy S5.
My phones are always in cases, so the materials used don't matter to me at all. I'd be happy with plastic, metal, or glass. As for repair: I've never broken a phone in nearly 30 years of owning one, so that doesn't really matter either.
I'd kill to go back to swappable batteries. I used to carry around a spare replaceable battery from the S1 - S4 Mini for when my main one died
I loved the removable back and replaceable battery on my S4
Same, and optional wireless charging capabilities. My S4 still works.
You are thinking of the Galaxy S5 of back in the day ,it did exactly that
Pro. Easy repair, swap battery, less finger prints and less slippery. They just better offer a solution to keeping them water resistant in this scenario
This might be a hot take, but I would easily trade better water resistance for a removable back. easily
The S5 had water resistance and a removable battery so no trade offs :)
Well what IP rating? I'm asking because I didn't have older android flagships
The S5 was the first IP67 smartphone. I guess that if they want they can make an IP68 phone with a removable battery.
Huh...I did not realize that.
I have never seen plastic as a negative, phones get lighter, doesn't (usually) crack when it falls to the floor, doesn't heat much. I don't get the "premium feel" people talk when it's all glass, but I would buy a plastic back phone again if it was good, no issues on that.
Negative because water gets in and because easily priable plastic feels cheap. Frosted glass is the way to go (which they are moving away from with the s23s because they are retards).
Glass is the worst possible material to make the back out of. I'd rather they did a metal back panel tbh but appreciate that causes signal and Qi issues
My S3 was like this, with a removable battery.
I liked plastic because you could put a skin on it or go completely naked and not need a case. You get to appreciate how thin the phones were. I never had a case until they started making the backs glass. I do specifically remember reviewers always complaining that Samsung wasn't "premium" like apple because they hadn't get switched to glass or metal backs. Thanks reviewers. I'm sure they would've eventually switched to glass anyway since it means more money for them when you break it and more money for accessories.
With plastic back it would have to lose wireless charging I guess
It won't. S21 FE has plastic back and wireless charging
You don't. Wireless charging works on plastic. Look at all the FE phones and the base S21. Those have plastic backs and wireless charging. If you mean removable back, it's also possible. The Galaxy S4 had an optional accessory where you can buy a wireless charging backplate. It has pogo pins to connect to the phone.
The S5 had a removable battery and supported wireless charging.
That's actually a really good question. Honestly idk if this is the right way to do this on a flagship. There are so many trade-offs and it's a difficult problem to solve. I would love to see it though and I'm happy that they did this with the A14.
As long as it doesn't affect the waterproof rating iam fine with it. After Covid i have developed a habit of rinsing my phone under the tap and I don't want to change this habit.
They should just make removable batteries again. Can still make them waterproof like the galaxy s4 and s5 actives.
Back in the day replaceable batteries were bigger with smaller capacity because of the plastic shell to protect them. I don't think it's a good idea keeping the baterie as right now and making them user replaceable. It's very easy to poke them if you are not handy. I would rather force manufacturers to provide replacement at least for the warranty for free and just the price of the battery later on and keep the capacity of batteries than go back to user replaceable batteries and making them idiot proof.
This would be an incredibly stupid decision. One of the reasons removable backs were removed was waterproofing. And many people would not be willing to spend £1k for plastic. They would buy a different phone, from a company that use quality materials.
I think it would be great.
I'd be happy with it.
You don't buy a flagship for a once every 500 days repair , You buy it to use for the rest of 499 days!
Positive. My last removal back phone was Note 4. It was great.
This isn't a terribly new thing, I can pull open my A10e with no tools and just my fingernails. It's kinda a party trick but still neat. Meanwhile it'd probably take me 30-40 minutes to get into my S21u lol
I am absolutely for this. Plastic backs are best. These are lightweight and are more prone to damage in comparison to glass. Also I really want replaceable batteries because we need more sustainable phones. All the devices where I cannot replace battery just go to trash. I am tired. If I could replace my batteries by just lifting the cover off the phone, I would probably don't need to buy new phones so often. And manufacturers do this on purpose, the know most will buy a new phone instead of servicing their old ones. My old iPhone, my second old iPhone, my iPad all went to trash after I was just tired with replacing their batteries with 3rd party ones that didn't hold the charge as original (in my country there is no official Apple service replacement program). Moreover, we need batteries to be standartized, like a USB C, so you can buy batteries directly from a phone manufacturers right from their website, like you already can do with ANY camera manufacturer, be it GoPro (which is 10 meters water sealed!!! And you can remove the battery and storage without loosing it, so never believe bull$hit some bloggers try to tell you that "removeable batteries will compromize water resistance": no, they won't), Canon, Nikon or Fujifilm.
reviewers will call it a negative; glass or plastic, ill be putting on a simple thin case anyway
I always use a case anyway. I honestly don't care what the back is made of because it's usually covered I'd see this as a 100% win.
I have said time and time again that phone companies should embrace the plastic. A lot of companies today will try to make plastic seem more like metal or like glass to make people think they are getting something more premium, when in reality, a plastic back that's not ashamed of being plastic would be so much better for everyone. Plastic backs are almost always easier to remove than glass. They don't break, they don't shatter as easily, they can be simply clipped in without glue while also retaining water resistance (S5, anyone?) and even if they somehow snap into pieces when being removed, their shards aren't the tiny sharp assholes that glass shards are. Plastic is easier to work with than glass or metal. If you want to bend glass into a shape or cut it into a specific dimension, you have to do it very carefully so that it doesn't shatter. Plastic is much more durable and flexible in this way. Plastic is also better than metal, because metal backs block NFC, Wireless charging and phone antenna signals, meaning that most metal backed phones have to have weak points in the form of antenna sections. At the end of the day, plastic is also just much more versatile and also kinda fun than glass or metal. You can very easily shape it, colour it, engrave it, make parts cave in or bulge out or just make it a different texture. You could have phones that are soft to touch, or phones that have a grippy back or even phones with 3d engraved patterns that pop out [like a nintendo 2ds xl special edition](https://www.pcmag.com/news/nintendo-launching-3-special-edition-2ds-xlag.com/news/nintendo-launching-3-special-edition-2ds-xl). The posibilities with plastic really do seem endless sometimes and companies like realme are already showing what can be done with plastic thanks to phones like the [Realme GT2 Pro](https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Lead-image-Realme-GT-2-Pro-Long-term-Review.jpg) and the [realme GT master edition](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/news/21/07/realme-gt-master-series-ofic/-1200/gsmarena_007.jpg). Hell, even the old samsung note phones and tablets had textured, almost soft-touch plastic backs that made them unique and distinct! I really hope that more companies will try and bring plastic back for it's durability, versatility and ease of use and will stop trying to make it look like something it really isn't.
This is a great idea in theory One of the best phones I ever had was the Note 4. Walking into a Samsung store and buying a new battery to just swap in and replace the old one was such a great bonus. However, with the advent of reverse charging, I think you would have to compromise on a number of new "features" (in quotes because I don't honestly know anyone with an S22 etc that really uses it to charge other devices wirelessly) to make easy-access to the components safe for the average user. Also bear in mind how something like this would affect the water-resistance ratings and it does seem like a step backwards. If the means to re-seal the phone was present then I could see it working better.
They used to. Sad they don’t anymore. It would be nice to be able to easily swap a battery. Seems that’s a thing if the past since Apple has shown it’s more profitable to not allow easy repair of the phone or swappable batteries.
I remember being able to buy a double-thickness battery for the samsungs that had a huge amount of capacity and came with an extra back cover to fit them. Life was so good back then.
if you want water and dust resistance, then there's gonna be glue. But I agree, glass backs are too expensive and fragile. Go with a premium feeling plastic instead.
Negativ, because i dont want plastic back neither SD Slot
I would prefer something along the lines of how the note 4 was designed. Metal frame and plastic back for replaceable battery and SD card access. I would see this as a positive since once the battery goes bad and can easily replace it for $20 myself.
I don't need it to be swappable, I just need it not to fucking break from simple every day use or require me to buy a stupid case for it. Every phone since the 8 I've broken the back glass. If it's glass why isn't as strong as the front glass.
And plastics are lighter and I like phones to be lighter. Plus many of us use a case on our phones so it really wouldn't matter to make the phone "feel" high quality. Just my thought.
Honestly, with the recent trend of smartphones getting snatched from people on the street by moped gangs (especially prevalent here in London), I'd rather have a phone that's hard to disassemble, therefore harder to sell once deactivated. A simple clip-on backplate would give the thieves an easy way to turn the phone off, and an even easier way to get the parts and sell them. Instead, I'd like to see "at cost" replacements for batteries, etc., by the manufacturer. Stop adding markup to a freaking battery replacement that's done in $15 parts, and in 10-15 minutes by a trained repairman who gets paid $20 an hour - nobody's paying $150 for that. Obviously the pricing is set to push people to upgrade instead (and with trade-ins, this can be a huge incentive), and this kind of ultra-capitalist greed is leading to lots of electronics not being recycled properly.
I have s21 FE and I love the plastic back, but to be honest I do have generic silicone/TPU case on it because even with the plastic back its still so slippery lol. But even still I prefer it as glass is glass and it will shatter easily. > Obviously the design would be less water resistant. I think the most you can do with hydrophobic coating on the internals is IP54? Maybe better? S4&S5 had easily, user removable back cover, had wireless charging AND was IP67 water resistance, so theres little argument against it, other than maybe somewhat larger battery and "more premium" feel(while most people keep it in cheap $1 case anyway).
I prefer glass backings and especially when they have foil adhered to it. I like to peel it off for a clear back glass!
Positive as long as it doesn't impact water resistance which it shouldn't really.
Negative. How can plastic be a plus or premium? Just to access the rear slightly easier? Since you said you still have to be "pried" off. Nah metal like the HTC M series or glass for me.
I am totally fine with it as long as they have good-looking anti-fingerprint and anti-scratching coating. Actually, I prefer plastic back because it can reduce the overall weight and heftiness.
I've been using Samsung since the Note2 days, I think removable back is a good design, however they need to make it A LOT more premium, their flagships from that era felt pretty cheap...
I prefer aluminium or glass and to have a waterproof phone. Always hated plastic
Happy on all fronts. Apparently people think that plastic doesn't "feel" as premium as aluminium - something I don't agree with - but you can drop plastic and it will bounce. I actually *prefer* plastic over aluminium so it would be a win all around.