Ideal smartphone: The no compromise device that should be possible to create in 2016

[veLa]

How can Non-removable battery be no compromise? If you want the perfect phone removable battery is a must. Again if someone create this phone no one will buy it like they did with Samsung latest models... which is because it has the biggest compromise of all.

Agreed. The article title is misleading if he opts for the lack of a removable battery. That and an SD card slot are the two biggest concerns for me when I'm purchasing a mobile device.

 

[psycros]

Sounds like what you want is the next all-touch Blackberry.

 

[corvette72778]

You forgot to mention
-IR Blaster. Anyone that has had a phone with this knows how big of a convenience it is.
-The benefit of the removable battery far outweighs the cost of any thickness increase. I don't know why they can't be the same. Its cool to go from 0-100% in 10 seconds! Priceless.
-2nd display on top like the LG V10.

 

[Scorpus]

If you need to hot swap batteries on the go, the battery life of the device has failed. An ideal smartphone wouldn't need this feature because the battery life would be good enough for all situations

 

[MHMPr]

If you need to hot swap batteries on the go, the battery life of the device has failed. An ideal smartphone wouldn't need this feature because the battery life would be good enough for all situations

B-but I'm a POWAH USAH and I watch 8 hours of videos on my smartphone every day, while keeping 15 tabs open on chrome, and multitasking like crazy because I'm super smart and can do a lot of things at once! I'm not like those casuals that use phones like a normal person! I need my four spare batteries!

 

[Branded]

Yep POWAH USAH, you're super smart alright. Downright brilliant. Can't debate an issue like an adult, so all you're left with is mocking anybody who disagrees with you. Now go drink your cool aid.

 

[Gingercus]

I agree with every single choice. I would happily pay a massive premium for a phone with these specifications.

 

[MHMPr]

Yep POWAH USAH, you're super smart alright. Downright brilliant. Can't debate an issue like an adult, so all you're left with is mocking anybody who disagrees with you. Now go drink your cool aid.

People acting like a 4300 mAh battery "isn't enough for me" and therefore "removable battery is essential" is nothing but pretentious.

 

[Branded]

Actually, the height of pretentiousness is anyone who enters into a discussion without understanding what is being discussed. For future reference, when folks say they won't buy a phone that doesn't have a replaceable battery, they don't necessarily mean a battery they can swap out on busy days... they mean a battery they can replace when the original goes Tango Uniform after a year or so. Been there, done that and finished with being burned by cheap phone batteries.

 

[MHMPr]

they mean a battery they can replace when the original goes Tango Uniform after a year or so. Been there, done that and finished with being burned by cheap phone batteries.

And I'm going to mention for the third time in this thread that you can replace the battery on a phone with non-removable batteries, just by taking it to an authorized service instead of doing it yourself. It may be more expensive, but the notion that it can't be done is ridiculous and I don't know where you people got that nonsense idea from.
This also shows you have not read the previous comments and are now accusing me of "entering without understanding the discussion", which is funny.

 

[Branded]

I've read all comments. I won't be paying anyone to replace a battery of any sort - cell phone or other device - ever. I simply will not buy any device that does not have a user replaceable battery. If you wish to spend your money on such a "service", then do so. But don't childishly mock those of us who wish not to pay a service to change a simple battery.

 

[MHMPr]

I won't be paying anyone to replace a battery of any sort ever.

Let's hope you never come to need a pacemaker then.

 

[Deviannt1]

Yep, I'm another who feels that a non customer removable battery is more of a compromise then a slightly heavier, thicker phone. I kinda feel this race to thinner, lighter is pretty stupid, especially since the vast majority of us almost never feel how thin our phone is outside of its case. Over the years I have bought replacement batteries for my S2 and S3 and enjoyed the ability to hard reset upon freezing. I don't believe in the life expectancy of batteries, been burned before and even my last phone, a Note 3 seemed to have half of the capacity it did when I first bought it two years previously. When my free upgrade came around this year I was eligible for a free subsidized Note 5 but it was the lack of expandable memory and removable battery that made me go back one generation to a Note 4 instead. I understand that I could pay someone to open my phone and re solder a new battery in there, but I want the freedom to install any size battery I can find, not only Samsung OEM ones. Again, if the trade of was something other than it will make my phone 2mm thinner, maybe it becomes a valid discussion for me but that is not the case.

 

[amghwk]

I just bought a new battery for my Note 3. It's convenient and economical. And my phone still runs well.

I wonder how long the proponents of the non-removable batteries can stick to their phone after a year. Diminished capacity and so on. Of course, those with money to burn can buy new phones every 1 or 2 years.

And please change the title of this post to "MY Ideal Phone in 2016"... or just add MY to the title.

 

[DaveBG]

I was apprehensive when I bought my Huawei Ascend Mate2, in June of 2014. Non removable battery.
But, here it is almost 2 years later, and I could care less. 4,050mAH battery, lasts 2-3 days easy. 2 days with
super heavy use.
Yeah, if you have a sub 3,000mAH battery with a super dense screen, hot processor, play 3D games I could see the issue.
I don't play games on my phone. I'll run a LOT of web, mp3's (pandora), youtube, email, text & phone.
the 720p screen 6.1" works for me, nova launcher instead of the stock UI. Phone isn't rooted, stock rom 5.1
Phone, for my needs is PERFECT! All for less than $300 dollars.
I wish there were more mid rangers that work as good as this one.
The problem is people are conditioned to believing that they "need" a new phone ever year or every other year. Coming off the 2year contract crap in the U.S., people are mostly under the impression they MUST buy a phone from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, t-mobile etc.
Until that changes, people get tired of paying 700-1000 dollars for a stupid phone, the trend of "flagships" along with their inflated prices will continue. The bulk of users, DO NOT NEED that much processing power in a stupid phone, that they do not (mostly) multi task from. Twitter, FB, instagram and all of that social media BS, doesn't need that much processing power, but, people fall for it every year or so. I think it is more of the self absorbed young 20 somethings to 30 somethings doing the keep up with the Joneses than anything else.

There is never a problem with the battery until its starts to hold half charge or less. Then all of the sudden the non removable battery becomes a problem. I also run my current phone with its original battery and never had problems SO FAR, but I know that soon I will use this feature and will be glad I have it.

 

[corvette72778]

1440p screen on a 5ish inch phone is overkill in my opinion, until they improve battery technology I won't be buying anything over 1080p, and won't be upgrading my Sony Z3 unless it breaks or becomes unusable in some way (which I only bought when the AF on the camera on my Nexus 5 broke and Google refunded my money). I'm beginning to feel that smartphones are hitting the same performance/improvement ceiling as PC CPUs are. People rarely need the extra power but advertising does such a good job pushing them down our throats.

I agree with you on display and battery. 1440 is overkill. However, you will probably lose a lot of other features that phones with 1440k have as 1080 is midlevel.

 

[Phr3d]

What I, and possibly other readers are missing is the definition of a Perfect phone - I could not care less about most of the premium features lusted after here, and so I would be happy with the perfect mid-level phone, and eagerly await a manufacturer having the guts to release one against costing sales of their advertising-darling with the braggable features mentioned in the article.

A mid-level phone has last-gen SOC, optimized rather than treated like sh*t, 1080 screen - amo or not, efficiency and outdoor ability trump all, SHQ lens-sensor-IS camera in 1080 (slo-mo would be nice) huge removable battery and of course an SD slot with UHS II speeds. Done, how much?

Thin? don't care. USB-c? don't care. under-water camera? gotta pass. SHQ selfie-cam? Really gotta pass. 50% more pixels serving a 5-ish inch screen? sorry, just silly.

I'm guessing My perfect phone will be delivered by a flying pig..

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Also, did it not occur that a removable battery isn't just for extended batteries, but for REPLACEMENT? I cant replace a sealed battery, and im not spending $650 on a device whose battery will die in two years. I know plenty of people with older galaxies as well, and most of them have had to replace the battery at some point, often more than once, due to either bulging or diminishing capacities.
A sealed battery is a compromise, through and through.

I agree that a larger internal battery would be better than an external one, but you don't need removable batteries to get that, the manufacturer could offer that as an option when buying the phone. Also, you are greatly overstimating the risk of damaging USB ports by having a cable plugged in, I've been using my Moto G with an external battery connected inside my bag for two years now, with zero damage. Those ports are nowhere near as flimsy as you suggest.
And having a non-removable battery doesn't mean the battery can't be replaced. You can have it replaced, only you will have to go to authorized support, and it will probably cost more than doing it yourself. So sure, that's a compromise in having non-removable batteries. But removable batteries requires compromises as well, even more so than non-removable ones. It makes the phone thicker, heavier, negatively impacts build quality and limits choices of materials and finishes.

Negatively impacts build quality? Tell that to the note 4, which is beautifully made. Sure, I don't have a glass back, but what does a glass back give me other than an easy to break phone? Or metal, which can impact signal strength?

As for thickness, phones are already getting too thin. Most people put them in bulky cases, so a few extra mm for a removable battery won't affect most people in the slightest.

Phones are miniature computers. I don't buy $800 phones as fashion statements, I buy them to be my primary telecommunication device, a source of internet wherever I go, my connection to the world. Compromising it's lifespan and repair-ability for cool looks or "superior" materials is what has gotten us to phones being unrepairable, near identical looking pieces of garbage, that can barely make it through a single day of use on one charge. It's what killed my nexus 5, having a sealed battery meant nobody made new ones, and LG wanted hundreds to repair it. It's what killed two of my coworker's s6s, when they spilled water and couldn't remove the battery.

Screw that. I want a phone that will work as long as I can find parts. Having to replace a phone because the manufacturer has decided you cannot remove the battery is stupid.

 

[hrowder]

All the other "gee whiz" stuff aside, expandable memory and a replaceable battery are must haves. Batteries go bad. I will not be paying hundreds of dollars and let my phone out of my hands to someone I don't know to replace a battery. Phones now have apps that give access to private and financial information and I don't want anyone besides me to have MY phone in someone else's hands for any period of time out of my sight. So no... I don't like non-replaceable batteries. Another member mentioned obsolescence of permanently installed batteries as a negative, which I agree with. They are proprietary which means more expensive to begin with, and if the phone maker decides they will not be using those types anymore or just want you to "upgrade" your phone, then you're screwed. Obviously being able to have choices is always better than not having them. The memory card thing is a no brainer too. I don't understand why anyone would want it any other way.

 

[Kibaruk]

You forgot to mention
-IR Blaster. Anyone that has had a phone with this knows how big of a convenience it is.
-The benefit of the removable battery far outweighs the cost of any thickness increase. I don't know why they can't be the same. Its cool to go from 0-100% in 10 seconds! Priceless.
-2nd display on top like the LG V10.

So... how do people charge the secondary battery? they charge the first one unplug and charge the second one? Or do they buy charging cradles for batteries? How does this work?

My portable charger has me covered when I really need that extra juice (I don't have to switch anything, just plug in and voila and it charges itself with the same usb port), but I've always wondered...

My ideal phone is much simpler. LG G2 with upgraded internals.
-Snapdragon 820
-64GB of storage
-4GB ram
-3300mah battery
-better camera, audio chip, AC WiFi, USB 3.0 type c, and wireless charging.

That's totally possible right?

Yes I would love this.

 

[NightAntilli]

For me, any screen larger than 4.7" is too large.

 

[Charbo]

Everyone has its own "perfect" smartphone because every single person has different needs than others.. Removable battery is indeed a compromise, but I'd prefer the phone to be waterproof than to be able to replace my battery! Could they do both? I wish, but not yet... as far as I know.

My list would be:

- Snapdragon 820 (because, you know.. GPU)
- 90GB (unusual, but that's what I would use)
- 4GB RAM
- 4000 mah battery (I think they can achieve that in a 9.8-10 mm phone, that would be great)
- AC Wifi
- 4G
- 1440P Super AMOLED display from Samsung with adjustable saturation level
- Metal body with gorilla glass 4
- Type-C connector
- Bad front-facing cam because I don't really use it (would lower the price) 5MP no OIS is fine by my standards
- OIS on the Nexus 6P camera (I'm sure engineers will find a way, might even bump up resolution to 16MP in the process)
- make sure there is 4K and 240fps recording on that camera
- Dual front speakers
- 1 SIM card (use the space for battery)
- MicroSD card: only if you can make the phone waterproof with it included
- Waterproof
- Fingerprint reader
- Flat screen not like that gimmick of a curved screen on the S6
- Stock Android

Only dreaming here, I wish they could make this phone! My S3 feels soooo old (well, it IS), gotta stop waiting lol

 

[davidtb]

Good article, dream on.
Would be a great ARA project, IF everyone would play nice.

 

[Linoid]

Great article . . I agree almost 100% . . . the only features that I (personally) don't care too much about are dual sim capability and the fingerprint sensor. I have a Nexus 5 (rooted to remove unwanted Google apps) and I consider it almost the perfect phone. The 5 inch screen is good for me, but as you say, 5.2 or 5.3 would be pretty much the sweet spot. If it had expandable memory and 4gb ram, it WOULD be perfect for me. I am considering an upgrade, but don't know yet to what. Like you, I feel it shouldn't be too much of an ask for manufacturers to produce the 'perfect' phone. I suppose Samsung comes closest at the moment . . if only they were available with a pure Android OS. For now, I stick with my N5 until something resembling your 'ideal smartphone' materializes. Cheers.

 

[Linoid]

How can Non-removable battery be no compromise? If you want the perfect phone removable battery is a must. Again if someone create this phone no one will buy it like they did with Samsung latest models... which is because it has the biggest compromise of all.

I was apprehensive when I bought my Huawei Ascend Mate2, in June of 2014. Non removable battery.
But, here it is almost 2 years later, and I could care less. 4,050mAH battery, lasts 2-3 days easy. 2 days with
super heavy use.
Yeah, if you have a sub 3,000mAH battery with a super dense screen, hot processor, play 3D games I could see the issue.
I don't play games on my phone. I'll run a LOT of web, mp3's (pandora), youtube, email, text & phone.
the 720p screen 6.1" works for me, nova launcher instead of the stock UI. Phone isn't rooted, stock rom 5.1
Phone, for my needs is PERFECT! All for less than $300 dollars.
I wish there were more mid rangers that work as good as this one.
The problem is people are conditioned to believing that they "need" a new phone ever year or every other year. Coming off the 2year contract crap in the U.S., people are mostly under the impression they MUST buy a phone from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, t-mobile etc.
Until that changes, people get tired of paying 700-1000 dollars for a stupid phone, the trend of "flagships" along with their inflated prices will continue. The bulk of users, DO NOT NEED that much processing power in a stupid phone, that they do not (mostly) multi task from. Twitter, FB, instagram and all of that social media BS, doesn't need that much processing power, but, people fall for it every year or so. I think it is more of the self absorbed young 20 somethings to 30 somethings doing the keep up with the Joneses than anything else.

What you said . .