How To Cell Phone

"Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious" (shour)
12/29/2018 at 16:51 • Filed to: None

So, batteries.

NOT THAT KIND OF BATTERY.

I know of no other wider, broader population of friendly people to ask, so I always ask Oppo, right? Right.

So, my cell phone battery is no longer holding up like it used to. No surprise, the phone’s two years old, and I could “upgrade” (which is a deceptive term that means, ‘hey, you’re done paying off this $700 phone so why not start paying for a $1,000 phone now’), but I’m pretty happy with my current phone, and don’t see a reason to replace it...except the battery. It’s a Motorola Z Force, one of those phones that you (mostly) can’t open. But there’s aftermarket-type shops that do cell phone repair, replace screens and stuff like that, and I figure, maybe I could have one of those places crack the phone open and put in a new battery. It may cost a hundred bucks or something (maybe more? I don’t know), but it’s still cheaper than buying a new phone. If I even get another year out of this phone, I figure it’s a fair deal, right?

So, anyone ever do this with a sealed phone before? (Haven’t most phones been sealed up without removable batteries for the last five or six years anyway?) If you have, I’m curious to know your experience and expense, if you’re willing to share. Pretty Panther wagon for your time.

DISCUSSION (14)

lone_liberal > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
12/29/2018 at 17:20

We had an employee break the screen of an iPhone and the company had me take it to a place (Batteries Plus if I remember right) to get it replaced. It wasn’t perfect aesthetically but it worked fine. I would think that repl acing a battery should be easier.

HammerheadFistpunch > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
12/29/2018 at 17:22

I bought a moto g5, I think it was like $200 with no contract and while the camera isn’t great and its no flagship the screen hasn’t cracked in 2 years and the battery is top notch, plus its replaceable . something to think about if you are thinking of dropping $100 on a battery.

Looks like its called the e4 now, an E4 plus is probably that price and does everything mine does and more.

Future Heap Owner > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
12/29/2018 at 17:25

I’ve replaced the battery on an iPhone 5 or SE four times, and replaced the screen thrice (about to do it again later today or tomorrow). Parts for each are $20-35, and doing the repair only takes a pittance in tools, a good guide (usually iFixit), a steady hand, and patience. I’ve never gone to a third party place for this but I’d be surprised if it was north of $100 USD

TheRealBicycleBuck > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
12/29/2018 at 17:33

For that phone, a new battery and the tools to replace it are $22 . I nstructions here:

DipodomysDeserti > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
12/29/2018 at 20:18

I swapped batteries myself between two iphones. Not sure if they’re set up the same way. In the case of the iphone, the battery was somewhat flexible and glued to the case, so I had to be very careful about peeling it off.

glemon > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
12/31/2018 at 02:21

I have a Moto E4, bought on Amazon a year and a half ago for$125 or so, works good but 16gb of storage is a little weak . Battery is replaceable (slide off cover) so of course it is lasting forever.

My wife just got a Moto E6 at Best buy, 32gb for$150 (now $200 was on special). This is a pretty nice phone, metal case (mine is plastic) camera is about the only complaint.

You can also do the DIY thing, but it is possible to screw things up when you are in there. Definitely buy the $10-12 kit with all the special tools. Only other thing you need is a blow dryer. The latest and greatest phones are about a grand now. That is a lot of beer and pizza money.

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > Future Heap Owner
12/31/2018 at 13:37

Okay. Thanks for your input - I appreciate it. ^_^

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > glemon
12/31/2018 at 13:39

Yeah, the high price of a replacement, I admit, is one of the things driving the repair angle (the other being that I’m still happy with what I’ve got). From the looks of the DIY, prying and heat guns and stuff...ugh. I miss the old days of swappable batteries. I get that water resistance is a thing now, but that can still be achieved with rubber seals and screws, rather than glue glue glue glue glue. -_-

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > TheRealBicycleBuck
12/31/2018 at 13:40

Thanks for this - appreciate it!

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > lone_liberal
12/31/2018 at 13:40

Hmmm. I hadn’t considered if Batteries Plus did repair...but if anyone would have the battery in stock, it’d likely be them.

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > DipodomysDeserti
12/31/2018 at 13:41

Are iPhones sealed up the way that that Motorolas currently are? Or was cover removal pretty brainless? Just curious.

DipodomysDeserti > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
12/31/2018 at 13:54

It was pretty painless. There are two small screws on the bottom of the case. Once those were out I used a suction cup to pull the two halves of the phone apart. You just have to do it carefully, as there are some short wires between the two halves. I was actually able to swap a battery and a screen between two phones. Hardest part was removing the battery. If you apply some light heat it makes it easier to remove. Just be careful as lithium ion batteries have been known to blow up.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
12/31/2018 at 16:15

You’re welcome. Which route did you decide to take?

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > TheRealBicycleBuck
12/31/2018 at 16:45

I’m pricing checking with a local repair shop to see if they premium they charge for the labor is what I’m willing to pay to save the hour or two to do this. I mean, I can do this. But I’m also a little lazy and very paranoid about screwing up all the prying and gluing. If I wasn’t paranoid, I could do this in an hour, but I could see myself taking the better part of an entire day being OCD about it. If someone is willing to do this for me for under a hundred, fair play. If not, then I’m spending $22 and burning a day, lol.