Anti-repair

Last week my Pixel 7 Pro, which I purchased brand new when it came out, the screen started popping off due to a swollen battery. Naturally, my first thought was how all new devices suck and are not made to last. I take really good care of my stuff, this includes my phone and computer. No drops, no scratches, no water damage.

When I spend $1000 on a phone I expect it to last more than 3 years. The hardware is still good, I know it, but the battery is done. The phone before Pixel 7 was iPhone 6. I believe I had this phone for about 8 years. It started having battery issues and I was able to extend its life by another couple years with a new battery that I installed. Eventually, the hardware become too slow and no longer usable with new software and OS updates.

Why am I writing this? Just to say that doing a basic repair like this is somewhat difficult. All parts are glued, screen is glued, battery is glued. You need to be careful. It's difficult because companies would rather make you buy a new device instead of allowing you to easily perform a basic repair. I knew that I can replace battery for Pixel 7 Pro and it's only $20 for a battery repair kit on Amazon. However, I decided to buy a new phone so I could transfer all my 2FA codes. Losing these codes would be PITA to deal with and I didn't want to risk it. If repairs were made easy, where I could just pop in a new battery without doing crazy screen prying and dealing with glue, I would have skipped new phone purchase.

Europeans are onto something. They will require phones to have replaceable batteries in 2027. Of course there can be exemptions, but directionally I think that's a great move. However, I have zero hopes for something like this becoming a requirement in the USA. Time will tell.