Re: Alternate OS for LG V20?

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
 

On 2025-06-11 15:46, VanguardLH wrote:

New phones are just ridiculously overpriced, especially when trying to
find those that have 6-7 update lifecycles.

 
Well, they will last longer. You have to decide if that is enough
compensation for the high price. For me, no: I don't like to carry
around such an expensive thing that I can drop or that can be stolen.
 
My current phone are a Motorola G52 or G62. I believe in the 200..300 €
range.

 
What the average usable lifespan of lithium batteries in smart phones?
Since they are not user serviceable by design, the phone becomes useless
because the battery is not replacement, and batteries are chemical, so
they die, and lose capacity before then.  The battery doesn't
catastrophically and immediate die.  It loses capacity over time (can't
hold as many Coulombs).  Built in self destruction.  Lifespan could be 3
to 10 years.  10 years sounds like a long time, but not 3 years.  My car
is 23 years old, and still running very well and in great condition.
 
My ancient LG V20 has user-serviceable batteries.  It lasted this long
because I could replace the batteries.  I could even carry a spare
battery in my pocket for added up-time rather than lug around a power
bank or hunt and hope to find an outlet.  The LG V20 was introduced in
2016, and 9 years later I'm starting to ponder a replacement -- and
primarily due to the lack or discontinued support of an old Android
version by apps.

 
The trouble with user replaceable batteries that for most phones, by the
time the battery needs replacing, OEM batteries are unavailable.  For
Samsung they used to only make them for 1 year, so 5/6/7/...  years down the
track you only had old stock that had been on the shelf for half a decade
(not good for a lithium cell) or 'genuine' fakes that died in weeks.  Best I
could suggest is to buy an branded battery that isn't branded Samsung/etc.
At least you know it isn't fake (nobody fakes store-brand items, there's
better returns faking big brands).
 
So, unless it's iPhones with their small number of models and huge market,
quality aftermarket batteries effectively don't exist.  The only thing that
might change it is if the EU mandates spares must be available for N years,
at which point OEM batteries might be made for longer.
 
Theo

The phone makers don't make the batteries.  They contract a plant to
produce them, and the plant produces batteries for more than just one
model of phone from one maker.

My understanding was phone makers must provide (contract) for batteries
(replaceable or not) for a period of up to 5 years after a product is
discontinued.  Plus, the plant doesn't have to stop producing the
batteries if the continue to generate revenue from them.

My LG V20 was introduced in 2015.  LG discontinued the phone in 2019.
LG left the smart phone market in 2022.  I can still find legit
replacement batteries that have a manufacture date of 2022.  I haven't
yet needed to replace the one I have (the spare has the same mfr date),
so I have not checked in later mfr years are available.  Non-OEM
batteries are available even longer.  Depends on whether they still
sell.  I've not yet needed to move to non-OEM batteries for my phone,
plus the ones I've seen don't have a mfr date stamp noted on them.  If I
went to non-OEM, I'd buy from a retailer with a physical store that also
honored the warranties.  If a battery says it is warranteed for a year,
BatteriesPlus will honor the warranty (but you're paying a premium to
get anything from BatteriesPlus).

But, yeah, the older my phone gets, the harder to find batteries with
mfr dates within the last couple of years.  If not from a store where I
can see the battery before purchase, or before payment, to note the mfr
date, I contact the seller since often they use stock photos, not pics
of the actual product they are selling.  I establish a chat which I can
use a proof of the seller delivering an invalid or non-agreed product to
get a refund (I've done that at Newegg and eBay).