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From: Gelato <gelato@.is.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.mobile.android
Subject: Re: Alternate OS for LG V20?
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2025 22:14:26 -0400
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On Thu, 12 Jun 2025 13:58:17 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

> What the average usable lifespan of lithium batteries in smart phones?

Most last a few years without degradation if they start out big enough.

> 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.

The key is to buy a phone with the biggest starting capacity you can get.

> 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.

Soon the EU rules will require phone makers to make replaceable batteries.

> While I will use my old phone a little longer, I am looking at new
> phones with new batteries will get updated many years into the future.
> I'm not buying an old phone, and then realizing I've reached its end of
> lifespan prematurely.  The Moto G52 and G62 came out 3 years ago.
> Improvement in hardware has been incremental, and disappointing.
> Meanwhile the door keeps moving with new OS versions.

Nothing meaningful has changed in phone design in quite a few years.

> For now, I've gone into the Play Store app to disable auto-updating on
> all apps.  The only malevolent actions I've ever encountered on my phone
> is the covert disabling of apps that, when updated, mandate a later
> version of the OS than where they were working just fine before.  Alas,
> some apps will disable themselves by ceasing to function if you don't
> get their newer version, like no longer communicating with their server,
> but then they aren't usable or installable unless I somehow got a newer
> version of Android on my phone.

The new rules for Samsung A-series is 6 years of full OS updates nowadays.
(7 years for Samsung S-series and Pixels)