iFixit: The Samsung Galaxy Ring Is $400 of 'Disposable Tech' (zdnet.com) 40
After a couple of years of regular use, Samsung's $400 Galaxy Ring will end up contributing to the growing e-waste problem. "The Galaxy Ring -- and all smart rings like it -- comes with a huge string attached," writes iFixit in a blog post. "It's 100% disposable, just like the AirPod-style Buds3 that Samsung just released. The culprit? The lithium ion batteries." ZDNet reports: The problem is the battery, and how they have a finite lifespan. Usually that's about 400 recharge cycles, and after that the batteries are finished. And if you can't replace it, then it's the end of the line for the gadget, and it's tossed onto the e-waste pile. [...]
iFixit is damning about this sort of tech. "There's nothing wrong with simple but there is something wrong with unrepairable. Just like the Galaxy Buds3, the Galaxy Ring is a disposable tech accessory that isn't designed to last more than two years." And the bottom line is simple: "We can't recommend buying disposable tech like this." Here's what iFixit's Shahram Mokhtari had to say about the Galaxy Ring's battery, after putting it through a CT scanner: On the right hand side of the ring is the faint outline of a lithium polymer battery pouch. There's an inductive coil sitting right on top of the battery (the lines that look like a rectangular track) and another very similar inductive coil that's parallel and slightly separated from the first. That second inductive coil is inside the charging case and works together with the inductive coil in the ring to recharge the battery inside the Galaxy Ring. Inductive charging is the only practical way to deliver power to a device that doesn't have any ports. But there's something else here that sticks out like a sore thumb ... that is a press connector joining the battery to the rest of the board! This is a surprising use of space, why isn't this directly soldered? Nobody is getting back in there to disconnect this thing!
We love press connectors, they're easy to work with and make replacing batteries a sight easier than desoldering a half dozen wires. But this one is sealed into the device and serves no purpose in replacement or repair. Our best guess as to why it's in the Galaxy Ring: The battery and wireless charging coil were made in one place, the circuit board somewhere else, and it all comes to a production line somewhere where the two need to be connected together quickly and cheaply. Hence the press connector. It's not for your benefit, it's for the manufacturers.
iFixit is damning about this sort of tech. "There's nothing wrong with simple but there is something wrong with unrepairable. Just like the Galaxy Buds3, the Galaxy Ring is a disposable tech accessory that isn't designed to last more than two years." And the bottom line is simple: "We can't recommend buying disposable tech like this." Here's what iFixit's Shahram Mokhtari had to say about the Galaxy Ring's battery, after putting it through a CT scanner: On the right hand side of the ring is the faint outline of a lithium polymer battery pouch. There's an inductive coil sitting right on top of the battery (the lines that look like a rectangular track) and another very similar inductive coil that's parallel and slightly separated from the first. That second inductive coil is inside the charging case and works together with the inductive coil in the ring to recharge the battery inside the Galaxy Ring. Inductive charging is the only practical way to deliver power to a device that doesn't have any ports. But there's something else here that sticks out like a sore thumb ... that is a press connector joining the battery to the rest of the board! This is a surprising use of space, why isn't this directly soldered? Nobody is getting back in there to disconnect this thing!
We love press connectors, they're easy to work with and make replacing batteries a sight easier than desoldering a half dozen wires. But this one is sealed into the device and serves no purpose in replacement or repair. Our best guess as to why it's in the Galaxy Ring: The battery and wireless charging coil were made in one place, the circuit board somewhere else, and it all comes to a production line somewhere where the two need to be connected together quickly and cheaply. Hence the press connector. It's not for your benefit, it's for the manufacturers.
There has got to be a better way (Score:4)
To may a profitable product by being better, not just being another disposable razor. There is way too much profit in waste. It totally sucks. No I won't buy Samsung either. I am running out of corporations I will give my business to, unfortunately.
Re: (Score:2)
Samsung actually used to be good with battery replacement. Their earlier earbuds were highly rated by iFixIt for being easy to repair.
I guess the issue with the ring is that it needs to be very compact and watertight. It's just a difficult mechanical problem to solve, without the ring becoming uncomfortably bulky.
The main advantage of a ring is that the sensors like heart rate work better. The back of your wrist isn't the ideal place for them. But you only get one day of battery life. I'll stick with my Xia
Tip of the iceberg (Score:2)
400 charge cycles? (Score:4, Insightful)
Aren't devices like this only good for about a day on one charge? That would make their lifespan less than 18 months.
Re: 400 charge cycles? (Score:3)
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If the battery can be recharged 400 times, each recharge lasting 7 days, it'll not last 2 years, but about 7.6 years.
Okay, the battery much probably won't hold 100% of charge in its whole lifetime, but lets guess it'll last 5 years, give or take... IMHO, It's decent.
Re: (Score:1)
Aren't devices like this only good for about a day on one charge? That would make their lifespan less than 18 months.
Not sure where iFixIt gets the idea that batteries typically last 400 charge cycles. Maybe they have a staff shortage and pulled someone back from retirement who hasn't written an article or looked at tech since 2008?
Despite the fact that the battery lasts far longer than day, I will bet you a Mars bar that this lasts way more than 400 charge cycles. Heck both my phone and my girlfriend's Samsung watch have way more than 400 charge cycles on them, and they are still going strong (aside from Samsung's last A
Re: (Score:2)
Apples and oranges.
Your phones battery is a Li-Ion, these are Li-Po and their estimated full charge cycle count is around 500 -+ your luck.
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Apples and oranges.
Your phones battery is a Li-Ion, these are Li-Po and their estimated full charge cycle count is around 500 -+ your luck.
Point remains. 500 > 400. Also that is the point where a battery has dropped to 80% charge. So even if the 400 cycles were correct the ring won't see the dumpster at this point and will very much have double the life that we're talking about.
No one will be throwing these away because of battery issues.
Recycle (Score:2, Insightful)
Whats the big deal recycle. Also, who cares. 1 million rings weighs about 3 tons total (at 3 grams each). Squished, it would fit in an SUV. Is that really worth having a hissy fit over? How many tons is the Earth's crust or ocean water? At some point you really have to go fuck yourself when you're that bad at math.
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Why can't they make it easy to recycle?
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It's more the fact that they cost 400 Euro and can't be repaired when the battery dies. The EU is pushing for devices to have user replicable batteries, but some things like smart rings are just a very difficult mechanical problem to solve.
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It's a 400EUR smart ring. Poor people aren't buying this in the hopes of having it forever, it's a luxury toy. People have spent far more money on far more disposable things. Heck I've spent more money on a dinner before and that lasted an evening, not the several years you can expect to be using this ring.
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They can't be recycled. And yes, they are one small device, but they are a very visible part of an ocean of small, non-recyclable, short-lifespan electronic devices that is flooding our lives. And it makes sense to very visibly take issue with them, as a proxy for that flood. There aren't many other good ways to push back, other than straight up making devices like the Samsung Ring illegal.
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Anything is recyclable. With enough heat, everything breaks into its constituent elements.
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Which requires even more energy. Jesus you are thick and most likely a troll.
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Everything can be recycled. What I assume you mean is that it can't be recycled economically, i.e. somebody can't collect a dump truck of these things, recycle them, and make a profit.
There really isn't any way to handle that problem other than laws that require manufacturers to include the recycling in the product. Most places already do this for certain things, like beverage containers and lead acid batteries.
Because let's be honest, even if you could replace the battery, most people aren't going to be do
New tax required (Score:5, Insightful)
We need a 'lifecycle tax'.
Charge a manufacturer the full cost of recycling their product at time of sale. They can get that refunded if they have it returned at end-of-life and recycle it themselves.
This will stop companies from treating waste as an external expense. We're all paying it eventually, one way or another - so why not give the bill to those causing the problem?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
"charge the manufacturer" .. you mean charge the consumer? There's no such thing as charging a manufacturer. They will be forced to increase the product's price which in turn means fewer people can afford it, which in turn means less people have access to it. You're better off taxing the person who is irresponsible -- the consumer.
Re:New tax required (Score:5, Insightful)
"charge the manufacturer" .. you mean charge the consumer? There's no such thing as charging a manufacturer.
Well, there is such a thing as charging the manufacturers to the point where they have fewer and fewer customers. IMO that's rather the point. We need to be discouraging this kind of wastefulness until we take the hint and stop assuaging our existential angst with "stuff". And yes, I'm aware that "we" and "we" in the preceding sentence are the same people. Go figure...
You're better off taxing the person who is irresponsible -- the consumer.
You mean those same consumers who have been propagandized by relentless advertising into thinking that they need all this stuff in order to lead happy, fulfilled lives?
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Do I _need_ a "happy, fulfilled life"? Is it even worth to live? How is "worth" defined?
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How about you not decide for me what products I want?
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You mean those same consumers who have been propagandized by relentless advertising into thinking that they need all this stuff in order to lead happy, fulfilled lives?
Propagandized by who?
You do know who Apple, Google, et al support politically, right?
So, "propagandized" by your elite.
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Taxing the manufacturer ensures the full lifecycle cost is built into the product. That won't make it more expensive, it just shifts the expense from society to the point of manufacture.
It ensures the consumer is paying the costs instead of socializing them to their community, and allows the consumer to make a more informed and rational choice when deciding whether or not to make a purchase.
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How can it *not* make the product more expensive? Ever run a business that sells a product? I'll tell you what happens, each expense causes the cost of the product cost to go up. Then the sales of the product will decline. That means the manufacturer loses economy of scale, which also causes a price increase. That means the product has to cost even more. So, basically if you have a $300 product and you force the manufacturer to incur $10 of cost .. that causes the product to be $350. But that's not the end.
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Because the post you replied to isn't talking about the price on the consumer's bill but the full cost including externalities.
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You need to pick a different hill to die on.
a) There's no way not to manufacture a ring in a way that it will become e-waste.
b) It's a ring. The entire manufacturing capacity of Samsung for this product will likely fit in a single dumpster. Samsung isn't "causing a problem" here. It's like complaining about the CO2 emissions from someone smoking a cigarette. Pick your battles and keep them relevant.
Most PCs are disposable. (Score:2)
I am disposable (Score:2)
But I can be recharged 25000 times.
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Only 69 years? Oh shit! That means I only have three years left! I wonder if I can talk iFixit into figuring out how to replace MY battery!
How does this compare to other companies? (Score:2)
This may sound bad but how does it compare to other companies' products?
Can you change the battery in Apple AirPods or are the throw away tech too? How long does the battery last?
How does Samsung ring compare to other smart rings?
Without these comparisons maybe condemn all such devices in your article and don't make it sound like this is just a Samsung problem (which it may be but isn't stated anywhere).
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First line on the summary: ""The Galaxy Ring -- and all smart rings like it "
Quit whining (Score:1)
Quit your yap, it's a fucking ring. If you want a repairable device, then don't buy a IoT ***ring***. What did you expect?
Well obviously (Score:2)
Anything that is non serviceable, including the battery, and where the functionality is tied to something ephemeral is disposable tech. Could be a disposable vape, it could be a fitness band, same thing either way - something that was built to live for only so long and be dead forever.
No shit iFixIt (Score:1)
Look I'm all for iFixIt and it's mission to ensure we end up with more repairable devices in general. But they need to stick to a sensible message and not start acting like Greenpeace complaining about every tiny thing. It's a ring. There's virtually no way that this wasn't going to be disposable tech. There's no way it was going to be repairable. No one has produced a repairable such device for very good technical reasons: space. And above all, it's tiny and won't take up much space in a landfill.
They need
Re: (Score:2)
You can experiment with this using a 3.7v Lion cell and one of those mini lion button rec
A solution (Score:1)