You are correct. We sell the Pixel 6 repair kit with an OEM battery for $50 and just the battery for $43. We'll be stocking Pixel 8 parts soon. https://www.ifixit.com/products/google-pixel-6-battery-genui...

But for how long will good batteries be stocked for older phones?

My frustrating experience with lots of older tech like cameras and laptops is that the battery formats are constantly changing, and none are being manufactured in the required format 5+ years later, when I'd really want a fresh battery.

So even though it is designed for easy field replacement, it is effectively obsolete because the only product available is some dodgy counterfeit part. You never know if it even meets the specs, avoids being a fire hazard, and isn't an outright fraud like relabeled old batteries...

The fact that it took a 3rd party tool, which cost $50, and 3 hours to change an f'in phone battery is so beyond bonkers nuts. To emphasize, just commenting on the grossly insane state of non-replaceable/difficult-to-replace batteries in phones and laptops and the guaranteed planned obsolescence it entails.

For contrast, it took me 10 minutes to change the battery in my car.

You're right that it should be easier to replace a phone's battery than your car's, but it's not $50 for the tool, it's $50 for the factory battery from Google. The kits basically get tossed in more-or-less for free.

Also, it really doesn't take three hours to swap a phone battery, even in our sad state of planned-obsolescence affairs. That's pretty extreme. As I wrote elsewhere in the thread, I did an iPhone and an Android last year and each took less than a half hour. The iPhone was fiddlier, but it was also the first I'd done. The Motorola was surprisingly forgiving. But I agree, gluing mass-market devices together is bonkers and only benefits the manufacturers.

Ahh, thanks for the correction, I thought the $50 only included the tool.

The battery and the kit together cost $50. The kit seems to cost about $7 based on the price of just the battery: https://www.ifixit.com/products/google-pixel-6-battery-genui...

The replacement guide suggests about an hour to complete the task. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Google+Pixel+6+Battery+Replacem...

For contrast, some people need YouTube videos with step-by-step instructions to even open the hood of their car. They will take far longer to replace a car battery than it took you. Likely they'll also need to purchase a screwdriver.

How much did the tools cost to change the battery? Or did you open up the nuts by hand?

That's wildly expensive and time consuming to do something as simple and normal as replacing a battery