Whether it’s an electric car, a smartphone, wireless headphones or even an electric toothbrush, the battery of any battery-powered device doesn’t last forever. Chemistry and physics make sure that all batteries eventually come to an end.
In an exceptional case, the road may break off suddenly or gradually fade away. Depending on the device, sometimes the battery can be replaced with a new one and the device can continue to be used, or the entire device must be thrown away for recycling when the battery is old.
The Washington Post picked up and blamed the life expectancy of many popular battery-powered devices. Estimates have been asked from both manufacturers and users. Familiar devices are included, which revealed interesting facts.
For example, Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet uses a lithium-ion battery that is not designed to be replaced and the manufacturer does not offer replacement batteries. According to the company, the battery should last “up to five years” so that its capacity is close to the original. However, according to some users, the battery has stopped working after two or three years.
Apple’s iPhone battery can be expected to last three years, after which the battery can be replaced at a reasonable price. The battery is supposed to last 500 full charge cycles so that 80 percent of the battery’s capacity is still in use.
The expected service life for a MacBook Air laptop would be 1,000 charge cycles and four years, and its battery can also be replaced at a reasonable price. On the other hand, it is not worth waiting for more than two years of service life for AirPods headphones, and it is not possible to change the battery for them.
Bose’s high-quality QC35 noise-canceling headphones can last for five years or more. This is a good thing, because the manufacturer does not offer replacement batteries and replacing a possible accessory battery has also been made very difficult. Much the same is the situation with the competing Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, although owners of previous models have reported battery problems after 4–5 years.
Based on one report, you can expect a battery life of six years for Dyson’s V8 vacuum cleaner. The manufacturer sells them replacement batteries that cost just under 100 euros, depending on the model.
The lifespan of the Finnish Oura smart ring is estimated to be two years, and replacement batteries are not available. However, according to the manufacturer, there are hundreds of thousands of second-generation Oura ring users in the world who have been using theirs for more than three years.
The battery life of the Tesla Model Y electric car can be expected to last up to 15 years, but this depends a lot on usage. The manufacturer himself mentions that the battery lasts 1,500 charge cycles and the CEO Elon Musk speaks of a service life of 500,000-800,000 kilometers. There was no official information on the cost of replacement batteries, but according to some owners, replacement batteries cost between $16,000 and $22,500.