Re: Less obvious Android uses
Reply #54 –
I don't know how it is now, but didn't many phones back in 2010/2011 already come with mini-HDMI that allowed for exactly the same kind of use? I'm fairly ignorant about phones, so you'd think an actual phone reviewer should certainly know so. I think the only difference is that now it can all go over one USB3 connection. I find it rather questionable whether that's an improvement, because it likely means you'll have to carry some kind of USB3 hub around. Maybe if they put
two USB3 ports on instead...

Recently I inquired about replaceable batteries with a phone reviewer. He said he'd barely come across any in years.
Oddly enough, this prompted a response by someone saying that just like the lack of replaceable batteries is no longer listed as a negative, they're looking forward to the day the same happens to the 3.5 mm jack. I refrained from commenting, but my eyes practically rolled out of their sockets. I find the mere suggestion of having even more stuff to charge offensive, let alone the fact that my over a decade old €20 earbuds are more or less equivalent in sound quality to the €80-100 range of wireless ones and aren't annoyingly heavy.
It's more or less my own fault for buying a phone without a replaceable battery back in 2015, but back then I hadn't quite anticipated that unlike my 2012 smartphone it wouldn't be practically useless today. My phone is still fast with plenty of memory, no complaints there, but the battery is slightly worse than it used to be. I expect it to become useless within about two years. Four to five years out of a phone isn't horrible I suppose; my '07 s500i unfortunately had a similar lifespan, from '07 to '12.
I had to replace that one because it stopped reconnecting to the wireless network after leaving the metro. Annoying, but at least such proper mechanical failure doesn't feel quite as stupid as planned obsolescence in batteries. Even though it's probably just another form of it.