At a glance
1. Best overall
2. Best for U.S.
3. Best rugged
4. Best budget
5. Best flip
6. Best secure
How to choose
If you are a strong proponent of right to repair, you'll love a smartphone with a removable battery. Sadly, this is a rare sight these days and most of the big-name companies that make mainstream phones rarely have any phone models with this feature. Samsung is probably the last one standing in this arena with its rugged line of phones.
Most users don't really care that their phone batteries are not user-replaceable, and that's fine. Having this feature though can allow you to use your phone for much longer. Not happy with the battery life after a few years of rigorous use? No problem, you can simply pop-open the back cover, slap on a brand new battery and it would be like day-on again. Plus, a removable back cover gives you much easier access to the components inside, in the event something needs repairing.
While many of the phones on this list are quite inexpensive, it doesn't hurt to get a good deal if you can. The 2024 Black Friday sale is in full swing where you'll find a ton of good deals and discounts on a wide variety of products, especially smartphones.
The Fairphone 5 continues to be the best overall phone with a removable battery. If you're looking for a different form-factor though or something that's more rugged, check our full list below.
Namerah enjoys geeking out over accessories, gadgets, and all sorts of smart knickknacks. After writing about consumer tech for nearly a decade, she has become an expert in the Android accessories space. She spends her free time guzzling coffee, writing some more, casual gaming, and cuddling with her furry best friends.
At a glance
Best overall
The Fairphone 5 doesn't just have a removable battery, most of its components are user-replaceable with little to no effort. This highly repairable and sustainable phone is guaranteed to get (at least) five Android OS updates.
Best for U.S.
It may not be the fastest thing out there, but the TCL ION V is a decent budget phone that gets the job done. It's powered by an octa-core MediaTek SoC and comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. This is backed by a 3,000mAh removable battery.
Best rugged
The Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro is a tough phone compliant with the MIL-STD-810H standard. It's also IP68-certified for dust and water resistance, and sports a 4,050mAh removable battery with 25W wired charging.
Best budget
If you just want a basic phone for extremely light use, look no further than the BLU G33. It comes with a 6.26-inch HD display, along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The phone features a 3,000mAh removable battery and runs Android 13 Go Edition.
Best flip
Although it's a bit dated at this point, the CAT S22 Flip is still one of the best flip phones you can buy, combining a nostalgic form factor with the modern features of Android. It comes with a 2.8-inch TFT LCD panel, a 1.44-inch outer display, and a 2,000mAh removable battery.
Best secure
Tough and powerful, the Kyocera DuraForce PRO 3 adheres to the MIL-STD-810H standard and is IP68-certified for both dust and water resistance. The phone has a 4,270mAh removable battery and runs Android 13 out of the box.
Best overall
The Fairphone 5 didn't make its way to the U.S., which was severely disappointing for us all. This fantastic modular phone is easily upgradeable and repairable. You even get a kit with tools when purchasing the phone, allowing you to swap out bits and pieces or fix broken parts yourself.
The Fairphone 5 comes with a neat set of specs, featuring the Qualcomm QCM6490 5G chipset, 8GB RAM and 256GB expandable storage, stereo speakers, a 4,200mAh battery, wired 30W fast charging, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and dual-SIM support.
Users are guaranteed five years of OS updates, meaning the Fairphone 5 will be good until 2031. It's even water resistant, with an official IP55 rating. For €699 (~$764), it really doesn't get much better than this.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Large OLED panel with 90Hz refresh rate. Hole-punch cutout for selfie camera | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Fairly slim and stylish. Aluminum frame, but plastic back | ★★★★☆ |
| Price | Quite expensive. In the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 9 territory | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Camera | Dual 50MP on the back with decent specs. 50MP selfie camera is among the highest we've seen | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | Qualcomm QCM6490 SoC is based on the 778G, so expect upper mid-range performance | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | 4,200mAh battery supports 30W wired charging. Should be easily good for a full-days worth of use | ★★★☆☆ |
| Updates | Five years, which is the best for a phone with a removable battery | ★★★★☆ |
Best for U.S.
TCL isn't here to blow any minds; it just gets the job done for a bottom-of-the-barrel price. You can score the TCL ION V for less than $100 with entry-level specs, as expected in this price range. Surprisingly, the device runs Android 13 out of the box and it's guaranteed one year of support.
The rest of the specs are underwhelming. You get 3GB of RAM paired with 32GB storage, but that can be expanded up to 512GB with a microSD card. The TCL ION V has a 3,000mAh battery and 30W fast charging, which is nice to have in this range.
What makes the TCL ION V best for the U.S. is that you can easily use with any phone carrier like T-Mobile or AT&T. It is also really lightweight, but that's about everything you can expect from this device.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Full-HD resolution is nice, but not at 6.6 inches. Only 60Hz refresh rate and water-drop-style notch | ★★★☆☆ |
| Design | Relatively slim considering the rubberized exterior and waterproofing | ★★★☆☆ |
| Price | A little expensive, but good deal during sales | ★★★☆☆ |
| Camera | 50MP rear camera is decent. Front 13MP should be serviceable | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | Upper mid-range performance. Supports 5G. 6GB RAM makes it good for light multitasking | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | More than a day's worth of battery life should be easily possible | ★★★★☆ |
| Updates | Launched with Android 12, but Android 14 update was released in December 2023 | ★★★☆☆ |
Best rugged
Samsung's creations always rank among the best Android phones, so naturally it has to make an appearance here as well. You'd be surprised to know that the brand does, in fact, make an Android phone with a removable battery. It's called the Galaxy XCover6 Pro and it's usually used by industry professionals like scientists and engineers due to its ultra-robust make. It's also our best-ranked rugged Android phone you can buy.
The Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro is a 5G phone powered by the Snapdragon 778G 5G SoC. You get Android 12 out of the box which is upgradable to Android 13 right away. It has a 4,050mAh removable battery paired with 25W wired charging.
Since the Galaxy XCover6 Pro is a rugged phone by design, it boasts IP68 water and dust proofing as well as military-grade resistance to extreme temperatures. You can even use the touchscreen with gloves on. The one caveat is that the device is a little pricey for a mid-range device, and it certainly won't be able to go against top-of-the-line mainstream devices such as Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Full-HD resolution is nice, but not at 6.6 inches. Only 60Hz refresh rate and water-drop-style notch | ★★★☆☆ |
| Design | Relatively slim considering the rubberized exterior and waterproofing | ★★★☆☆ |
| Price | A little expensive, but good deal during sales | ★★★☆☆ |
| Camera | 50MP rear camera is decent. Front 13MP should be serviceable | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | Upper mid-range performance. Supports 5G. 6GB RAM makes it good for light multitasking | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | More than a day's worth of battery life should be easily possible | ★★★★☆ |
| Updates | Launched with Android 12, but Android 14 update was released in December 2023 | ★★★☆☆ |
Best budget
You may or may not have heard of the BLU. It's a budget phone brand in the North American region with most of its devices priced under $200 to $100 usually. If you want something cheap with a removable battery, the BLU G33 is a good option.
The BLUE G33 has plenty to offer for the price. There are plenty of extra accessories like a case and charger in the box, the device runs Android 13, you get expandable storage, and there are also extras like a fingerprint sensor and face unlock.
Unfortunately, the BLU G33 doesn't work on all U.S. carriers. Still, if you're on a compatible plan and want to have a removable battery in a cheap Android phone, the BLU G33 is a solid pick.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Text and image sharpness will be low due to the resolution. Only 60Hz display | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Design | Typical budget smartphone design and aesthetics. Heavy and thick | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Price | Not as cheap as the TCL, but quite affordable | ★★★☆☆ |
| Camera | Expect below-average image quality due to low-resolution sensors | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Performance | Strictly designed to run lite editions of standard Android apps | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Battery life | Sub-par batteryy life due to small capacity | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Updates | Android 13 (Go Edition) probably won't be getting updated to a newer version | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Best flip
Dumb phones were all the rage back in the day. If you're still attracted by the flip form factor but not willing to spend thousands of dollars on a modern foldable, the Cat S22 Flip could be an interesting choice.
You get all the basic components of a "smart" Android phone, but the body is markedly different from any other Android device seen nowadays. It's even powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC and has IP68 water and dust resistance. You can expand the storage via microSD and the S22 Flip uses USB-C for charging.
On the other hand, you get proper keypad like the days of yore. There are two displays, one primary LCD screen inside and another smaller black and white panel on the outside. Although the internal display is a touchscreen, its minuscule size makes it really hard to use. You're much better off using the buttons for navigation.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Outer display is handy for viewing notifications. Inner display is tiny | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Design | Flip-phone design has its own charm | ★★★☆☆ |
| Price | Well under $100 for an rugged Android flip phone | ★★★★☆ |
| Camera | Extremely basic cameras, good for scanning documents at best | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Performance | Mediocre performance at best. Don't expect to game much on this one | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Battery life | This would be average at best, despite the low-power displays and SoC | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Updates | Some apps might not be compatible due to much older Android version | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Best secure
Kyocera's DuraForce PRO 3 is just as strange and out of place in this era as the Cat S22 Flip. Still, for those who need a removable battery, it's one of the best picks.
The company behind the phone specializes in security and tech so naturally, the DuraForce PRO 3 excels in this deparment. On top of that, the device is just as rugged as the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro, with military-grade durability and resistance to water, dust, heat, and cold. It has a 4,270mAh removable battery which lasts for nearly 12 days on conservative use. The phone charges via USB-C, has three primary cameras, and even supports wireless charging.
So, there's a lot to love here but what's the catch? Well, you'll have to spend nearly a thousand dollars to get yourself one of these, which is painfully expensive for a phone in this category. It is also very chunky and hefty, so consider that as well when making your decision.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Vibrant colors with sharp images and text | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Phone is a bit bulky and heavy | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Price | Quite expensive for what's on offer | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Camera | Triple rear cameras should offer good flexibility for photography | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | Performance should be manageable for everyday apps and casual games | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | Should last more than a day on one charge | ★★★☆☆ |
| Updates | No word on long-terms updates | ★★☆☆☆ |
How to choose
Removable batteries exist — you just have to know where to look
Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Android phones with removable batteries are far less commonplace than they once used to be, but they still very much exist. Overall, the one that we recommend most people pick up is the Fairphone 5. Not only is the battery removable, but the entire rig is modular so you can upgrade, swap, and replace parts whenever it tickles your fancy.
Unfortunately, the Fairphone 5 is not available in the North American market. As an alternative for the U.S. and other North American areas, we suggest the TCL ION V. This entry-level phone has a touch screen, runs Android 13, and performs alright for the price. You can easily remove the 3,000mAh lithium-ion battery by popping open the back plate.
If you need something more powerful, Samsung makes some of the best cheap Android phones. It has created one of the best, most robust phones with a removable battery in the form of the XCover6 Pro. The phone features military-grade levels of durability and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, which provides a decent amount of processing power for everyday usage.
