Phones With User-Replaceable Batteries (2026)

TL;DR

• Best overall: Fairphone 6 (Gen. 6) — see fairphone.com
• Best value: HMD Skyline 5G — $399.99 (as of 11/06/2026 14:15 UTC - Details) · Check price on Amazon
• Best budget: Samsung Galaxy XCover7 — $289.50 (as of 11/06/2026 14:09 UTC - Details) · Check price on Amazon

Phones with a battery you can change yourself fall into two groups. No tools at all: the Galaxy XCover7 and XCover7 Pro, whose backs come off by hand, the Fairphone 5, and the RugOne Xever 7 Pro, whose battery sits under a panel with a locking switch. A screwdriver first: the Fairphone Gen. 6 and Gen. 6+ (two screws on the back), the HMD Skyline (one Torx screw, a pry tool, then a pull-apart adhesive liner), and the Nokia G42 5G (Phillips screws and battery tabs). [src18, src21, src26, src23, src2, src7, src13, src35]

The EU rule behind much of the attention applies from February 2027 and only in the EU. TechRadar reports it requires batteries that are "readily removable and replaceable" by the end user, without specialized tools unless those come free with the product, so a return to hand-removed backs is not what it expects. It also relays a note from Reddit that batteries keeping 80% capacity after 1,000 cycles are not covered, which could leave out Apple. [src30]

The biggest change this year is on the Fairphone side. Since August 2026 US buyers can order a Fairphone directly, with Google's apps, for the first time: the Gen. 6+. Android Central's guide, last modified in April 2026, predates it and says North America could only get Murena's de-Googled Gen. 6. [src6, src9, src1]

Top Pick: Fairphone 6 (Gen. 6) — Check price

Android Central calls it "still the top contender" and says it is the one it recommends most people go for, because the entire phone is modular. Expert Reviews says its repairable build and software support "earned my recommendation", and Notebookcheck rates it 79%. iFixit's scorecard says screen and battery repairs are adhesive-free and take just a few minutes. The promise is at least eight years of software support. Expert Reviews calls performance and battery life "only okay": 23 hrs 45 mins in its looping video test, which it says is still quite behind the best at the price. Notebookcheck measured 16h 30min of WiFi browsing. Notebookcheck doubts the hardware lasts that long, "especially with only 8 GB of RAM". The back no longer simply pops off as the Fairphone 5's did. Not sold in the US with Google's apps: Android Central's April 2026 text says North America gets only Murena's de-Googled version, and Fairphone's US store listed only the Gen. 6+ when we checked on 2026-11-01. Colour: Expert Reviews and TechRadar both reviewed the white model, which Fairphone's page listed as Cloud White when we checked on 2026-11-01, so that is the colour we name; the link opens the page where you pick it, and Notebookcheck does not say which colour it had. Since the Gen. 6+ arrived: Android Central's ranking is from April 2026, before that phone existed. Expert Reviews' review of the Gen. 6+ says the Gen. 6's UK price "makes it much harder to recommend next to the slight improvements of the new one", while TechRadar's calls the Gen. 6 "basically the same phone for a slightly lower price". These tests of the Gen. 6 are from September 2025. [src1, src2, src4, src3, src5, src37, src8, src9, src12]

Best Value: HMD Skyline 5G — Check price

Android Central suggests it as the alternative to the Fairphone and says the price is decent for the level of repairability. iFixit scores it 9/10: one Torx screw lifts the back through a small camshaft, and the battery pulls free by a plastic liner with no heat, though refitting properly needs solvent and new adhesive strips. Two reviews name the 8GB/256GB version we link, in the colour we link: Android Police writes of the phone "even in its striking Neon Pink" and SlashGear's own photos show Neon Pink. Android Police, in September 2024, gives it 7/10 and calls it "a solid offering for its cost", and got through a whole day and a few hours of the next, but finds it "difficult to recommend" as the go-to mid-range phone, because the OnePlus 12R and Pixel 8a had far better specs at the same price when it wrote. SlashGear, in August 2024, got through a day and a bit into the next. The other two tests are harder on endurance, on other or unnamed versions: GSMArena tested a 12GB/256GB European unit, and calls its Active User Score of 10:47h "sub-optimal"; Digital Trends, which does not say which version it had, got four to five hours of screen time. Weigh the software: HMD lists two OS upgrades and three years of security updates, SlashGear calls that its biggest disappointment, and on a 2024 phone we read that as a security window closing in 2027. Android Central says HMD claims it works with most US carriers, except Verizon and the MVNOs on its network. [src1, src13, src36, src15, src14, src16, src17, src5]

Best Budget: Samsung Galaxy XCover7 — Check price

The cheaper rugged Samsung: Notebookcheck calls it "relatively affordable but saves on performance", and TechRadar an affordable phone that is much less powerful than the Motorola ThinkPhone it compares it with. The back comes off with a fingernail. Notebookcheck measured 13.4 hours of WiFi and lists a Dimensity 6100+, a 60Hz panel and no charger in the box; TechRadar wishes the battery were bigger. Updates are four OS generations and security to about 2029, not the Pro's seven years. TechRadar's April 2024 review said it was not yet sold in the USA. The linked Amazon listing is the international G556B model by its own title, which also says it does not work on Verizon or Sprint; check your carrier first. The tests are from spring 2024. [src20, src21, src22]

For US Buyers Who Want Google Apps: Fairphone (Gen. 6+) — Check price

TechCrunch reports this is the first time people in the US can buy Fairphone's phones directly without modifications. Trusted Reviews lists what changed from the Gen. 6: a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 12GB of RAM, Android 16 and a new blue; the cameras and the 4,415mAh battery stay. That extra memory speaks directly to Notebookcheck's worry about the Gen. 6. Android Police gives it 8/10 and calls it "a good buy"; Expert Reviews says it suits you "if you'd rather fix your phone than upgrade it", and measured 23 hrs 42 mins in its looping video test; Tom's Guide measured 13 hours 19 minutes in its own battery test. The critics agree on the cost of all this. Tom's Guide calls the performance lackluster and the cameras subpar, and says its price gives "serious pause"; TechRadar says rivals beat it on performance and camera at the same money. Fairphone lists AT&T and T-Mobile as supported and Verizon as not, and promises software support and spare parts until 2033. The testers split on the Gen. 6 against it: TechRadar points to the Gen. 6 as "basically the same phone for a slightly lower price", while Expert Reviews says the Gen. 6's UK price "makes it much harder to recommend next to the slight improvements of the new one". No outlet we could read has ranked the Gen. 6+ first among removable-battery phones, and Android Central's ranking of the Gen. 6 predates it, which is why this is a role for US buyers and not the top pick. Trusted Reviews' sample was Cobalt Blue and Android Police writes of that colour, so that is the colour we name; the link opens the page where you pick it. See today's price in the table above. [src6, src11, src3, src7, src8, src10, src9, src1, src12]

For Rugged Work: Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro — Check price

Android Central calls it one of the best rugged Android phones you can buy. Notebookcheck confirms the back removes without tools, measured 14:49 hours of WiFi browsing, and calls seven years of updates "a powerful statement", while marking it down for weak outdoor brightness, 6GB/128GB of memory and no hot swap. TechRadar used it for 67 days and got 10-11 hours on heavy days, swapping batteries "in a matter of seconds"; it wishes for longer battery life and more storage. Android Central also calls its 15W wired charging insanely slow. [src1, src18, src19]

For Swapping Without Powering Down: RugOne Xever 7 Pro — Check price

A capacitor keeps it running for 180 seconds while you change the 5,550mAh battery, TechRadar says, and a second battery and charging dock are in the box. Android Authority got about 1.5 days per battery and its reviewer calls it the first rugged device he would consider as an everyday phone, with a FLIR thermal camera, night vision and a 230-lumen flashlight, but camera quality underwhelmed it and it stuttered badly in a demanding game. TechRadar is cooler: a weak chip and GPU, a value score of 2.5 of 5, no way to order more batteries when it wrote in January 2026, and it says the phone probably won't make its best rugged round-up, based on pricing. It weighs 325 grams. In the USA, Android Authority says your best bet is T-Mobile or an MVNO on its network. [src23, src24]

Older Fairphone and Nokia Models: Fairphone 5 and Nokia G42 5G

Fairphone 5 — Check price. Fairphone's shop page titled it "Fairphone 5 Refurbished" when we checked on 2026-11-01. It keeps the tool-free back the newer phones gave up; iFixit says you can replace the battery in a few seconds, and Trusted Reviews needed only a thumbnail. TechRadar calls the design easily repairable. Expert Reviews measured just 12hrs 49mins in the same video test the Gen. 6 ran for 23hrs 45mins. Treat it as a refurbished buy. [src27, src5, src26, src25, src2]

Nokia G42 5G — Check price. Not sold: HMD's page read "This phone is no longer available" when we checked on 2026-11-01. Trusted Reviews saw up to 9 hours of screen-on time and praised the iFixit-backed repairs, but this single test dates from 2023 and it is on the card for owners and secondhand buyers. [src29, src28, src35]

Listed Elsewhere, Not Picked Here

These have removable batteries, but we could not read two tests of any of them, so none holds a role and none has a buy link here. The Nokia C12 has a removable 3,000mAh battery per HMD, runs Android 12 (Go edition), and HMD's two years of quarterly security updates from its February 2023 release have run out. The Kyocera DuraForce PRO 3, BLU G33 and CAT S22 Flip are on Android Central's list, which says the DuraForce is sold at Verizon and that the maker of the S22 Flip has shut down. The RugOne Xever 8 is 4G only, and the one review we read, TechRadar's, says it won't make its best rugged collection. [src32, src33, src1, src34]

The Nokia G310 5G, an alternative on this card until now, is also off it, for a different reason: we found no test of it.

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Fairphone 6 (Gen. 6) vs Fairphone (Gen. 6+)

The Gen. 6+ has the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 and 12GB of RAM against the Gen. 6's 7s Gen 3 and 8GB, and starts on Android 16. Screen, cameras and battery capacity carry over, and Expert Reviews' looping video results are 23 hrs 42 mins against 23 hrs 45 mins. TechRadar says "this 'Plus' model doesn't offer much that's new besides a higher price point", gives the Gen. 6 the higher value score, and calls it "basically the same phone for a slightly lower price". Expert Reviews goes the other way: the Gen. 6's UK price, it says, "makes it much harder to recommend next to the slight improvements of the new one". [src11, src8, src2, src9, src4]

Pick Gen. 6 if: It is on sale where you live and costs enough less than the Gen. 6+ there to outweigh the extra memory. Compare the two prices first, because the testers above disagree on this.
Pick Gen. 6+ if: You are in the US and want Google's apps, or you want the extra memory for a phone you will keep for years.

Fairphone 6 (Gen. 6) vs HMD Skyline 5G

Both are built to be opened at home. iFixit says the Fairphone's screen and battery repairs are adhesive-free, while the Skyline's battery still uses adhesive that has to be cleaned off and replaced. The Skyline has a telephoto camera and Qi2 wireless charging. The bigger gap is software: support to 2033 against security updates that we read as ending in 2027. [src5, src13, src1, src16, src17]

Pick Fairphone 6 if: You will keep the phone for many years and want the easiest repairs.
Pick HMD Skyline if: You want a telephoto camera and Qi2 wireless charging and accept the shorter update window.

Fairphone (Gen. 6+) vs Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro

Both are mid-range phones with a battery you can change. The XCover7 Pro opens by hand and is rated IP68 against the Fairphone's IP55, with a TFT LCD where the Fairphone has OLED. The Fairphone lists 12 replaceable parts, and its support runs a year longer, to 2033 against 2032. [src18, src1, src9, src6, src12, src22]

Pick Gen. 6+ if: You want to repair more than the battery.
Pick XCover7 Pro if: You work outdoors or in harsh conditions and want to swap batteries by hand.

RugOne Xever 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro

The Xever swaps without shutting down; Notebookcheck lists "no hot swap" as a con on the Samsung. The Xever adds thermal imaging, night vision and a spare battery, but at 325 grams against about 240 grams, and TechRadar's January 2026 review put the Samsung at about half the price. See today's prices in the table above. The Samsung has the stated seven-year update promise; TechRadar gives no length for the Xever's. [src23, src24, src18, src19]

Pick RugOne Xever 7 Pro if: You cannot afford to power down, or you need thermal imaging.
Pick XCover7 Pro if: You want a lighter phone and a long, stated update promise.

Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro vs Galaxy XCover7

Notebookcheck's comparison: the Pro has a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 against a Dimensity 6100+, a 120Hz screen, an ultra-wide camera, Wi-Fi 6E and a 4,350mAh battery against 4,050mAh, and updates to 2032 against about 2029. In its WiFi test the Pro ran 14:49 hours and the XCover7 13.4 hours. Its verdict: neither is the wrong choice if you want a durable phone. [src22, src18, src20]

Pick XCover7 Pro if: You need the speed and the longer update promise.
Pick XCover7 if: Battery swaps and toughness matter more than speed, and your carrier works with the international model.

If you want the most repairable phone and will keep it for years

→ Fairphone 6 (Gen. 6), or the Gen. 6+ in the US. [src1, src5, src12]

If you are in the US and want Google apps

→ Fairphone (Gen. 6+) on AT&T or T-Mobile, not Verizon. [src6, src12]

If you want a repairable phone and spending less matters more than long updates

→ HMD Skyline 5G, knowing we read its security updates as ending in 2027. [src17, src13]

If you want a tool-free battery and spending less matters

→ Samsung Galaxy XCover7. Check your carrier against the international model. [src20, src21]

If the phone has to survive work outdoors

→ Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro. [src18, src19]

If the battery must be swapped without powering down

→ RugOne Xever 7 Pro. Accept 325 grams and a weaker chip. [src23, src24]

If you only want long battery life

→ A removable battery is not what you are after. See Phones With the Best Battery Life (2026).

Default (unknown requirements, US buyer)

→ Fairphone (Gen. 6+): the version of our top pick's design that Fairphone's US store listed, with Google's apps, when we checked on 2026-11-01, with support until 2033 and what Tom's Guide calls lackluster performance. [src6, src12, src10]

• Fairphone reached US buyers directly: the Gen. 6+ arrived on 18 August 2026, supporting T-Mobile and AT&T. [src6]
• The EU rule is close: it applies from February 2027 and only in the EU, though TechRadar notes mass production may carry changes to other markets. [src30]
• Not all "replaceable" means hand-removed: TechRadar expects small tools rather than a return to pop-off backs, which matches the Fairphone Gen. 6 and Gen. 6+ and the HMD Skyline here. [src30, src2, src13]
• Apple moved on service, not on removal: Apple says the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus redesign makes battery service easier. We do not list them as user-replaceable. [src31]
• RugOne ships a hot-swap window: part of the same company as Ulefone, it gives the Xever 7 Pro 180 seconds to change a battery while running, and its Xever 8 carries the idea on with a 4G-only chip. [src23, src34]

• Prices live in the table at the top of this page, which is the only place we show them.
• "Removable" is not one standard. Check whether you need a tool-free back or can accept a screwdriver, and whether adhesive is involved. [src13, src5]
• Several tests here are old, and each section says so: the Skyline's are from 2024, the XCover7's from spring 2024, the Fairphone 5's from 2023-2024 and the G42's from 2023.
• Carrier support differs by phone and listing. Verizon is not supported on the Fairphone Gen. 6+ and is excluded on the Skyline by HMD's own claim as Android Central reports it; the Xever does best on T-Mobile. [src12, src1, src24]
• The Skyline is sold in more than one memory version. Android Police and SlashGear name the 8GB/256GB version we link; GSMArena's lab figures come from a 12GB/256GB European unit, and Digital Trends does not say which it had. [src36, src15, src14, src16]
• Colour: Expert Reviews and TechRadar reviewed the Fairphone 6 in white, the colour we name, and our link is a Fairphone page where you pick it. Android Police and SlashGear wrote about and photographed a Neon Pink Skyline, the colour we link. [src2, src4, src37, src36, src15]
• We use Android Central's guide for its ranking and text, and we count only separate hands-on tests toward the two tests behind a pick. [src1]
• iFixit's score for the Skyline is 9/10. We could not read a number for the Fairphones from iFixit's scorecard text, so we quote its pros instead. [src13, src5]
• Software promises are reported differently: for the Gen. 6+, Trusted Reviews and TechRadar say seven OS updates, Expert Reviews eight years of software updates, and Fairphone itself "until 2033". [src11, src9, src8, src12]