Best Android phone with removable battery 2025

Android phones with removable back covers are a rare breed these days as even budget and entry-level models now come fully sealed. Because smartphones are so commoditized, when battery life starts to take a hit after a few years of use, most of us simply replace our phones with a new model rather than getting just the battery replaced. Replacing a phone battery used to be a five minute job where you pop out the back cover, swap the old battery for a new one, and you're done. Now, it means leaving your phone at a service center for a few days which not everyone can afford to do.

Thankfully, we still have some decent phones which allow you to swap out the battery yourself. The Fairphone 5 is still our top pick as apart from easily replacing the battery, you can also swap out other components when the time comes to replace or repair it. For U.S. folks, the HMD Skyline is a good alternative. We have a few other good options too if you wish to spend less or are looking for a different form factor.

Namerah Saud Fatmi

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 didn't make its way to the U.S., and that was severely disappointing for us all. This fantastic modular phone is easily upgradeable and repairable. You even get a full kit with tools when purchasing the phone, allowing you to swap out bits and pieces or fix broken parts yourself with minimum effort.

The Fairphone 5 comes with a neat set of specs, featuring Qualcomm's QCM6490 5G chipset, up to 8GB RAM and up to of 256GB expandable storage, stereo speakers, a 4,200mAh battery, 30W wired 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, thanks to an official IP55 certification. At a starting price of €549 (~$594), it really doesn't get much better than this.

Best for U.S.

The HMD Skyline might not be one of the best cheap Android phones, but it certainly is among the most unique offerings in the price segment. Most importantly though, it's one of the few good Android phones with removable batteries that can be easily purchased in the United States. You can buy it directly off HMD's website or even via retailers such as Amazon and Target. The main selling point of the HMD Skyline is that it can be effortlessly opened up and serviced by anyone, and this includes replacing the battery.

In our experience, the HMD Skyline reminded us of a cross between the Nokia N9 and one of the later Lumia models. HMD has given it pretty decent set of specs too, when you consider many of the other options featured on this list. It runs a slightly customized version of Android 14 and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. You also get a choice between 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage.

The rest of the specs of the HMD Skyline are notable as well. It has a 6.55-inch Full-HD p-OLED panel, a triple-lens rear camera setup which includes a telephoto unit, and a sizable 4,600mAh battery with support for 15W Qi2 wireless charging. HMD sells the Skyline unlocked in the U.S. and the company claims that it works with most carriers, with the exception of Verizon and all MVNOs that use its network.

Best rugged

Samsung's devices 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 aimed at industry professionals like scientists and engineers due to its ultra-robust build quality. It also happens to be our best-ranked rugged Android phone you can buy. Although Samsung launch the Galaxy XCover7 a while back, we don't recommend getting it because it actually downgrades a lot of specs compared to this one, despite being the newer model.

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, and you can expect a few more updates as well. 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 dustproofing as well as military-grade resistance to extreme temperatures. You can even use the touchscreen with the gloves on. The one caveat is that the phone is still a little pricey for a mid-range device, and it certainly won't be able to go against top-of-the-line mainstream devices like Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Best budget

You may or may not have heard of BLU. It's primarily a budget brand catering to the North American region with most of its devices priced under $200 and lower. If you're on the hunt for something cheap with a removable battery, the BLU G33 is a decent option.

The BLUE G33 has plenty to offer for the price. There are all essential accessories like a case and charger included in the box, the device runs Android 13, you get expandable storage, and there are also practical extras like a fingerprint sensor and face unlock included in the mix.

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 can be a fairly good pick.

Best flip

Before smartphones took over the world, feature phones (often called dumb phones as well) used to be incredibly popular. If you're still attracted by the flip form factor but aren't not willing to spend thousands of dollars on a modern foldable, the Cat S22 Flip could be an interesting choice for you. However, do note that the company that used to make this phone, has shut down, so it might be a bit tricky to buy this thing.

Still, you get all the basic components of a "smart" Android phone, with the CAT S22 Flip, but the form factor is markedly different from any other modern Android device seen these days. It's even powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 SoC and has IP68 water and dust resistance. You can expand the storage via a microSD card, and there is USB-C charging included as well.

On the other hand, you get proper keypad like the days of yore. There are two displays, one primary LCD screen inside and a smaller secondary black and white panel on the outside. Although the internal display is a touchscreen, its minuscule size means you'll take some time getting used to it. In any case, you'll be better off using the buttons for navigation.

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 options available out there.

The company behind this thing specializes in security and tech so naturally, you can expect the DuraForce PRO 3 to excel in this department. On top of that, the phone 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 can go for up to 12 days on conservative use. The phone charges via a USB-C port, has a triple-lens primary camera setup, and even supports wireless charging.

So, there's a lot to love here but what's the catch? Well, you'll have to spend $900 for one of these, which is incredibly expensive for a phone in this category. It's also quite chunky and hefty, so consider that too when making your decision.

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How to choose

Phones with removable batteries exist — you just have to know where to look

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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 go for 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 you feel like.

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 HMD Skyline. This mid-range phone is just as serviceable as the Fairphone, runs Android 14, and performs just about alright for the price.

If you need something more powerful, Samsung makes some of the best cheap Android phones in the business. The company offers one of the best and most robust phones with a removable battery, namely the Galaxy 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. It's a bit dated at this point, but you can still get quite a few years of use out of this thing.