Our phone battery is something that gets charged at least once a day, if not more. One of the selling features on cell phones is often how long the battery lasts between charges.  Many times the selling feature emphasizes the several hours and often days a phone battery will last.  Of course, this is without the phone being used.  If we don’t use our phones, our batteries will last for days without having to be charged.  But, what’s the point of the cell phone if we aren’t going to use it?  So many times consumers need to charge their battery every night.  Or often during the day when they use their phones often.   So what about people who use their phone for more than just contacting others? How well does the phone battery last when the usage increases significantly?

Recently, cell phone games are quite popular. Not only with children, but many adults are common users.  Between “Candy Crush”, “Angry Birds”, and the latest “Pokemon Go” game, cell phones are becoming more than just a phone.  This article, What will months of Catching Pokemon do to your Battery? discusses this very issue.   Pokemon Go has been the latest craze.  We see all age groups and all different types of people out and about playing this phone game.  This article talks about how playing several hours of this game will eventually kill your phone battery.  And then many people will need to get replacement batteries.

With most phones, this isn’t much of an issue. Consumers just go to the store or go online, and buy a new battery. However, phone companies will need to be prepared for the amount of batteries that will need to be replaced.  For Apple iPhones, it’s a different story. Apple customers need to send their phone in for battery replacement. Meanwhile go phoneless? and gameless? And for how long?  Hopefully Apple is preparing for the increase of battery replacements they will be getting.  IF this game continues to maintain and/or increase its popularity.

Of course, if iPhone delivers their next phone at the right timing when these phone batteries are dying, that may be a good move.  In addition, there’s always battery boosters and solar/portable chargers that may be purchased more and more so people can continue to game.  This will lead to additional electronics that will need to increase their manufacturing.

Also, because of this Pokemon Go trend, and the encouragement that it’s been giving to get out and “exercise” while playing the game,  other games will most likely be introduced to compete with GO or to attract other players who have other interests.  This is just the beginning of the exercise gaming movement.

This is great news for OEMs who are making phones, batteries, chargers, and other accessories to keep cell phones continually running.  But is the reverse side ready for this increase of electronics?  IF this game continues its momentum, and other games are introduced that are just as popular, in the next year or two, we will see an increase of batteries and electronics that will hit their end-of-life and need to be disposed of.  Of course phones are being made with batteries that last longer and longer.  But in the meantime, more and more of these electronics will need e-waste solutions easily available to the consumer.