Every smartphone I purchase for my household has to have a few specific features, one of which is a removable battery. Lately, I’ve been concerned over the growing trend of OEMs locking up the backs of their devices and thus making the battery non-removable (at least without having to grab a screwdriver). I’m not sure what advantages, if any, having a non-removable battery provide, but I am certain of the advantages having a removable battery provide.

First off, regardless of any claims made by OEMs about battery life, my real-life experiences with smartphone batteries have been nothing short of disappointing. With the multitude of tasks smartphones can now perform, mixed with 4G LTE and HD screens, batteries are being drained faster than a babies bladder.

One of the first accessories I purchase for my smartphones is a spare battery. I consider myself a power user: constantly surfing the web, playing games, checking/writing emails, holding hangouts, tethering to my laptop, taking pictures and videos, and so on. There’s not a battery around that can survive my daily usage.

Having a charger available at all times is an absolute necessity with me, but there are many instances when having an available plug or the time to sit and wait for a charge just aren’t an option. This is when my spare battery keeps me going without skipping a beat (well, maybe a short beat to swap out the battery).

There have been an endless array of situations where a spare battery has come in handy or saved my life (figuratively speaking) but I’m reminded once again of their importance after a trip to NYC involving my wife, two of my sister-in-laws, and my stepmother.

My wife, and the three above mentioned ladies, had planned a long, busy day in NYC. It involved a train ride from Connecticut, a trip to a show, sightseeing and shopping. My wife and I knew the trip would consist of some major smartphone abuse. Everything from taking pictures and video to searching for nearby restaurants and landmarks would be eating up those precious milliamps.

To prepare for the long day, my wife plugged in her spare Galaxy Nexus battery the night before and packed it away in her purse the morning of.

The ladies left early in the morning, each sporting a fully charged Android device: a DROID RAZR, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S III and a Galaxy Nexus. Only the two Samsung device featured a removable battery and only my wife was smart enough to bring a spare.

As expected, the hectic day took its toll on all four smartphone batteries, leaving them all on empty by late-afternoon. While the other three desperately searched for an outlet, my wife simply popped in her spare battery and was up and running in no time.

They never did find an outlet and my wife’s smartphone soon became the only connection between the other three ladies and their babysitting husbands. That spare battery got them through the rest of the day, kept them updated on the train schedule and gave them a way to call home when they were on their way.

Needless to say, all three of the ladies were extremely envious of my wife for not only having a smartphone with the ability to swap out the battery, but for having enough sense to carry a spare.

As I said before, situations like this arise all the time in my family and that’s why you’ll never see anyone in my household owning a smartphone that doesn’t have a removable battery.