The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold could actually come with a removable battery

According to the patent diagrams, the phone doesn’t just feature a “loose” battery. It’s housed within a battery chassis, forming a subassembly. Besides holding the battery itself, the chassis interlocks with the device’s frame and acts as a system ground.

This sounds fairly technical, but here’s the essence: if this patent gets actively developed and eventually released, it would mean that the Pixel 11 Pro Fold battery could be replaced by the end-user. Existing removable designs have been plagued by signal drops and antenna interference, but Google’s new technology finds a solution.

The current landscape

Battery has been a big focus for many brands for several years now. While brands like OnePlus and Apple focus on developing units that cram as much mAh in as little space as possible, others, such as Samsung, have worked on adopting the universal wireless charging standard Qi2 across their flagship lineup.

But in all of those, batteries are “glued shut,” requiring specialized equipment (and often heat) to repair — and even that doesn’t always get the job done. This is undeniably convenient for manufacturers, as it protects batteries from water and dust damage, among others.

However, EU regulations are pushing for changes in the removability of portable batteries in devices (including smartphones). Starting February 18, 2027, all smartphones must have a removable battery, which end-users can replace or remove using commercially available tools, no specialized equipment needed.



That could be one reason why Google has applied for this patent. By ensuring it’s ahead of the pack, the company could essentially secure its removable battery technology across all upcoming devices (not just the Pixel 11 Pro Fold) a couple of years early.

Back to basics — or moving forward?

Suppose this patent doesn’t just aim to secure Google’s place as an owner of the replaceable battery technology used in foldable phones — let’s imagine this idea actually gets developed and released with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Would this mean going back to the basics... or moving forward?

Many years ago, all phones had replaceable batteries, and changing them was as easy as it gets. To me, this patent application brings back those “old era” vibes. Well, sort of.

For one thing, brands now have many more regulations to comply with, and then there’s the wireless charging — an issue that earlier phone manufacturers never had to face or solve.

While I’m far from the idea that end users would once again be able to swap their phone’s battery in just a couple of minutes, launching a foldable phone with a battery that can be easily replaced certainly sparks interest.