The European Union is officially(opens in a new tab) requiring all smartphones to have replaceable batteries by 2027.

This week, the European Council adopted the regulation designed to reduce waste and break up monopolistic practices from tech companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google that make it difficult to replace parts without having to buy a brand new phone.

This is a big win for the right-to-repair movement. While it only applies to the EU, the regulation has global ramifications, since it wouldn't make sense to make two different smartphones — one for Europe, one for everywhere else. Regulation will likely impact the global market, changing the design of smartphones for all users. The EU passed a regulation 2022, requiring iPhones to have a USB-C port, which will have a similar global effect.

Smartphones must be "removable and replaceable by the end-user," meaning it must be easy to replace a battery without any kind of technical expertise. Manufacturers have until 2027 to adapt the design of their smartphones in order to comply with the EU law. The regulation applies to all batteries, including those in EVs and e-bikes, in the hopes of creating a "circular economy" where waste batteries can be recycled and reused to power electronics.

Hey, we’re in the leading state with tech privacy laws.

Regulatory overreach. It’s like telling Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, and Makita that their batteries have to be the same.

Regulatory overreach. It’s like telling Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, and Makita that their batteries have to be the same.

Regulatory overreach. It’s like telling Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, and Makita that their batteries have to be the same.

That’d be awesome.

I have so many ryobi tools I’d rather not have but I’ve boxed myself into the brand.

Hopefully this will be adopted in the U.S. as well by 2027. Seems like EU has better tech privacy laws than US does and now their leading the way with requiring all cell phones to have replaceable batteries instead of forcing you to upgrade every couple years.

All smartphones, including iPhones, must have replaceable batteries by 2027 in the EU



https://mashable.com/article/replaceabl ... hones-2027

In unrelated news, battery prices are expected to rise in Europe by a factor of 1000 by 2027.

i dont get this one. battery tech will soon advanced to the point where they wont need to be replaced. it's a dumb law

youre completely wrong. there isnt 100mpg cars because it's not feasible with gasoline engines. you would have to cut so much weight the damn thing would fly.

and batteries dont last forever because were still stuck on the same li-ion technology that was born in the 80s. when solid state takes over, and batteries dont need to be replaced, we will get a glutten of supply and prices will tumble.

It is really just another example of some ninnies in government wanting to fuck up a one car funeral with stupid rules that make what was a good thing into something that isn't going to improve anything in the long run.

Don’t manufacturers prefer to make things that need to be replaced?