Friday, June 16th 2023
EU Approves New Regulation for Smartphone Batteries - Must be User-Replaceable by 2027
The European Parliament has greenlit new rules relating to battery technologies that are likely to cause headaches for smartphone manufacturers (in particular). The organization published their summary of this environmentally conscious and sustainable strategy on June 14: "Parliament approved new rules for the design (on Wednesday), production and waste management of all types of batteries (including non-replaceable types) sold in the EU. With 587 votes in favor, nine against and 20 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a deal reached with the Council to overhaul EU rules on batteries and waste batteries. The new law takes into account technological developments and future challenges in the sector and will cover the entire battery life cycle, from design to end-of-life."
The section for portable device batteries (for smartphones, tablets and cameras) outlines new consumer rights, with a demand for easily removable and replaceable (DIY) cells. Smartphone manufacturers including market leaders Apple and Samsung will have to go back to the drawing board and figure out ways to reformat how their batteries are mounted and connected internally. Plenty of devices have their units sealed behind protective layers, requiring specialist tools and varying levels of user expertise to access and remove in a safe manner. The European Council has more work to do following their starter announcement: "(We) will now have to formally endorse the text before its publication in the EU Official Journal shortly after and its entry into force." News outlets have interpreted that these provisional rulings will go into effect by early 2027, but they also anticipate that big time players could appeal for extensions beyond that window.
Sources:
Android Police, PC Magazine UK, European Parliament
The section for portable device batteries (for smartphones, tablets and cameras) outlines new consumer rights, with a demand for easily removable and replaceable (DIY) cells. Smartphone manufacturers including market leaders Apple and Samsung will have to go back to the drawing board and figure out ways to reformat how their batteries are mounted and connected internally. Plenty of devices have their units sealed behind protective layers, requiring specialist tools and varying levels of user expertise to access and remove in a safe manner. The European Council has more work to do following their starter announcement: "(We) will now have to formally endorse the text before its publication in the EU Official Journal shortly after and its entry into force." News outlets have interpreted that these provisional rulings will go into effect by early 2027, but they also anticipate that big time players could appeal for extensions beyond that window.
125 Comments on EU Approves New Regulation for Smartphone Batteries - Must be User-Replaceable by 2027
You know what?
You seem to be rejecting every single notion that I present to you with some free market capitalist brainwash, or some random bullshit that's got nothing to do with what I said, so let's leave it at that, okay?
Point is: Just because you can afford something, it doesn't mean you should. Responding to a technical question with money suggests the kind of sheep mentality that you accused me of earlier.Everybody can see the benefit of being able to change their own batteries except for you. Not having to pay 100+ in a phone shop definitely improves my user experience. If it doesn't improve yours, then guess what... you can still go to a shop and pay all that money if you want. Freedom is awesome, isn't it? ;)
If you still don't get it, I guess that's it. I'm out.
Good luck!
*that or you don’t understand how limited your warranty is, either way…
A last example: I have a GameBoy Advance that works with two AA batteries. Is it a more complex device than a TV remote? Absolutely! Is changing its batteries more difficult? Nope.Well then, have fun spending your money on a "fairly routine procedure" while I'm gonna enjoy not spending mine. ;)
I'm curious as to why you think the process is the same regardless of device and form factorI won't have fun but I also have no issue paying for a battery replacement, it's not expensive nor a hassle.
Now please rank the devices you see above by the difficulty of changing their batteries.
Sources
www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/FY22_Q4_Consolidated_Financial_Statements.pdf
www.businessofapps.com/data/apple-statistics/
Edit: also no one is forcing you to buy any of their products, if you have an issue with their business, dont buy from them; it's a very simple concept, voting with your wallet.
1. It's not my problem,
2. Designing contact pads isn't more difficult than designing a ribbon cable. The rest of the battery is the same.
3. If it could be done with no issue 7-8 years ago, then it can be done now as well.
2. That's your opinion, back it up with facts if you'd like to make it more than just a superfluous statement.
3. Why do you equate technology from 8 years ago to today?
Move on.
Guidelines state:It is now considered over.
For those who say android isnt that bad.
My smart phone history.
Galaxy ACE - Battery removable, thickness of phone was nice, metal edges, sliding cover over usb slot, and plastic removable back, the phone itself was a horrific spec, but the thickness and materials used for its casing was a good design, probably best ever samsung phone I have owned in terms of the structure of the phone. Still own it so might post a pic later.
Galaxy S2 - Much better technically, but lost the cover over USB, not quite as thick, but still reasonable materials although felt cheaper vs the ACE in its structure, had removable battery.
Galaxy S3 - Thinner still, didnt like the shiny surface, battery still removable.
Galaxy S5 - Same as S3, my last android phone that had removable battery.
One plus one - work phone, battery died lol. Sold it for spare parts.
Galaxy S7 - too thin to hold, had to buy plastic case, didnt like the glass back as well, too slippery and shiny.
Huawei phone (forgot model) - new work phone after one plus one battery died, I went super cheap on this purchase, was annoyed more expensive phone was ko'd by something like a battery.
One plus 6 - Again purchased plastic cover, to thicken it and hide the horrible glass back.
G9 play - upgraded work phone, Huawei was starting to remind me of galaxy ace days, was really under spec'd and laggy. My current work phone. This thing is thick for a modern phone and has a better battery of over 5000MaH capacity, best battery life ever seen on a smart phone. Sadly not replaceable though.
One plus 8 pro - current personal phone, nearly 5000MaH battery, but OOS seems to suck at battery drain, bit better than one plus 6 on battery but nowhere near the g9 play. Of course not removable, thin and crappy glass back so yes plastic cover is used.
This is why I said earlier android is guilty of the problem as well, as its been a while since I have used a swappable battery phone. Samsung and co wont be happy either. but great news for consumers.
Some of the main tenants include a consumer’s ability to access manuals, to purchase parts and tools at fair market value, and for companies to produce products that are repairable without technical knowledge. Most manufacturers do none of these things, and being able to go to a specialist and pay for their expertise and labor is very much the opposite of the right to repair.
To put the legislative piece we’re discussing into a broader context, it follows from the EU’s 2017 recommendations that member states enshrine the right to repair to it’s citizens — this legislation is an example of that campaign.
This is all part of a consumer campaign to enshrine these rights, which is like “voting with your dollar” but with a much higher success rate.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics_right_to_repairThey do though. It is actually legally mandated in the US and the EU that car batteries are replaceable by the end user, which is why they aren’t glued into the chassis and use universal standards that created a battery aftermarket where a consumer has a choice in car battery rather than being tied to the manufacturer’s proprietary standard.
In the US car manufacturers are mandated to provide the same repair manuals they provide to their mechanics to repair shops and consumers. Given that a dealer can charge you $200+ to perform a replace a spark plug that would cost $10-$20 and twenty minutes of time, or $350 for a $100 battery and thirty minutes of time, I’d say yes, it is cents on the dollar. Why should I have to pay an expert $150 to replace a $20 battery? Why should it take an hour?Or appeal to them to make their products more repairable, as the right to repair campaign attempts to do with some success. For example, Apple didn’t sell parts to third-party repair shops until 2019, due to pressure from the campaign. As of 2021, Apple began selling parts and manuals to end users without a certification as well. There’s still the problem of the designs themselves, which this legislation seeks to address, and things like part pairing, which legislation like those passed in states like New York and Massachusetts attempt to address, but it is a step in the right direction.