EU regulations will make smartphone batteries user-replicable by 2027

[WYP]

The EU has given smartphone manufacturers a major headache.



Read more about the EU's plans to make all portable batteries user-replaceable.

 

[Greenback]

surely you hve to give up some of the water resistance for that, my phones 10 years old and the battery only now is starting to need extra charging

 

[Warchild]

surely you hve to give up some of the water resistance for that, my phones 10 years old and the battery only now is starting to need extra charging

The key point here is the process in replacing them. I have repaired a few devices for friends, (mostly cracked screens etc). If replaced correctly, there is no water resistance degradation. But for an average user trying the same then using s***y glue on the new screen, then yes, you can say IP68 (water resistance factor) is ruined.

And the process to replace this is often heating the front screen or back screen to 90C etc, pry off the screens with delicate gear and so on. Its not an easy task for many.

The reason I mention that, is because you need to do this just to get to the battery anyway. EU has basically forced us back 10 years to the Samsung S5 era where back plates came off easily to access removable batteries.

All flagship/mainstream devices will need a redesign. I actually welcome this. I'm sure there will be some smart thinking from the design teams to deter the urge to repair things yourself, but lets see what happens. I also look forward to Apple devices switching to USBC but I suspect they will do some stupid proprietary design where fast charging will only work with their own brand cables.

 

[Deadtroopers]

Nope; mfrs did this to themselves by being eejits introducing unreplaceable batteries in the first place.

 

[66racer]

I would rather keep water resistance and a thinner phone over being able to easily replace the battery.....which I never have a phone long enough for it to be an issue to begin with.

Perhaps they can make a provision where they have a version that can be replaced easily and one that is normal for those that want thinner and more resistant to water.

 

[ImprovizoR]

Did anyone really miss replaceable batteries?

 

[WillSK]

I would rather keep water resistance and a thinner phone over being able to easily replace the battery.....which I never have a phone long enough for it to be an issue to begin with.

Perhaps they can make a provision where they have a version that can be replaced easily and one that is normal for those that want thinner and more resistant to water.

Did anyone really miss replaceable batteries?

With the sheer amount of electronic waste in the world, I personally think an extra mm here or there for the potential of reduced waste is a fair sacrifice.

I don't think it's a case of missing it, I think it's more of a case of trying to gently nudge people toward a more sustainable future.

Would love to see more companies leaning into the right to repair stuff like framework do or Valve did with he steam deck. Not shying away from modding the console (provided legal caveats are made of course) and making spare parts easily accessible

 

[Dicehunter]

Did anyone really miss replaceable batteries?

I still have the original Motorola Razr flip phone from late 2004, It's only missing a battery as that went bye bye a fair few years ago due to many charge cycles.

If I could get batteries that aren't knock-offs from China for a decent price that don't explode in your face I would.

I absolutely despise smartphones, Aside from making most people into a walking zombie, I think they are nothing more than a distraction, The simpler phones were better as it was just phone, Text and an alarm.

And then to top it off if a smartphone breaks you cannot replace individual pieces, You have to replace the entire thing and then in reality your old phone goes into a landfill which as a species we need to stop doing as resources are slowly running out, Copper which is used in everything electrical is getting more and more difficult to mine because we just throw so much of it away instead of salvaging it and recycling it.

 

[WillSK]

I still have the original Motorola Razr flip phone from late 2004, It's only missing a battery as that went bye bye a fair few years ago due to many charge cycles.

If I could get batteries that aren't knock-offs from China for a decent price that don't explode in your face I would.

I absolutely despise smartphones, Aside from making most people into a walking zombie, I think they are nothing more than a distraction, The simpler phones were better as it was just phone, Text and an alarm.

And then to top it off if a smartphone breaks you cannot replace individual pieces, You have to replace the entire thing and then in reality your old phone goes into a landfill which as a species we need to stop doing as resources are slowly running out, Copper which is used in everything electrical is getting more and more difficult to mine because we just throw so much of it away instead of salvaging it and recycling it.

Completely agree dude. The mad thing is, many companies actually make far more money off replacement parts than they do the finished product. If you can move away from planned obsolescence to a more modular approach for certain tech, it just makes sense. Should make even more sense for us as PC builders because we've been doing it for years.

 

[Greenback]

I think I'll hold judgement until it happens, going by pat lessons the batteries will be special made for each make of phone and cost £150 and Apples will be £300 and last less than the batteries you get now