The European Union is set to introduce new regulations requiring every smartphone to offer easily replaceable batteries, in direct contravention to current smartphone design practices.The European Council has agreed to implement the regulation by 2027, which will have significant implications for major smartphone manufacturers like Apple, Google, and Samsung.
Why Is the EU Enforcing Easily Replaceable Smartphone Batteries?
Currently, the majority of premium smartphone models have an integrated, often non-replaceable battery. It’s useful for device waterproofing and helps make devices more durable.
On the one hand, this is great for consumers that don’t want their device to break easily, especially after it takes an accidental plunge.
However, integrated batteries become a problem if an issue with the battery arises. Accessing and removing a smartphone battery can cause damage to the smartphone, require specialist tools to access and remove it, and often require a trip to the local phone repair shop. “Unauthorized” repairs can invalidate your warranty and, in some cases, as with Apple’s hardware authentication, lock you out of the phone after the repair.
What Is the EU’s Proposed “Circular Economy” For Batteries?
According to theEuropean Council blog, the EU’s smartphone battery law aims to implement a “circular economy by regulating batteries throughout their life cycle” tohelp reduce e-waste.
The regulation will establish ground rules governing smartphone batteries (and other types of batteries) for better material recovery, waste collection, recycled content, and more.
These circular economy targets for portable batteries are in addition to the regulation that by 2027, all “portable batteries incorporated into appliances should be removable and replaceable by the end-user.”
How Will Replaceable Battery Regulations Affect Smartphone Manufacturers?
Enforcing replaceable batteries in smartphones will see drastic changes in smartphone design.Most smartphones don’t have removable batteriesbecause we want slimmer, lighter smartphones that are more durable and better protected against the elements.
The 2027 date has been set to allow manufacturers to adjust designs to accommodate the changes and create new designs. While EU rulings only have jurisdiction in the European Union, it seems unlikely that smartphone manufacturers and designers of other appliances will create unique EU-only hardware. The EU has enacted other consumer-focused, right-to-repair-based laws before, and it typically means the rest of the world has to follow suit—not the other way around.
Still, the EU ruling could see an end to the mirror-like glass-slab era of smartphones, as the slimline, fully-integrated batteries as we know them are central to these designs. Furthermore, the changes will have significant repercussions for smartphone waterproofing. As smartphone batteries are integrated into the phone’s design, manufacturers can use gaskets and strong glue to seal the device, protecting against water ingress. But if the EU ruling forces easily replaceable batteries, durable and waterproof smartphones will have to change.
Easily Replaceable Smartphone Batteries Are Coming
The days of easily swapping out a phone battery for a replacement are long behind us (halcyon days, some would argue!). Clearly, the EU is attempting to reduce the astounding volume of e-waste created in the EU and worldwide. Progress in e-waste reduction is vital, and the global dependency on portable batteries drives ecological issues across multiple sectors.
Thankfully, smartphone designers have a grace period to react to the changes and update designs. Despite the clear green credentials of this initiative, it’s unlikely that most folks want to return to chunkier designs, even if it makes it easier to repair.
