In 2027, a new EU regulation will change how phones and tablets are built. By February 2027, most devices sold in the EU must have batteries that users can replace easily using standard tools like a screwdriver. The goal is to reduce electronic waste and make devices last longer.
The rule defines "easily replaceable" as using common tools, not heat guns or solvents. It applies to phones, tablets, laptops, and even e‑bikes. However, there's an exemption: if a battery retains 80% of its capacity after 1,000 full charge cycles, it may still be sealed.
This marks a return to repairability, giving consumers more control over their devices. Yeah - I can see ole Grannie at the kitchen table with her spot of tea, a screwdriver and magnifying glass in hand, changing the battery in her Iphone82x...
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"I can see ole Grannie at the kitchen table....."
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the government required child--safe battery packaging for hearing aid batteries?
I know that some day I am going to lose one finger a month....
They should have always been doing this.
ReplyDeleteThe battery on my Galaxy S10 is starting to drain pretty fast. Yes, it could use a new one but it's now getting so out of date that certain banking apps won't support it so I'm going to need a new phone pretty soon anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat or the phone starts doing wonky things or I drop it or I wash it in a load of clothes has been the killer of every smart phone I have owned.
DeleteNow get the trash pick up to take e-waste. I have a closet full of old electronics and batteries they won't take even though I pay over. $600 a year for trash "service." They don't give you an alternative except to drive 50 miles to a central station. That's really saving the environment. Fucking idiots.
ReplyDeleteSome Walmarts have a vending machine that accepts old phones.
DeleteHoot! One of my fond last memories was going with Mother to a retirement project to help some older relatives get all of each other's phone numbers into their Tracfones. I can picture those people replacing batteries in their phones! With their reading glasses on...
ReplyDeleteMy elders weren't tech-phobic. Not as geeky as my brother-in-law or even as nerdy as I am, but they did learn to use new stuff. But the joke is that WE will be the grannies and gaffers with the reading glasses on and magnifiers in hand...
ReplyDeleteWhomever is the first manufacturer to launch this for the EU, take my money now and ship a unit to U.S.A.
ReplyDeleteFor years I used a LG phone with easily replaced batteries, did not require tools at all, superb machines.
Then LG did away with the option, following which I switched to Samsung for other compatibility issues (hearing aid compatibility), none of the U.S. Samsung units are designed for user replacement of batteries. Oh, and I too have maybe 20 old phones in a box, same issue, no one wants to recycle them and even as "vintage" they don't sell on fleabay either.