Hopefully this doesn't go the way of charging cables and we have a different battery shape for every phone... Otherwise a 2040 regulation will be to standardize battery shape(s)
Battery shape (and connector) will sadly still be a thing for a long time, and usually it's for engineering reasons, so I don't really think it will be possible to standardize it
Well battery shapes will be custom, but the regulation does include demand to offer said batteries as spare parts.
shall ensure that those batteries are available as spare parts of the equipment that they power for a minimum of five years after placing the last unit of the equipment model on the market, with a reasonable and non-discriminatory price for independent professionals and end-users.
This being EU, EU will actually even police that reasonability clause via consumer protection agencies. You might not like the still probably pretty hefty price, but outright monopoly price gouging will not be allowed. Atleast not with in EU jurisdiction. Also makers will tend to gravitate to number of pretty standard battery sizes and geometries. Simply out of economies of scale. If you have to offer the batteries available as spares. You don't want to offer 150 different battery models on you warehousing and supply to your retail stores. You want as few as possible. Maybe say 5 different sizes or maybe couple ten different kinds on the biggest makers with the largest product range. Cheaper to buy more of similar batteries from battery supplier, than have custom module developed for each new phone model. Well unless one is apple and only has couple new models per year. They probably will have now just little bit different optimized shape battery for each models, but they also have the scale per model to make sense for that.
also:
Software shall not be used to impede the replacement of a portable battery or LMT battery, or of their key components, with another compatible battery or key components.
Meaning companies can't use software locks to deny third party batteries. Since the language says compatible battery, not replacement battery. Which wouldn't make sense anyway, since replacement battery would be the one the OEM offers. Ofcourse I'm sure there will be lot of hurdur by makers over "don't use third party batteries, those aren't as safe" and "well but that isn't compatible". However as one remembers during the early 2000's and upto mid 2010's there was a very healthy both OEM and third party replacement battery market. As with that experience, yes shoddy batteries from non-reputable people can be problem. However in this basic consumer electronic safety regulation (aka you can't just shovel anything to the market with utterly nuts unsafe circuitry in the first place) and the market itself handles it. Again it will be found out over little time, which makers are the reputable ones with the good batteries with all the proper safeties and good production quality. Reputable big chain electronics dealers then focus on only offering the established reputable third party batteries and parts out of their own reputation (You sold me a shoddy battery. It burst and ruined my phone. I'm never buying from this phone store ever again). Plus same with the actual makers with stuff like offering extensive warranties, warranting the replacement of the device, if their battery messes it up and so on.
This is all "we have already been here" ground except instead of the T9 numpad on the phone front, there is now a whole front covering touch screen on it's place.
The headline says it's official. But then the article mentions -
Now, the only step left is for the European Council and Parliament to sign on the dotted line.
So it's not official?? Can anyone explain please??
Proposed and introduced legislation, but not ratified?
The political analogy might be a bill that's been passed into the parliament, but the governor-general/president hasn't signed it yet.
God bless the EU.
Remember to vote to keep this up next June, my fellow Europeans
as an American, bless the EU, they're carrying America with stuff like GDPR
hungarian here, i'll try my best but please keep on overpowering us when we inevitably fail
It is a special day when there is happy tech news. This is a day for celebration. Having done my own battery replacements some have been a nightmare to do with all the glue and hoping the screen doesn't break. I look forward to this, since with rise of phone costs I don't intend to update frequently. I'd actually change my battery annually if it wasn't such a hassle.
Now we just need headphone jacks and SD cards and lineageos support and my dream phone will be mandated.
if this makes batteries smaller so be it
let’s go back to 2012 and carry a few of them at a time
There's no need. Battery tech has advanced substantially. There is no reason phones shouldn't last all day and then some, then when the battery becomes shitty, replace it instead of massive e-waste. We're lucky the EU exist.
The battery is only one piece of the puzzle. If the EU wants to really reduce e-waste they should also mandate a minimum of 4 years of android security updates, preferably 5 or 6.
They should do the same for laptops
I think laptops are also covered.
Indeed in the article it says all battery powered devices... Does that also mean somehow headphones(wireless) earbuds, watches, etc
I'm not getting my hopes up, but I'd like to see this influence the smartphones being sold in the US as well. One of the primary things that keeps me replacing my smartphones is battery life, so being able to replace the battery would be incredible.
Because the EU is such a massive market, EU law tends to bleed out. It’s expensive to keep different SKUs for different regions, so compliance tends to seep out.
I’d expect at least some of this to have an impact outside the EU.
We've gone full circle. This used to be the way!
a lot of industries seem to solve problems well initially, then backtrack and make their product purposefully shitty in order to capture more revenue.
I don‘t know how to feel about this. While It’s nice to be able to replace the battery, I very much prefer the durability of todays phones over those flimsy removable back plates that used to be common in the 00s.
I really hope they mean that no special tools/skill are required. They should just standardize one type of micro screwdriver that everyone has to use.
Replaceable batteries inevitably also have to be sturdier s.t. they don‘t pose a fire hazard, making the entire phone bulkier or reducing battery life.
My iPhone XR is now over 4 years old and battery capacity is still at 80%, getting me through the day easily.
Before that I had an iPhone 4s where I replaced the battery after ~6 years. I was really disappointed with the new battery and ended up buying a new phone anyway after a few weeks.
My phone is the device that I use the most by a huge margin. It doesn‘t bother me too much if I have to replace it every 5-6 years. And I‘m pretty environmetally conscious in general.
Yeah those old Nokia's are notoriously flimsy because of the removable batteries 🤦♂️
I get what you're saying, but removable batteries and flimsy plastic backs don't have to go hand in hand. The LG V20 had a metal back and a removable battery
The problem is easy to solve:
Batteries will have unique encrypted codes (readable by the device), so only original ones from the manufacturer will work. Pretty easy for manufacturers to justify that, based on safety and liability.
Then the replacement batteries will cost more than a new phone.
Doesn't Apple already do this? All of the parts on an iPhone are serialized so that any unofficial replacement part causes the device to freak out.
Apple is already ahead on the evil train.
Well some sneaky legislative aide in EU already thought about that.
Any natural or legal person that places on the market products incorporating portable batteries or LMT batteries shall ensure that those batteries are available as spare parts of the equipment that they power for a minimum of five years after placing the last unit of the equipment model on the market, with a reasonable and non-discriminatory price for independent professionals and end-users.
Software shall not be used to impede the replacement of a portable battery or LMT battery, or of their key components, with another compatible battery or key components.
Good.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that this will inevitably make batteries smaller.
If you are supposed to be able to open the phone and remove the battery manufacturers need to design a way to remove the cover, shield other components, create a compartment for the battery, and use sturdier batteries. All of those things take us space. Manufacturers aren't just going to make phones thicker so that physical space has to be eaten by something... and it's going to be the battery.
I really liked having a removable battery on my phone 10 years ago in case I had a particularly long/intensive day. But now that I make it through a day without worry this could actually be sorta annoying.
I mean, I use a fairphone (with removable battery) and in a normal day it can go a whole day without going below 20%. And even if I don't comsider ot too much of a hassle bringing an external battery for recharge with me when I know I'm gonna use it a lot or will not have time to recharge during the night.
If we are gonna get removable batteries there needs to be a standard battery format so that each company won't have its own special battery design. One battery design for all devices. This way the battery will work in whichever phone you put it in.
On the surface that sounds good, but wouldn't that put a hamper on battery innovation?
I don't believe so. A battery standard would specify the interface, not the actual battery design from a technical standpoint. It would specify:
The rest is up to the battery manufacturer and is completely open to innovation. You want to put a Li-ion battery in there? Just make it the right shape and as long as it can provide the output required, it's fine. Want some future-tech fusion battery? As long as it's the right shape and puts out the required power!
Now let me replace the operating system, have unified drivers and I'll be fine with it
Why the hell do we need to wait for 2027 for this? Perfect amount of time for something like this to get overturned at the last minute.
How much time do you think it takes to design a new phone?
A week, because a car takes 5 years and a phone is 1/250 the size of a car?
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