Last year, the European Union (EU) Commission officially approved the single port charging rule using USB-C, for electronic devices sold in Europe. Now, the government is proposing new rules for gadget batteries. European parliamentarians are discussing and asking smartphone vendors to install gadget battery components that are easy to replace. That is, the battery in question is a removable battery, or known as a removable battery. This new rule is certainly quite troublesome for most gadget and smartphone vendors who sell their devices in the European region.
As is known, the battery component embedded in the cellphone already uses a planting system. Built-in batteries are considered superior because they make the device design slimmer. Meanwhile, a removable battery requires a special plastic frame to separate the components from the HP engine parts. This makes the device look thicker.
Apart from talking about design, embedded batteries can prevent leaks from occurring in cellphone batteries and have a longer lasting performance. This is because the built-in battery already uses Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) storage technology which allows HP to last a long time on a single charge.
On the other hand, according to the EU, switching built-in batteries to removable batteries will reduce industrial waste. Based on a statement written in the News European Parliament, the local government wants the technology industry to be more responsible for using batteries. The policy is reportedly in line with recycling laws related to minimizing the use of precious metals in recycled batteries, reducing carbon footprint, tightening waste collection targets. “We agreed to provide good benefits to consumers, such as batteries that function properly, are safer and are easy to remove," explains Achille Variati, member of the European Parliament from the alliance group Socialists and Democrats. "What we are doing is aimed at strengthening the recycling industry EU, especially (use of) lithium and the industrial sector as a whole,” continued Variati.
As stated by the Android Authority, Monday (19/6/2023), this policy will make vendors such as Apple, Samsung, Google and others look for new strategies. Of course, this new policy makes the company need to drastically change the design of the cellphone.
Even though this regulation only applies to the European region, it is impossible for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to only produce removable batteries specifically for European users. All devices distributed to other regions will likely adopt the same design, as in the European region.
This phenomenon is also similar to the EU's insistence on asking the iPhone to change its charging port from Lightning type to USB type C. The regulation is planned to become effective at the end of 2024.
Even so, for now it doesn't seem like OEMs need to make any changes. It is unlikely that this new policy will be implemented in the near future because it is still in the discussion stage.
The European Parliament also has yet to provide further information on when this policy will be effective. However, some have speculated that the EU will implement this rule in early 2027.
