Smartphones could change forever after new EU legislation

A new EU legislation has been passed that could see replaceable batteries for phones making a big comeback and it could change the entire industry.

The EU has approved new legislation that will force all phone manufacturers to begin including replaceable batteries from 2027. Though it’s a few years away, the new law could potentially change how phones are fundamentally made.

While the new law wouldn’t technically touch the US or other countries, it would force companies like Apple to redesign their phones. Similar to how the EU has demanded that all manufacturers utilize a standardized charging cable with USB-C, the upcoming iPhone 15 is now expected to drop Lightning cables worldwide.

Smartphone designs could become radically different

Unsplash: Omid Armin

Designing a phone specifically for the EU’s regulations would be too costly, even for companies like Google. Instead, these manufacturers and firms will eventually cave and offer replaceable batteries.

It also bolsters the Right to Repair movement, as new potential methods of putting the phones together will make it easier to access the internals of the phone.

Currently, devices are effectively stuck together by squashing the glass against the rest of the body. Repair shops have to melt an adhesive away before pulling it off and getting into the phone.

Apple and Samsung are known for this method, and it’s designed to prevent unofficial repair stores from circumventing the repair services that these companies operate.

Over 5 billion phones tossed out in 2022

While all of this is great for the consumer, the original intention of the law was to cut down on e-waste. According to Repowered, around 100-120 million devices are tossed out each year as people upgrade in America. However, according to the International Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) forum, around five billion phones were tossed out in 2022 worldwide.

Samsung still makes phones with a removable battery, despite its flagships moving to the typical design you see today. Other companies like Nokia, also include this feature on their mid-range devices too.