All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027 • Hacker News Board

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#211

Post by lolftw » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:02 PM UTC

brk wrote: post #147

OutOfHere wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People shouldn't have to go to a special store or buy special tools requiring special skills to change a battery.

In a perfect world, sure. But people also want phones these days that are physically durable, have some degree of waterproofing/water resistance, maximum battery life, etc. Many of the demands and expectations of a modern phone aren't easily compatible with a replaceable battery design that can withstand the incompetence of the average end user.

A GoPro fits all of those requirements and has easily replaceable batteries. Now, I understand that the shape and sizes are different. But I wouldn't mind some extra mm of thickness (I already get a pretty big camera bump anyway) if that means I can replace a battery faster.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#212

Post by gruez » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:03 PM UTC

brainwad wrote: post #155

gruez wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As an example, in Jan 2026, Apple published iOS 12.5.8 which provides updates for iPhone 5s which released in Sept 2013. That's 12.5 years ago. The equivalent would be to connect to the internet using ADSL in Jan 2000 with your IBM PS/2 rocking in intel 8086, 512 kb of RAM and expecting an update for your DOS operating system. The updates for ios 12 are all security updates, not feature updates, so your comparison t…

A phone is not unusable because some banking apps don't work on it. It didn't even ship with said apps installed.

Believe it or not, "apps" are an important "feature" of a smartphone, even if it's not theoretically bundled with it. Moreover it's not just banking apps, those are just the first ones to go, but any that don't keep backend compatibility will eventually break.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#213

Post by bobsmooth » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:03 PM UTC

Almondsetat wrote: post #210

OutOfHere wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People shouldn't have to go to a special store or buy special tools requiring special skills to change a battery.

Says who? Not all devices can have the same level of repairability by laypeople. What if I complained that todays' CPUs are too miniaturized and that in my time I could swap the individual vacuum tubes in case something went wrong?

>Says who?

The EU, just now.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#214

Post by askl » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:04 PM UTC

konschubert wrote: post #120

Aren't today's phone batteries already replaceable with commercially available tools? I can walk into a non-apple store with my iPhone and walk out with a replaced battery 20 minutes later. This isn't even what drives obsolesce of phones, it's software updates. If you really want to be able to self-swap your own battery, you can just buy an Android that has a replaceable battery. Do we need to regulate something that…

> If you really want to be able to self-swap your own battery, you can just buy an Android that has a replaceable battery.

Those don't really exist anymore.

> Do we need to regulate something that isn't a problem?

It is a problem and needs to be regulated.

> All regulation has downsides, is it worth paying this price here?

Of course the upsides of regulations are worth it. The downsides might cause slight inconvenience to the manufacturer, so that doesn't really matter.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#215

Post by xethos » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:05 PM UTC

konschubert wrote: post #120

Aren't today's phone batteries already replaceable with commercially available tools? I can walk into a non-apple store with my iPhone and walk out with a replaced battery 20 minutes later. This isn't even what drives obsolesce of phones, it's software updates. If you really want to be able to self-swap your own battery, you can just buy an Android that has a replaceable battery. Do we need to regulate something that…

> This isn't even what drives obsolesce of phones, it's software updates.

Agreed, and software-locking parts, like batteries, to only first-party or authorized third-party repair shops is one of those drivers.

I can see the argument for software locking some components (to cut down on theft) even if I don't appreciate or agree with them - it is at least a valid reason from some perspectives.

Batteries are a wear item though, and will have to be replaced periodically until the device is discarded. Software-locking them to only "Apple and people Apple likes" is unconscionable

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#216

Post by Almondsetat » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:07 PM UTC

bobsmooth wrote: post #213

Almondsetat wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Says who? Not all devices can have the same level of repairability by laypeople. What if I complained that todays' CPUs are too miniaturized and that in my time I could swap the individual vacuum tubes in case something went wrong?

>Says who? The EU, just now.

So the EU is the objective truth of the universe, I guess

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#217

Post by zbrozek » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:08 PM UTC

proee wrote: post #205

twilo wrote: post #4

If a battery can do 1000 cycles and remain above 80% capacity it is exempt from this, which is exactly what Apple implemented a few years ago. Low cost phones will be most affected.

This could be "fixed" right now by a software update that limits the maximum charge level to 80% of capacity. However, this comes at the cost of how many minutes of runtime your phone can operate. So manufactures might just responds to this by making your phone heavier with a bigger battery that is being under utilized.

This sounds great. I would've loved to have set my phone to charge up to only 60% or 80% of its design capacity to reduce wear. I do this on my laptop.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#218

Post by Aachen » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:09 PM UTC

nonethewiser wrote: post #149

OutOfHere wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People shouldn't have to go to a special store or buy special tools requiring special skills to change a battery.

Engage with the content of his comment instead of resorting to ad hominem. He's right - the market wants embedded batteries, although perhaps not directly. Embedded batteries have improved price, battery capacity, water proofing, size, and strength. If the consumer really wanted a removable battery and all that that entails then there would be more phones that offered that. The reality is people misjudge what all tha…

"instead of resorting to ad hominem" Was this edited out or which part do you mean?

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#219

Post by skywhopper » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:09 PM UTC

brk wrote: post #147

OutOfHere wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People shouldn't have to go to a special store or buy special tools requiring special skills to change a battery.

In a perfect world, sure. But people also want phones these days that are physically durable, have some degree of waterproofing/water resistance, maximum battery life, etc. Many of the demands and expectations of a modern phone aren't easily compatible with a replaceable battery design that can withstand the incompetence of the average end user.

You severely underestimate the capabilities of modern electronics manufacturers. Sure, it’s harder to produce something that fits all those capabilities. But it’s totally possible. This is exactly the scenario where government regulation is critical to a well-functioning market.

Re: All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027

#220

Post by LazyMans » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 4:09 PM UTC

This might be shifting us closer to worse overall design/performance to accommodate swapability. The pouch cells are very fragile, with the phone itself being the physical protection for the cell. If end users begin to handle these, you likely have to add additional packaging to the cell which increases the overall dimensions or reduces total capacity to maintain the same size.

Maybe it's for our own good, maybe we have to suck it up and lose a little capacity to meet sustainability goals. Or maybe this won't do much for the environment.