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

#391

Post by 0x3f » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC

coda_ wrote: post #359

emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

Your experience is not at all what I see out there. Most people I know only get new phones because their battery will no longer get them through the day. They hate having to set up a new phone when their old one is totally fine other than the battery. For the people I know that do upgrade their phones regularly, they typically want to give their old phone to someone who would love a usable phone, but can't afford a n…

It would seem that "different opinions are out there" is not really a good basis for "one opinion enforced by EU directive", though.

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

#392

Post by e12e » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC

Alupis wrote: post #81

mentalgear wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't fall for the 'glue cuz of protection' myth - there are and had been water-resistant phones way before Apple started glueing to avoid customers doing their own repairs and them losing out on new sales.

Which phones? I ask as someone that's had to replace multiple phones after a trip through the washing machine. Modern phone water resistance is incredible. I've even seen people literally swim with their phones and not even question if it was a bad idea.

Not really comparable perhaps - but I had a Ericsson t18s or similar that went through a full 60C cotton wash cycle (being on at the start of the wash) and was fine after drying off.

The thing is - if the battery had been destroyed, that could have been replaced...

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

#393

Post by monooso » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC

emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

> I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery".

Possibly true, and equally true of the screen, the charging port, or any other component.

"Repairability" isn't a feature people list unprompted, it's a property they notice the moment a £5 part bricks their phone.

The street-corner survey tells you what people currently notice, not what they'd value if the option existed.

> by the time batteries wear out, most people are going to want a new phone

In a market where batteries are glued in and replacement costs a meaningful fraction of a new device, of course people upgrade on that timeline. Change the cost structure and the behaviour changes with it.

Fair point that we'd want data, but the original claim rests on the same intuition, just pointed the opposite way.

The broader framing (that repairability is an idiosyncratic preference being imposed on a majority who don't want it) gets this backwards. Most people don't want to care about repairability, in the same way most people don't want to care about food safety standards. They want the option to exist without having to think about it. That's what the law provides.

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

#394

Post by umvi » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC

emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

More replaceable batteries can have secondary effects that most people would probably like though - like the ability to by a used phone on ebay/FB marketplace that doesn't have an abysmal battery.

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

#395

Post by rootusrootus » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC

coda_ wrote: post #359

emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

Your experience is not at all what I see out there. Most people I know only get new phones because their battery will no longer get them through the day. They hate having to set up a new phone when their old one is totally fine other than the battery. For the people I know that do upgrade their phones regularly, they typically want to give their old phone to someone who would love a usable phone, but can't afford a n…

Even going directly to Apple for out-of-warranty battery replacement is almost always way cheaper than getting another phone.

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

#396

Post by callmeal » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:25 PM UTC

emtel wrote: post #276

afavour wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that’s the wrong way of framing it. If, before the launch of the iPhone, you asked what people wanted from their phones you’d be there a very long time before anyone described something like an iPhone (no buttons, capacitive touch interface, etc). And yet, once they were offered it, people flocked to it. This regulation is targeted to devices with poor battery lives. Just because it hasn’t occurred to people…

That's an odd reply since by that argument they also flocked to a phone with no replaceable battery, which was pretty standard in the 2000s. But you could be right. I guess this will be an experiment to watch: If EU consumers show a strong preference for replaceable batteries once they become more widely available, we can expect manufacturers to start offering it in other markets as well.

>they also flocked to a phone with no replaceable battery,

Did they flock to a phone with no replaceable battery the same way we flocked to phones with no headphone jack?

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

#397

Post by dijit » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:26 PM UTC

emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

most of the time I replace my phone because the battery degraded so badly and a replacement is expensive.

Its not enough by itself that the phone has amassed scratches and is 20% slower or has a 30% worse camera optic than the current generation, or that updates will only continue for a year or two more.

But the slowdown (associated with battery degradation btw) and fact that it doesn’t get me through a whole day definitely move the needle into me buying a new phone.

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

#398

Post by dijit » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:28 PM UTC

nicpottier wrote: post #290

emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

I think phone manufacturers will figure it out once it is a requirement. Was switching everyone to USB-C annoying for Apple? Sure. Are we in a better place because the EU forced it. You betcha. That's the point. I don't love everything the EU does (cookie banners!?) but this is one where I have confidence that the consumer will ultimately benefit. As others have noted, most people do not replace their phones every tw…

Cookie banners is malicious compliance. The ultimate goal being for you yo think it was bad legislation instead of how every company is fucking you for your privacy.

They’re winning.

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

#399

Post by 0x3f » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:28 PM UTC

hilbert42 wrote: post #320

Ntrails wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are we in a better place because the EU forced it. You betcha. That's the point. Speak for yourself, I've gained nothing but annoyance. (I'm willing to accept a theoretical greater good argument - but I'm not precisely sold)

What exactly is your specific annoyance?

Lack of incentive for technological development beyond the current required standard.

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

#400

Post by kybernetikos » Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 5:30 PM UTC

jbombadil wrote: post #297

emtel wrote: post #258

One of the most frustrating things about HN is that people seem so unaware of how idiosyncratic their preferences are. If you stood on the street corner and asked every passerby what they would change about their phone, I think you would be there all day before someone said "I wish I could replace the battery". It's okay to have idiosyncratic preferences (I certainly do), but people should recognize that this law wil…

I'm curious about the environmental argument here. At face value it makes sense, but is there some hard data that shows that there is a meaningful number of consumers that buy new phones only (or "mostly") because of battery degradation? The article (granted, probably not the best source of information) has some numbers like "number of phones sold", but doesn't actually tackle the crux of the issue: how many of those…

My previous phone was refurbished and was great in all ways except for battery life. I have now bought a new phone that I wouldn't have bought if batteries were replaceable.

Having said that, I do like having waterproof phones, and I expect this rule would make that harder.