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Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

ecopv-eu.com

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Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#151

Post by micromacrofoot »

xp84 wrote: post #105
close04 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This makes no sense but I still see it mindlessly repeated to exhaustion. That mention is in no way Apple specific, it’s a quality of the battery itself. Any manufacturer is in the same position, not like Apple has a monopoly on batteries that hold 80% charge after 1000 cycles.

I don’t understand how this could be measured fairly though. What kind of cycles? What temperatures was it exposed to? Charged fast or slow? This is an incomplete set of criteria, which seems designed specifically to be meaningless / gameable. To me this seems like saying you can sell a car with a sealed gas tank as long as it “gets 40 miles per gallon.” And GM gets to decide the test course for measuring MPG, which…

In the US the EPA gets to set the guidelines for mileage testing, which GM has to follow. We've already had a major case in penalties for not following the guidelines via VW and emissions.

It will likely boil down to "typical use" so in the event that someone wants to bring Apple to court over it and demonstrate the issue, it could solidify what's currently a little vague. Laws aren't required to get it perfect out of the gate.

> then it’s probably so old and obsolete by then that battery replacement would be a silly waste of time

obsolescence is a spectrum, if a swappable battery mandate gives a small % of devices a few extra years it would be worth it... I already give old devices to family members and kids on the "free is better than nothing" spectrum and a swappable battery would have extended the life at least a few of said devices, in my personal experience

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#152

Post by SauntSolaire »

alt227 wrote: post #123
kccqzy wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I normally much prefer screws over glue but Apple has at least been using repair-friendly glue like the electrically debonding adhesive in use for iPhone 16e/17e.

Friendly for who? I certainly cant electrically debond chemical compounds, but I sure do know how to undo a screw.

And you can't follow a guide either? All you have to do is clip a 9v battery on.

Do you also consider yourself incapable of jump starting a car because you might have to look up instructions first?

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#153

Post by matchbok3 »

anonymars wrote: post #89
matchbok3 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure. But there are plenty of flip phones with removable batteries.

So you're suggesting we all just need to buy exclusively flip phones for a few years to send the market a signal that it wants replaceable batteries. Then the free market will do its thing and keep the engine of innovation running Speaking of which, does anyone want to do a list of "features added to smartphones over the last 10 years" vs "features removed from smartphones over the last 10 years" so we can see just w…

I'm not suggesting anything, I'm simply offering the reality of the smartphone market. What you are suggesting is a contrived, exaggerated take of how markets function.

People generally like small, thin phones, as evidenced by the billions sold. It really isn't much more complicated than that.

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#154

Post by elzbardico »

ryandrake wrote: post #70
joe_mamba wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My low-cost plastic Casio watch based on a very old design is waterproof and battery can be swapped out by undoing 4 philips screws, no glue. Its buttons can also be operated under water while staying waterproof. What is this whicraft?

I get it for watches, but I've never understood the mass-market need for a waterproof phone, outside of a few niche hobbies. Are people showering and swimming with their phones or something? Or dropping them in their toilets? The wettest my phone has ever been in 8 years is in my pocket while it's raining.

I like to wash my phone under the tap, not getting paranoid of having it in a table close to the pool while drinking a few beers with my wife and friends, it is a really nice to have feature if you live in a warmer climate.

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#155

Post by alt227 »

gonzalohm wrote: post #4

The link is not working for me, but I hope they have defined what "removable" means (removable without special tools) If not, a lot of companies are going to argue that they already make removable batteries

Also, removeable by who? Its all very well saying its removeable, but thats useless if only possible by a skilled techinician with tools. I dont see the term 'user-removable' anywhere.

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#156

Post by chroma »

toasty228 wrote: post #132
kaiwn wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2 mm thicker and 58 grams heavier than the latest iPhone.

Oh yeah so it's utter trash and not worthy of our attention. Imagine carrying a whole 58 grams more, during a whole day, impossible for the average tech worker's atrophied muscles

The point is that people have different preferences, so the EU should not force people to buy phones with removable batteries. People who want such features can buy those phones, and people who want smaller, thinner phones can buy ones with integrated batteries.

At most the EU should tax externalities like electronic waste, though that would be a rounding error compared to the cost of the phone itself.

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#157

Post by danaw »

infecto wrote: post #111

This is a waste of money. All flagship phones have hit the requirements so do not need to make them removable. It might impact some of the budget garbage but not yet clear. All this will do is increase compliance costs.

based on many comments in this thread your statement is not accurate.

for example my iphone 15 pro is at 83% with 654 cycles. clearly it will drop below 80% in less than 1000 cycles

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#158

Post by inanutshellus »

nickpp wrote: post #120
joe_mamba wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The comment is not meant to give you something to buy, it's just proof that it can technically be done, they just don't want to do it for modern flagships.

> it can technically be done At what cost though?! And no, I am not talking about money. Any device (and any product really) is a set of tradeoffs. I like it when different producers select a different subset of priorities for their offer. Competition at work. One of the reasons we witnessed such an awesome evolution in the smartphone market. I hate it when a bureaucrat dictates a set of demands with absolutely zero…

The tradeoff was discussed in a sibling thread: it's heavier by 58 grams and thicker by 2mm. That's it. That's the tradeoff. Why go crazy on the guy?

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#159

Post by alt227 »

micromacrofoot wrote: post #18
washingupliquid wrote: post #3

...and Apple will be exempt due to a loophole in the law (80% after 1k cycles) making the law utterly pointless.

not really! at the very least it requires more thought around battery quality the choice for budget devices is now 1. better battery 2. removability (likely more expensive and complicates water-tightness )

The supposed aim of this is to reduce e-waste. But when 90% of smartphones sold are iPhones and Samsung Galaxies which are exempt it makes this bill completely pointless, as the ewaste it will save is a small fraction of a percentage of the total.

Re: Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027

#160

Post by kergonath »

toasty228 wrote: post #132
kaiwn wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2 mm thicker and 58 grams heavier than the latest iPhone.

Oh yeah so it's utter trash and not worthy of our attention. Imagine carrying a whole 58 grams more, during a whole day, impossible for the average tech worker's atrophied muscles

FFS. Everything is a compromise. People who want smaller and lighter are not more wrong than those who want battery and physical protection.
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