Removable batteries in smartphones will be mandatory in the EU starting in 2027 • Hacker News Board

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

#231

Post by anonymars » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:43 PM UTC

matchbok3 wrote: post #172

hashmap wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that isnt how markets really work. you could say that if apple had two otherwise identical iphones except one has removable battery and one doesn't. but the enshittification cycle works via a ratcheting effect. once you achieve a certain level of dominance and lock-in, you can start getting away with all kinds of anti-consumer strategies to make more money and not get punished for it, and your competitors will follow…

If Apple could make money from removable batteries, meaning there was a market for it and people wanted it over some other alternative, are you suggesting they are not smart enough to do the research and work necessary to accomplish that? The reality is people don't want it, at all. At least not enough to warrant action. So the story ends there. Also, the lighting connector is better than USB in every way. Mandating…

False dichotomy. The question isn't whether you can make money with a replaceable battery, but whether you can make more money by selling specialized service (or an entirely new phone) than a battery. What else are people going to do, not buy a phone? Switch operating systems entirely?

This whole thing becomes more obvious in the Android world, where models with various features do exist, but only in certain markets

Even then, this whole line of argument seems moot because if the battery still holds enough charge over time the regulations don't even require it to be replaceable

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

#232

Post by AngryData » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:43 PM UTC

thechao wrote: post #56

Pxtl wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Timex has been making iron-man watches held together with Philips-head screws that can withstand 100 meters of water pressure since the mid-1980s. Waterproofing is no excuse for this nonsense.

I think the USB & speaker are the weak links for water ingress. Also, a removable battery would (probably?) significantly weaken the phone. So, if you dropped it, it'd be more likely to sustain real damage.

I don't see them as very big weak points. USB doesn't have enough voltage to do jack in water even if you don't detect the water and turn it off. And the speaker can be made entirely out of waterproof materials, there are literally waterproof floating pool speakers you can buy for dirt cheap. The weak link is the main oring/glue as always.

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

#233

Post by zuzululu » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:43 PM UTC

so more regulations to raise prices extract tax revenues by EU

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

#234

Post by micromacrofoot » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

alt227 wrote: post #159

micromacrofoot wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> the ewaste it will save

well we agree that it will work at least a little, which looks like a good start to me

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

#235

Post by HumblyTossed » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

foolfoolz wrote: post #16

wmf wrote: post #7

There's an exception for batteries that "retain at least 80% of its original capacity after 1,000 charge cycles." Coincidentally, iPhones and probably other flagships already qualify for this exception.

i’m ok with this and an $80 battery replacement in exchange for better waterproofing

The two don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Also, it's water - resistance.

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

#236

Post by mort96 » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #24

As others have mentioned this is for phones with batteries that can’t survive a reasonable number of cycles. That’s a reasonable exemption, in my opinion. I don’t want to pay the extra penalties of reduced structural rigidity and water tightness for a battery that I don’t need to replace for 3-4 years anyway. I do wish one manufacturer would make a flagship phone with replaceable battery so all of the uncompromising…

Should we not expect phones to last more than 3-4 years? We aren't in the exponential performance growth and requirements part of the smartphone world anymore, a 5-7 year old phone can be a perfectly functional device. Isn't it unfortunate that a perfectly good phone gets turned to e-waste years before it has to, just because a consumable part of it happens to be non-replaceable?

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

#237

Post by wildzzz » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

drivebyhooting wrote: post #195

ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't seem like a problem. Assuming the phone needs recharging every 3 days, that's 80% capacity remaining after ~8.2 years; longer than the OS is likely to be supported. Assuming a recharge every 2 days, that's 80% capacity remaining after ~5.5 years.

My iPhone is less than 1 year old and I have to charge it every day.

I'm guessing they use very conservative usage in their math. I'm on my pixel all day long but I barely use my iPhone 13 more than maybe an hour a day. I can leave it unplugged all weekend and come back Monday with enough charge to get me through the day.

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

#238

Post by bluescrn » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

wmf wrote: post #7

There's an exception for batteries that "retain at least 80% of its original capacity after 1,000 charge cycles." Coincidentally, iPhones and probably other flagships already qualify for this exception.

displayedBatteryHealthPercent = max(80, actualBatteryHealthPercent);

(I suspect the health figures displayed are already somewhat fudged to try and downplay the reality of battery degradation?)

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

#239

Post by phoronixrly » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC

chroma wrote: post #156

toasty228 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

This has been repeated so so many times... How can you be sure that throwaway glued-together phones are thinner and lighter than repairable phones.. If there is any source of this information, it's vendors who have interest in phones being non-repairable so they can ship more units...

How about vendors get on their asses and design thinner and lighter phones that are not e-waste from the moment they leave the factory?

I bet you when forced to make the right decision they can go even thinner and lighter than the current flagships...

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

#240

Post by tracker1 » Mon, May 04, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC

chroma wrote: post #156

toasty228 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That assumes that the market itself is actually "free" and consistent and that there are no bad actors in the mix, and upstarts are allowed to freely start and compete. Given the regulations in the space that is emphatically not so.

Incumbents will remove and enshitify a number of features in order to maximize returns... Your new clothes dryer has a 10 year mechanical warranty.. but the control board isn't covered, will die in 12-24 months and won't be produced again. Oh and there's some clunky DRM in the mix on top. Guess you get to buy a new dryer, but this time you'll go with $OtherShittyBrandThatDoesTheSameThing.