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

#321

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:09 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…

The big question is, what happens when the manufacturer claims it can survive a reasonable number of cycles, then it turns out it can't. By the time this becomes obvious, the phones will be out of warranty.

Will the manufacturer simply be prohibited from selling those phones (which are probably no longer sold by that time anyways), will they be fined a "cost of doing business" level fine, or will customers have an actual remedy (e.g. full refund even after the 2 year warranty period)?

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

#322

Post by [deleted] » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:09 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.

[deleted]

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

#323

Post by GuB-42 » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:09 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.

Is there any other details on what it means.

There is a difference between:

- Having a manufacturer promise that the battery will last with little oversight on how testing is done and no specific warranty.

- A lifetime warranty where any battery that gives less than 80% of its rating for 1000 cycles has to be replaced free of charge. With the added obligation that measurements should be user-readable and accurate (no cheating the cycle counter and battery gauge).

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

#324

Post by munk-a » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #310

munk-a wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a plethora of reasons to prefer one phone to another and while removable battery phones exist if that's a strict criteria for you the market of available devices is extremely limited. Consumers don't have a real choice here.

I would expect that one of the main reasons that people prefer non-removable battery phones are the engineering tradeoffs inherent in making a phone with a removable battery. They will have strictly less choice on this axis when they no longer have the option to buy a non-removal battery phone.

I think you are vastly overvaluing how much consumers actually value phone thinness. The majority of consumers use phone cases (most modern phones have a camera popup specifically to be better compatible with a case to this end) so I think what customers value the most is lighter weight - not smaller form factor. A replaceable battery does come with a slight compromise to weight but stopping the endless chase of thinness has several engineering advantages when it comes to ports and cooling.

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

#325

Post by Aurornis » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC

manoDev wrote: post #243

elzbardico wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

External battery banks are a far superior solution now that almost everything has standardized on USB and we have power banks supporting high speed charging. They can be charged with the same power adapter you use to charge your phone, without the need of an extra docking thing. They can be used to charge any USB-chargeable device. They are not tied to your specific model, and thus you're not vendor locked with them,…

Lots of advantages, but one major downside: you can't pop the empty battery, put a new one and keep working. There's a reason professional devices (e.g. cameras) still have replaceable batteries.

The people who need this feature should go buy one of the phone models with replaceable batteries.

Reading the comments here, it's obvious that the replaceable battery fans can't even agree on what they want. One commenter wants the back covered in tens of screws for waterproofing. Other commenters want the battery quickly replaceable so they can do hot swaps without missing a beat. Some people are sharing links to phones that have replaceable batteries and getting responses from people saying they'd never buy that phone because it's too big, too ugly, or other reasons.

This is an impossible debate because one side has convinced themselves that it's possible to have their cake and eat it, too: They believe that removable batteries can be implemented without any tradeoffs and the only reason they're not removable is so the phones are forced to become e-waste, which requires you to ignore all of the low cost battery replacement services available.

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

#326

Post by alt227 » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #316

alt227 wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a battery that I don’t need to replace for 3-4 years anyway. This is not just about battery replacement. I used to keep several fully charged batteries stocked in my rucksack whenever I went hiking or anywhere else that was remote. After a day of taking photos in the wild its nice to be able to just chuck in a fresh batttery and off you go. I feel like this feature of phones was not only lost, but pretty much forgo…

> This is not just about battery replacement. I used to keep several fully charged batteries stocked in my rucksack whenever I went hiking or anywhere else that was remote. There are several high end phones with removable batteries. You should buy one of them if this feature is important to you. This movement to force everyone's phones to pay the costs of removable batteries to address these really niche use cases is…

> he costs of removable batteries to address these really niche use cases

You seem to have completely missed the primary point of all this, which is to reducew ewaste. That fact that it also satisfies some niche uses cases is a great bonus!

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

#327

Post by MagicMoonlight » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC

manoDev wrote: post #243

elzbardico wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

External battery banks are a far superior solution now that almost everything has standardized on USB and we have power banks supporting high speed charging. They can be charged with the same power adapter you use to charge your phone, without the need of an extra docking thing. They can be used to charge any USB-chargeable device. They are not tied to your specific model, and thus you're not vendor locked with them,…

Lots of advantages, but one major downside: you can't pop the empty battery, put a new one and keep working. There's a reason professional devices (e.g. cameras) still have replaceable batteries.

Nobody needs to do that with a mobile phone.

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

#328

Post by shmeeed » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC

Angostura wrote: post #118

ryandrake wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> Or dropping them in their toilets? That. It’s also nice to be able to wash them under the tap

The latter often goes hand in hand with the former.

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

#329

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:11 PM UTC

thewavelength wrote: post #20

I just called the shop to replace the perfectly fine e-Call battery in my soon four year old Hyundai car. 250€ to change a battery that has a ten year lifespan. I am not allowed to replace it on my own as it would invalidate the five year long guarantee provided by the manufacturer (not the one by law). Why is this stuff not considered as well? Also curious whether the "specialized devices" exemptions are AND require…

Why are you replacing it if it is perfectly fine?

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

#330

Post by retired » Mon, May 04, 2026, 5:11 PM UTC

everdrive wrote: post #119

The number of people worried about a slightly thicker phone are absolutely baffling to me. I honestly think there is no hope for us broadly. Normally I'd say that people cannot deal with minor inconveniences -- but this does not even register as an inconvenience. From my view, this is a _perceived_ downgrade in luxury status. Not even a real downgrade in luxury status -- and not a downgrade in convenience whatsoever.

A slightly thicker back so that in four years time it will take me 5 minutes versus 60 minutes to change the battery? Yes, that sounds like something I am not interested in.