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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

#351

Post by Aurornis »

mossTechnician wrote: post #51
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…

Many flagship phones promise 7 years of security updates now. 3-4 years means the battery will only last for half that time, and heavy users (1 cycle per day) will hit that quota in under 2.75 years.

The battery doesn't cease functioning after 3-4 years. The benchmark says it should have 80% capacity.

It's also not really that expensive to have phone batteries replaced. Apple will do it for $120 including the battery for their flagship models that cost over $1000. Cheaper for lower end models.

I can't take any arguments seriously that claim these phones are becoming e-waste after 2.75 years. Battery replacement is a common process.

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

#352

Post by GuB-42 »

capitainenemo wrote: post #320
torginus wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah the first thing everyone does with their new iPhones is put them in a case - at that point thinness doesn't matter, Id argue Apple counts on it, as their phones are awkward to hold otherwise. Replaceable covers used to serve the same purpose.

Indeed. I've had my XCover 6 for 3½ years now. I've dropped it many times, on hard surfaces (like outdoor concrete/brick). I've undoubtedly been fortunate. the plastic has gouges in it. there's (small) scratches on the screen (some from my keys), but the screen is not cracked. When it is dropped the back and battery pop off, which I think helps dissipate the forces. BTW, for anyone trying to extend their phone life,…

> I strongly recommend those magnetic USB connectors

Note that these connectors are in violation of USB standard and potentially harmful as they expose the pins in an unintended way. For instance, notice that all the connection on the USB port are not all the same length, it is a form of protection, to make sure the power lines are well connected before the data lines make contact. With magnetic USB connectors, you lose that feature, in addition to potential issues with ESD, short circuits, etc...

I have a friend who swears by them and never had a problem, but still, that's good to know.

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

#353

Post by Aurornis »

alt227 wrote: post #326
Aurornis wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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!

> You seem to have completely missed the primary point of all this, which is to reducew ewaste.

Everyone acting like iPhones and mainstream Android phones become e-waste after 3 years is just making specious arguments.

Why does the average phone user know more about phone batteries and replacing them than all of these commenters acting like iPhones are becoming e-waste after a couple years?

I think I know more people with 4-6 year old iPhones than with an iPhone 17.

Apple stores will replace the battery for you for a very reasonable fee and the phone will carry on for many years more. This is a common thing to do and you can find battery replacement services for popular Android phones too.

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

#354

Post by [deleted] »

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.

[deleted]

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

#355

Post by dheera »

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.

You can also just redefine the battery capacity so that 100% = former 80% and then add a paid subscription feature to "occasionally overcharge it by 25%"

/s

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

#356

Post by kube-system »

riversflow wrote: post #220
kergonath wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Earth's resources are finite, both in terms of raw materials and ability to absorb pollution. Stewardship of our resources entails the regulation of the things we create with those resources such that our collective consumption is conserved. Such oversight is both prudent, and as history and global outcomes teach, quite necessary.

I don't disagree with your statement, but an increase in design durability also does those things. A phone that you can drop and it doesn't break creates less pollution than a phone that you can drop and replace the screen.

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

#357

Post by spankibalt »

echoangle wrote: post #292
spankibalt wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, sure, some of them already do. Their market share is practically negligible, enterprise players (e. g. Samsung with their Galaxy Xcover line) notwithstanding. That, on a strictly personal level, still doesn't mean they offer a desirable product.

Yes, but it’s an indicator that the general consumer doesn’t care that much about it. And I say that as an absolute supporter of the mandatory USB C. But I don’t think the average consumer cares enough about it that apple would have switched without being forced.

If we talk about the same "average consumer" it describes an individual that doesn't care for technical minutiae beyond a couple of specific use cases (telecomms, photo/video shooter, socials). These people are precisely the reason for why a regulator has to jump in if a government wants to implement sustainability efforts.

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

#358

Post by School-Cotton »

torginus wrote: post #293
badsectoracula wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately it is from 2022, meaning no OS upgrades. I think the next mandatory laws EU should pass is that manufacturers should either allow people to upgrade/replace the OS by themselves or provide mandatory upgrades for the next decade (i don't care how the manufacturers handle it, that's up to them, but the easiest way out of such a law is to allow people upgrade/replace the OS by themselves).

Phones should be like PCs - they give you the hardware, and you figure out what to install on it. Unfortunately Linux imo is partially to blame here - if they decided to do a stable driver ABI (don't hate me, this was the norm outside Linux and open source OSes), you could easily separate the OS and drivers and update the m separately.

Who is "they"? Linux isn't a person or an organization. The people (and organizations) contributing to Linux are all doing it for their own motivations to solve their own problems. You are asking them to make their lives harder, for free, in service of fixing an issue that they don't care about.

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

#359

Post by School-Cotton »

john01dav wrote: post #193
chroma wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Such phones with removable batteries are incredibly rare, such that finding one is quite likely to fail if you have any other concerns at all. If a truly well made phone was common and made by many people, then there'd be much less argument for this regulation.

They're rare because outside of the tiny minority of people who complain loudly on HN, nobody cares about this feature.
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