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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

#411

Post by [deleted] »

mort96 wrote: post #236
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?

[deleted]

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

#412

Post by ezst »

cbeach wrote: post #350

This should be for the market to decide, not EU bureaucrats. If I want a thicker, clunkier, less waterproof phone with a user-replaceable battery, I can already buy a Fairphone or a Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro, or whatever. The reason people buy iPhones and flagship Samsung phones is they want the benefits that come from a design that doesn't have to make sacrifices to accomodate a user-replaceable battery.

> This should be for the market to decide, not EU bureaucrats.

Ohh sweet summer child... We are in an era of obscene consolidation, in pretty much every sector, wealth is being consolidated to degrees unseen before, oligopolies enshrine their dominance via regulatory capture and a plethora of unfair practices. There's just no competition left to suggest that "markets can decide" of anything beneficial for our skinny bottom lines..

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

#413

Post by cyklosarin »

dmos62 wrote: post #104

I've a plan: 2027 I'm buying a Motorola with first-party support for GrapheneOS and a replaceable battery. Things are looking up!

There is almost zero chance that the Motorola phones will come with a replaceable battery and likely fall under the exemption anyways. The GOS supported phones will all be flagship level devices (i.e. Signature/RAZR).

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

#414

Post by derekerdmann »

catlikesshrimp wrote: post #181
derekerdmann wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I once had a cheap Timex watch die from water ingress after running a track workout during a torrential downpour. At the time I joked that it only failed because we ran farther than the 100m rating

Is there any chance it was counterfeit (Timexx or so)

No. Bought in person at a Walmart in like, 2005

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

#415

Post by dec0dedab0de »

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.

I want my phone 5 times thicker, just put as many batteries as you can fit in there.

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

#418

Post by chroma »

tracker1 wrote: post #240
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.

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, w…

Aren’t newer washers/dryers full of electronics because of laws mandating higher efficiency? My parents have an old Maytag washer that uses around 30 gallons per load while my washer uses less than 8. I know Speed Queen makes dumb laundry machines, but at least one of their models was banned for residential sale by the Department of Energy. They ended up figuring out a workaround by gimping the default cleaning mode and encouraging users to not use that mode.[1]

But I don’t see how mandating removable batteries helps this situation with phones. I don’t replace my phone when the battery degrades, as it’s pretty cheap & painless to replace the battery after a few years. I upgrade when my phone stops getting security updates, or when a new phone comes along with some feature I want.

1. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/speed-queen-revie...

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

#419

Post by Zarathustra30 »

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #268
ratiolat wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IP68, replaceable battery, phone jack, 5G: https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_xcover6_pro-11600.php

I feel like the fact that the phone-with-removal-battery option already exists and is not popular in the market should be a signal to EU politicians about how much the public actually values this capability.

It's the curb-cut effect. Just because the larger population doesn't demand something doesn't mean they won't benefit from it.

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

#420

Post by ars2020 »

I like the idea in principle, but I hope the implementation does not just result in thicker phones with worse water resistance and higher prices.

The real win would be if batteries are replaceable without specialized tools, parts are available for several years, and manufacturers are not allowed to use software pairing to block third-party repair.

Otherwise we may technically get “replaceable batteries”, but not the practical right to keep a phone alive longer.

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