New EU regulation will require phones, portable gaming devices to have user replaceable batteries starting in 2027

[Bofferbrauer2]

shikamaru317 said:

https://overkill.wtf/eu-replaceable-battery-legislation-steam-deck-switch-handhelds/

https://bgr.com/tech/eu-might-not-force-apple-to-make-iphones-with-user-replaceable-batteries-after-all/

Highlights:

• The law comes into effect in 2027
• The law requires devices to have easily user replaceable batteries, meaning they can be replaced with tools the user would already likely have at home (no proprietary tools)
• An EU official confirmed this isn't just for phones, but extends to portable gaming devices
• Will likely only impact new products released after 2026, so a Switch 2 released in say 2024 for instance wouldn't be required to have a replaceable battery, but any new Switch 2 model such as a Lite or Pro or refresh model released after 2026 would require a user replaceable battery
• The new law is expected to face steep opposition from phone manufacturers and others, as it cuts into the profits they receive from users needing to buy a whole new phone/device every few years due to declining battery life
• There are a few exemptions to the law, a waterproof device isn't required to have a replaceable battery, and a device using a high-quality battery, which the EU defines as a battery that maintains at least 83% of it's battery life after 500 cycles and at least 80% after 1000 cycles, are also exempt 

Just for precision's sake, user replaceable doesn't mean toolless, so those exchangeable battery bricks from cellphones of yesteryear are probably not coming back. What they can't do anymore however is glue them in place, which removed the possibility to exchange them as they would generally break from the stress if tried; and even if someone manage to get them off without breaking them, there was no way to fix a new one in place. And even after all those hoops were passed, there was always the possibility that the firmware refused to work with the new hardware (looking at you, Apple!).

Apart from phones, ultrabooks and handheld devices are deeply affected by this ruling, as glueing components in was a quick and easy way to fix them in place without having any need for standoff for screws or the like, meaning they got so thin because they could glue the components. As a result, most devices will probably get a bit bigger again under this ruling.