this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2024
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There's a rule coming into effect in 2027 that enforces user replaceable batteries for devices in the EU. https://www.pcmag.com/news/eu-smartphones-must-have-user-replaceable-batteries-by-2027
while 2027 is better than nothing, I still wonder why it took them so long. Glue in smartphones has been around for probably a decade now.
Also, I think, anything that has a battery, should be user replacable... even teeny-tiny earbuds.
To allow the manufacturers to adapt and phase out?
For USB sure... it's kinda "newish". But, I mean, they could've intervened much sooner, when glue became the standard for assembling phones.
The delay on USB was to let the industry standardize on its own. The EU hinted to all manufacturers that they needed to standardize. Then it outright stated. Then because Apple was run by pricks, the EU had to legislate USB-C to force it.
Now, when something better comes along (like when mini USB gave way to micro USB, then to USB-C), there will need to be new legislation to allow that connector.
Totally agree! It's seemingly gotten worse recently too. My phone is 5 years old and I was still able to replace the battery at home but it took special tools and a hair dryer. The newest Pixels and Galaxy phones look impossible to do with my current skillset.
Things like Fairphone and the HMD Skyline should be the norm going forward.
There's always an implementation period with these things, also with the USB thing, to allow companies to build and sell phones that are already in the pipeline. Expect, just as with the USB thing, replaceable batteries to become a common sight quite soon and ubiquitous by 2027. You can already get quite decent smartphones with replaceable batteries but it's the usual suspects Fairphone, Gigaset, and (at least one model of) Samsung, those would also exist without the regulation. The "oh shit they actually passed it we'll need to re-engineer things" models from everyone else still aren't on the market.
And before anyone brings it up: Yes, you can make them waterproof.
Strongly agree!
Looking back, I suspect this was only an argument to make them hard to repair, as always, just worded in a sense like it'd benefit the customer.
FFS, just add some rubber... We've used rubber in condoms for centuries (kinda) succesfully, what made them think glue'd be better... I ain't gonna put glue on my ding-dong, if that's what they're after all these years.
They donβt mind the benefit, for sure. But as somebody who worked in manufacturing support jobs up until a couple years ago, Iβm 90% confident itβs just faster and cheaper to glue them. Probably easier to automate too. Again it just comes down to money.
Just thinking of the scale of R&D for something like a flagship phone, there are a LOT of person-hours dedicated to manufacturability.
Based AF eu
Noice. I am definitely waiting until 2028ish before upgrading my phone, if not a bit longer.
Sadly, it still allows to glue batteries with very little requirements.