Replaceable smart phone battery policy or reduce phone life

Prior to the introduction of modern smartphones, feature phones could change batteries directly on the device. If the EU succeeds, the good times of the past may return. According to recent reports, the European Union is working on a new proposal to reduce e-waste in the region. Non-replaceable batteries have their advantages. If such laws are passed in the near future, OEM handset manufacturers will have to expand the availability of spare parts. The proposal is scheduled for release in mid-March.

The proposal surfaced in a tabloid in the Netherlands and was quickly reported by the media. Battery drain is a common problem in modern smartphones, prompting users to replace their phones with good performance every 2-3 years. With the new proposal, the EU hopes to significantly reduce e-waste by prompting users to replace old batteries instead of smartphones.

As a result, OEMs will be forced to provide spare parts and design smartphones, making battery replacement quick and hands-on. Due to the lack of protective covers required for replaceable batteries, the non-replaceable batteries on existing phones are designed to save space, increase battery size, and charge faster. The downside is that when batteries run out, it is difficult to replace them, resulting in millions of smartphones being discarded every year. The new proposal also aims to regulate the use of USB Type-C technology currently used for smartphone connection and charging.

Some experts have pointed out some shortcomings of this strategy. “Today, OEMs avoid micro USB because they don’t care about the environment. They do it because it’s expensive, not suitable for their device, or both. Smartphones with type C connectors It’s more expensive to manufacture. Forcing all manufacturers to implement USB Type-C could lead to more e-waste, because companies like Apple will have to adapt to new connectors. ”

Non-replaceable batteries have their advantages. Water and dust are the highlights. By shielding the device from inadvertent and accidental spills, these two features will undoubtedly extend the life of the smartphone, thus enabling users to use the smartphone for a long time. The European Union must consider more viable options, such as asking OEMs to increase warranty coverage and reduce costs for replacement batteries to encourage users to continue using existing equipment rather than discard it for new equipment.