Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> By 2027, all phones released in the EU must have a battery the user can easily replace with no tools or expertise

Hmm. I wish this were worded a bit differently, in that I wouldn't mind having a screwed in compartment if the phone came with a tool that could be used to open the battery compartment. Being able to replace by hand excludes even operations like the sim tray's mechanism. EDIT: This is actually the case. I was quibbling over nothing

I think the rest of the regulation to require recycling seems a good move on the surface.



It actually requires no specialty tools not included with the product, so tiny screws are still fine as long as there's a tiny screwdriver in the box.


Ah, excellent. I did a brief search for more detailed wording and that's exactly what I was hoping to find.


And you probably don't even need to include it in the box if it's a standard tiny screw.


It actually is worded differently:

> A portable battery shall be considered readily removable by the end-user where it can be removed from a product with the use of commercially available tools, without requiring the use of specialised tools, unless provided free of charge with the product, proprietary tools, thermal energy, or solvents to disassemble the product.


I don't think this will be a problem in practice. Old smartphones' batteries could be typically replaced without any tools.


Old smartphones rarely had IPX ratings.


And yet waterproof watches have had replaceable batteries forever, at least a decade ago they still did.




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: