EU Empowers Consumers with User-Replaceable Smartphone Batteries

The European Union is moving forward with regulation designed to require smartphones to have batteries that are easier to replace, to the benefit of the environment and end users. The regulation is expected to come into effect in June or July 2025, with smartphone battery replaceability requirements coming into effect a year and a half later. The battery regulation is more stringent than the ecodesign regulation in a key way: it doesn’t offer a loophole that would allow smartphone manufacturers to avoid having to make their batteries easy to replace if they’re able to make them long-lasting instead.