{"id":431543,"date":"2026-05-04T09:48:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/431543\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T09:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:48:16","slug":"bangkok-post-eu-rules-demand-easy-battery-swaps-for-smartphones-by-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/431543\/","title":{"rendered":"Bangkok Post – EU rules demand easy battery swaps for smartphones by 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European Union (EU) will enforce new rules from 2027 requiring smartphones and other battery-powered devices to allow easier battery replacement, though the law does not necessarily mean handsets must return to removable back covers as many consumers assume.<\/p>\n

Under Regulation (EU) 2023\/1670<\/a>, drafted in 2023, electronic devices with built-in batteries must be designed so batteries can be replaced conveniently by users without specialised tools. Manufacturers may still use dedicated tools if they are supplied free with the product.<\/p>\n

In practice, this does not mean a return to older designs with removable back covers. Instead, devices must be easier for consumers to open and repair on their own, without relying solely on authorised service centres.<\/p>\n

The rules apply beyond smartphones to tablets, smart glasses and other devices with rechargeable batteries, meaning they could affect a wide range of consumer electronics sold in Europe.<\/p>\n

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However, the regulation includes significant exemptions. Devices whose batteries retain at least 80% of original capacity after 1,000 charge cycles may be excluded from some replacement requirements. Several recent flagship models are already reported to meet or exceed that threshold.<\/p>\n

The regulation permits batteries to be serviced exclusively by professional repairers, provided manufacturers meet a set of requirements. These include offering at least five years of operating system updates and ensuring battery capacity remains at 83% after 500 charge cycles and 80% after 1,000 cycles. Other requirements include achieving a minimum of IP67-rated dust and water resistance (fully protected against dust and able to withstand brief submersion in water) and passing EU-standard drop tests.<\/p>\n

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Further requirements include display scratch resistance of at least level four, as well as spare parts remaining available for seven years after a model is withdrawn from sale or production ends.<\/p>\n

The measures are part of the EU\u2019s wider push to cut electronic waste. Official figures show the bloc generates around five million tonnes of e-waste annually, with only about 40% properly recycled.<\/p>\n

The new rules are expected to pressure manufacturers to improve product durability, repairability and long-term support, while reducing waste created by unnecessary replacement cycles.<\/p>\n

Source: EU<\/a>, Bloomberg<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The European Union (EU) will enforce new rules from 2027 requiring smartphones and other battery-powered devices to allow…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431544,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[188509,188506,188504,188507,188503,61,60,166,202,188505,106999,188508,80],"class_list":["post-431543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-battery-replacement-laws","tag-consumer-technology-policy","tag-electronic-waste-reduction","tag-eu-2023-1670","tag-eu-battery-regulation","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-lifestyle","tag-mobile","tag-rechargeable-battery-standards","tag-smartphone-repairability","tag-sustainable-electronics","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}