European Union plans to make USB-C mandatory for all smartphones

Smartphone and other device makers may soon be forced to use USB-C charging for their products, and it’s likely to hit Apple the hardest.

The European Commission, the lawmaking body of the European Union, has announced its plans to pass a law requiring tech companies to produce a “common charging solution for all relevant devices.” It intends to decrease electronic footprint and “consumer inconvenience” brought about by the production and disposal of different and incompatible chargers.

In addition, the Commission is also urging tech firms to sell charges separate from electronic devices.

“With today’s proposal for a revised Radio Equipment Directive, the charging port and fast charging technology will be harmonized: USB-C will become the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld videogame consoles,” the Commission said.

“This will improve consumers’ convenience and reduce the environmental footprint associated with the production and disposal of chargers, thereby supporting the green and digital transitions.”

The proposal was created as a revision on the Radio Equipment Directive, a regulatory framework that tech firms must abide by prior to placing them in the EU market, published on April 16, 2014. The revision will need to pass a vote in the European Parliament in order to be enacted into law.

If approved, manufacturers will be given 24 months to adapt before the rule is fully implemented. EU said that the parliament has already voted in favor of new rules on a common charger in early 2020, suggesting that the adoption of this year’s proposal is in the offing.

Are your chargers piling up in a drawer?

We propose a common charger for mobile phones and other similar electronic devices.

A single charger will be more convenient for people and will reduce electronic waste.

Read more: https://t.co/hkspfjwlhu #DigitalEU pic.twitter.com/ZhWZ8xSGKH

— European Commission (@EU_Commission) September 23, 2021

The Commission added that its voluntary agreement with manufacturers back in 2009 has led to the reduction of the number of existing chargers on the market from 30 to 3. One of those three is Apple’s Lightning port used by around 20 percent of devices sold in Europe.

Last year, EU lawmakers have voted to legislate manufacturers to adopt a common charger. Apple, for its part, issued a statement saying that the proposal would “stifle innovation,” and its position has not changed.

“We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world,” a spokesperson of the company told the BBC. 

Apple now uses USB-C charging on its latest Mac laptops and certain iPad models because they require higher voltage charging. The California giant has also ditched its in-box chargers since the launch of iPhone 12 in October last year.

On the other hand, Samsung and other Android smartphone manufacturers have been using USB-C charging for their devices. Many of which are even sold without charging cables.

According to Bloomberg, Europe’s annual expense on chargers alone total €2.4 billion (P1.4 trillion). At the same time, it disposes 12,000 tons of used and unused chargers every year.

The post European Union plans to make USB-C mandatory for all smartphones appeared first on Speed Magazine.

Source: Speed Magazine PH