(Brussels) European Union (EU) rules requiring all new smartphones, tablets and cameras to be equipped with the same charger came into force on Saturday, a change that Brussels says will reduce costs and waste.
Published at 9:46 a.m.
Manufacturers are now obliged to equip these devices sold in the 27-nation bloc with a USB-C port chosen by the EU as a common standard for charging electronic devices.
“From today, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, speakers, keyboards and many other electronic devices sold in the EU will need to be equipped with a USB charging port Type-C”, writes the European Parliament on X.
The single charger rule, according to the EU, will simplify the lives of Europeans and reduce costs for consumers by allowing them to buy a new device without a new charger. This measure, according to the EU, will also reduce the number of obsolete chargers.
The law was first approved in 2022 following a standoff with US tech giant Apple. It allowed businesses to adapt until December 28 this year.
Laptop makers will also have additional time, starting in early 2026, to follow suit.
Most devices already use these cables, but Apple has expressed reluctance. The company said in 2021 that such regulation “stifles innovation”, but by September 2023 it had started shipping phones with the new port.
10 years ago, consumer electronics manufacturers in Europe agreed on a single charger standard among dozens of others on the market, as part of a voluntary agreement with the Commission European. But Apple, the world’s largest seller of smartphones, refused to comply and abandon its Lightning ports.
Other manufacturers maintained their alternative cables, creating a situation in which there were a multitude of cables for consumers.
USB-C ports can charge at up to 100 watts, transfer data at up to 40 gigabits per second, and be used to connect to external displays.
At the time of its approval, the European Commission said the law was expected to save at least 200 million euros ($208 million) a year and reduce more than a thousand tons of electronic waste in the world. EU every year.
“It’s charger time,” the European Commission wrote on X on Saturday. “That means better charging technology, reduced electronic waste and less hassle finding the chargers you need. »
