New European rules on universal chargers came into force on Saturday: from now on, new mobile phones can only be placed on the market if they are equipped with the USB-C charger. According to Brussels, this will reduce costs and waste.
“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”, wrote the European Parliament on Saturday on X. Switzerland followed suit.
The single charger rule will make life easier for 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.
Apple’s reluctance
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.
Ten years ago, consumer electronics manufacturers in Europe agreed on a single charger standard among dozens on the market, in a voluntary agreement with the Commission European. But Apple, the world’s largest seller of smartphones, refused to comply and abandon its Lightning ports.
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.
More delicate for refurbished devices
If this measure seems easy to apply for new devices, it is much less so for reconditioned devices. In fact, these used smartphones, checked before being put back on sale, still have their old charger.
Jérôme Grandgirard is director of the Switzerland, Germany and Austria zones of Recommerce Group, a company that sells refurbished phones. In the show We talk about it on December 25, he confirms: “Indeed, the charging interface of these phones is not changed during reconditioning.”
“With this new measure, the impact on our market had been put aside a little,” continues Jérôme Grandgirard. “But after some discussions with the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (OFCOM) and the authorities, we fought to encourage the circular economy at European level.” Thus, the purchase and sale of reconditioned Swiss and foreign devices are always tolerated.
Solutions are put in place to adapt refurbished devices. “We add a cable that fits the charging interface of the phone in question and the charging pad. Often it can be used because it’s a normal USB connector. You can plug the cable into a charging pad. charge that you previously had.”
>> Explanations from the show We talk about it:
Radio subjects: Frédérique Volery and Thibaut Schaller
Web adaptation: Myriam Semaani/boi with afp
