"From 20 June 2025, manufacturers, importers or authorised representatives shall ensure that the process for battery replacement:
(…)
or, as an alternative to point (i), ensure that:
(…)
the battery endurance in cycles achieves a minimum of 1 000 full charge cycles, and after 1 000 full charge cycles the battery must, in addition, have in a fully charged state, a remaining capacity of at least 80 % of the rated capacity;
the device is at least dust tight and protected against immersion in water up to one meter depth for a minimum of 30 minutes."
I could be too paranoid, but I found it always best to assume the most malicious interpretation when it comes to corporate law.
the battery endurance in cycles achieves a minimum of 1 000 full charge cycles, and after 1 000 full charge cycles the battery must, in addition, have in a fully charged state, a remaining capacity of at least 80 % of the rated capacity;
the device is at least dust tight and protected against immersion in water up to one meter depth for a minimum of 30 minutes."
Tbh, that completely defeats the whole law.
Doesn’t even have to be a flagship. It’s any phone really. The 1000 charge cycles thing is quite easy to do. All you have to do is to limit the capacity of the cell from the beginning. So for example, if the battery originally has 5000mAh capacity, sell it as a 4000mAh battery. That way the battery can lose 1800mAh of capacity (=> go down to 64% of the total maximum capacity) without going below the nominal 80% mark.
Then waterproof the phone, as most phones already are, and that’s it, done. No change at all needed to be done to the physical phone.
No, not the complete law, but it severely gimps it. No one’s going to make a car or a laptop submersible. But phones and tablets are easy to glue together.
Ok, reading this it will be replaceable by a ‘generalist’ which can mean anything really. I guess we’ll see how many phone makers will use this rule to still soldier in the battery. This exemption looks pretty stupid.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1670/oj/eng
Section 5C point 2:
"From 20 June 2025, manufacturers, importers or authorised representatives shall ensure that the process for battery replacement:
(…)
or, as an alternative to point (i), ensure that:
(…)
I could be too paranoid, but I found it always best to assume the most malicious interpretation when it comes to corporate law.
Tbh, that completely defeats the whole law.
Doesn’t even have to be a flagship. It’s any phone really. The 1000 charge cycles thing is quite easy to do. All you have to do is to limit the capacity of the cell from the beginning. So for example, if the battery originally has 5000mAh capacity, sell it as a 4000mAh battery. That way the battery can lose 1800mAh of capacity (=> go down to 64% of the total maximum capacity) without going below the nominal 80% mark.
Then waterproof the phone, as most phones already are, and that’s it, done. No change at all needed to be done to the physical phone.
No, not the complete law, but it severely gimps it. No one’s going to make a car or a laptop submersible. But phones and tablets are easy to glue together.
Watch them do it.
Ok, reading this it will be replaceable by a ‘generalist’ which can mean anything really. I guess we’ll see how many phone makers will use this rule to still soldier in the battery. This exemption looks pretty stupid.