European Parliament makes USB Type-C connectors mandatory for smartphones from 2024
Apple likely to change its products to comply
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the European Council have struck an agreement on new regulations mandating a standardised charging port for smartphones and other electronic gadgets.
EU officials ruled on Tuesday that by the autumn of 2024, all small and medium-sized portable electronic devices sold inside the EU must include a USB-C charging connector.
The move comes after the European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee last month voted 43 to 2 in favour of the proposed law, called the Radio Equipment Directive, which is meant to force consumer electronics makers to include a USB-C connector on all devices sold in the EU.
The new regulation applies to rechargeable mobile devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, headphones, cameras, e-reader devices and portable game consoles.
Laptop makers must also comply, although they will have an additional 40 months to do so after the new requirements take effect.
Buyers will be given clear information on the charging characteristics of new gadgets as part of the guidelines, making it simpler for them to verify whether their current chargers are compatible. They'll also have the option of purchasing new phones with or without a charger.
The new rule also aims to harmonise fast-charging standards across devices and, in the future, to do the same with wireless charging standards.
The legislation will not apply to items that arrive on the market before the new restrictions take effect in 24 months.
The proposed law still needs to be approved by the EU Parliament and Council, which is planned for later this year.
It is part of a larger EU push to make products in the region more environmentally friendly, cut down on the amount of electronic waste produced, and to make customers' lives simpler.
According to the European Parliament, EU consumers spend €250 million on chargers each year.
Moreover, unused chargers that are packed with gadgets produce an additional 11,000 tonnes of e-waste each year.
The debate over a standard charging port has been going on for more than a decade after iPhone and Android users complained about having to use separate chargers for their phones.
Apple has slammed the idea, stating that standardising charging will stifle innovation and result in a mountain of electronic waste.
Apple iPhones utilise Lightning connections to charge, while Android devices use USB-C connectors.
More over 1 billion iPhones have been sold worldwide, and every iPhone model launched by Apple since 2012 has had a Lightning connector. Apple sold 241 million iPhones worldwide last year, with roughly 56 million of them shipped in Europe.
Apple's most likely course of action will be to switch to USB-C on all of its products.
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is testing iPhone 15 devices with USB-C connections. The iPhone 15 will debut in the autumn of 2023, while this year's iPhone 14 series will continue to have Lightning connectors for communication and charging.
EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, hailed the new agreement as a triumph for consumers and a significant step toward eliminating e-waste.
Having "a common charger" is also "common sense" given the quantity of electronic gadgets used every day, according to Breton.