Small pin, large pin, Micro-USB, Type-C, Lightning port… the list may carry on if you consider the evolution of mobile phone chargers over decades. While cables essentially have two jobs – charge the battery and transfer data– mobile brands have kept changing them, claiming faster speeds for charging and data transfer. This constant change of mobile phone charging ports, cables and chargers have simply added to the e-waste. And not to forget, it has made your life difficult as well. Now, the European Union feels it’s time to make it mandatory for smartphones to come with one type of charger and charging port– USB Type-C.
“By autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU, Parliament and Council negotiators agreed today. The provisional agreement on the amended Radio Equipment Directive, establishes a single charging solution for certain electronic devices. This law is a part of a broader EU effort to make products in the EU more sustainable, to reduce electronic waste, and make consumers’ lives easier,” as per a statement by the European Parliament.
While this news is not a big deal for Android smartphones, all major Android brands are offering USB Type but the story for Apple is different. Apple started offering Type-C for MacBooks earlier, then to the iPad but it shifted to MagSafe for newer MacBooks. Having said that, for iPhones, Apple has continued with the Lightning port like forever, irrespective of its charging and data transfer speeds. Now, with the new mandate, Apple is in trouble if it still decides to stick to the Lightning Port.
For the record, France has forced Apple and other smartphone brands to offer a wired earphone or EarPods along with their smartphones. This is because it is prohibited to sell mobile handsets without free wired earphones inside the box in France over concerns of radiation damage and it expects citizens to use earphones during voice calls. Now, with the EU mandating a common Type-C charger, it may be interesting to see how Apple tackles the issue. Either the iPhone has to come with a Type-C port and charger or Apple will need to provide some kind of Lightning to Type-C adapter for free in the European region. It is highly unlikely that Apple will make separate iPhones with Type-C ports for just the European Union.
“Under the new rules, consumers will no longer need a different charging device and cable every time they purchase a new device, and can use one single charger for all of their small and medium-sized portable electronic devices. Mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, earbuds, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers that are rechargeable via a wired cable will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port, regardless of their manufacturer,” as per the statement.
WHEN WILL THE RULE COME INTO FORCE
“The Parliament and Council will have to formally approve the agreement before it is published in the EU Official Journal. It will enter into force 20 days after publication and its provisions will start to apply after 24 months. The new rules would not apply to products placed on the market before the date of application,” said the statement by the EU. This means from 2024, you can expect iPhones with USB Type-C. What’s interesting about these new rules is that “buyers can choose whether to purchase a new device with or without a charging device.”
As for the iPhone 14 that is launching in 2022, you will most likely have to deal with the same Lightning port.
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