A quirky demand from the European Parliament could bring back the famous mobile phones with a removable battery, which were very popular in the mid-2010s.
The EU legislature has released a regulatory proposal that includes the following observation: “portable batteries incorporated in appliances must be easily removable and replaceable”.
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The objectives of the initiative
As strange as the imposition may sound, the main objective of this requirement is to give consumers more control and convenience.
In addition, the measure aims to encourage the sustainability by allowing the batteries to be easily replaced, without the need to hire a specialized technical service.
Unless you're a teenager, then you've probably followed the evolution of smartphones, which went from devices with few features to a complete and essential device in modern life.
In this sense, removable battery models dominated the market, until manufacturers abandoned gradually use this feature to make the devices thinner and more resistant to water and dust.
Discussions on the subject are not recent, and in September 2022, the authorities European companies had already reached an agreement, aiming to advance in the negotiations for the return of the batteries removable.
Recently, in a vote held in the European Parliament on June 14, the change was finally approved.
What changes?
There is still a way to go before devices with a removable battery are back on European shelves.
Now, there needs to be a final vote, ensuring that the measure goes into effect within the next three and a half years.
It is worth mentioning that the last vote had an encouraging result, with 587 votes in favour, only 9 against and 20 abstentions.
If the measure is approved, all devices sold in European territory will need to comply with the new rule.
The only question left is how manufacturers will adapt to this new reality and whether the model will be distributed to other parts of the world, in addition to European territory.
The certainty is that this decision will impact the design and engineering of the devices, forcing the brand to rethink its models.
The possibility of having nostalgic gadgets back pleases many people, especially taking into account the environmental benefits and the practicality gained.
It remains to wait for the return of the final vote, which still does not have a date, to find out what will be the future of technology on the European continent.