The European smartphone faces One of the greatest regulatory changes in its history. One that affects both the way they will have to start producing it and the future of their life cycle. As of June of this year, it will be more durable by law. But there is a B face in this regulatory change.
Why the changes. The European Union has published The new mandatory energy labeling and design requirements as of June 20, 2025. The regulations are aimed at prolonging the useful life of this type of product, both in repair and software support and durability of batteries.
The commission makes it clear: it wants less phones to be sold, and increase their shelf life through two key points.
The ecological design. Manufacturers will have to guarantee minimums in the manufacture of their smartphones.
- Batteries must endure at least 800 load cycles and download retaining at least 80% of its original capacity.
- Will be obliged to make consumers available to consumers Criticism spare parts within 5 to 10 working days, for at least 7 years after the end of product sales in the EU. Access will be non -discriminatory for any professional repaire.
- Must ensure availability of Operating system updates For at least five years.
The new label. In order for consumers to be clear about what each smartphone offers in durability, the Commercial labeling In the box of this product category. In itwill be valued from A to G (being the maximum score and g the minimum) how each of the following criteria meets.
- QR code that leads to the official website of the manufacturer with detailed information about the product.
- Commercial brand with which the device is identified.
- Specific name or identifier of the model in question.
- Energy Efficiency Scale, where A represents the best performance and G the worst.
- Letter indicating the concrete level of energy efficiency obtained by the device.
- Battery autonomy time by full load, expressed in hours and minutes.
- Evaluation of fall resistance, classified from the A (more resistant) to E (less resistant).
- Repair score, also based on a scale from A to E.
- Number of load cycles that the battery can support before reducing to 80 % of its initial capacity.
- Degree of protection against water, dust or immersion, according to the corresponding IP standard.
- Official number of the applicable regulation: Regulation (EU) 2023/1669.
Tablets and exceptions. The changes posed by the EU will apply to all smartphones and tablets. No categories per range or price are established: the regulations will affect from the most economical mobile in the market to the best Flagship. Fixed wireless phones will also be included, which have a cargo station.
There are two curious exceptions that are fought from the requirements: Folding mobiles with roller screen and the Computer Tablets (Tablets-PC, convertibles of more than 17.4 inches). Traditional folding are not saved from the new regulations, but those who have a screen that are enrolle.
The small print. The changes raised by Europe, of a first glance, seem to play in favor of the consumer. The reality is that they are much more complex than the labeling hides. First, software support is an important expense for manufacturers. Although the current tonic is that it goes more, with cases such as Samsung, Google and manufacturers as honor offering between six and seven years of updatesthese update policies usually cover the most popular devices.
The entrance ranges are the devices that offer the least margin to manufacturers, and prolong the support of a low -cost device that stopped being marketed years ago will involve extra costs. Extra costs that, depending on the commercial success of the device, They will be more or less assumable by the manufacturer himself.
No one talked about versions. Europe will force manufacturers to update their devices for five years, but it is not detailed that it is strictly necessary to update the Android version. A two -year version support and three system updates is one of the most probable scenarios after the application is these new measures.
It is also the most plausible solution to a problem related to the hardware of the input range devices: not all support five years of operating system versions maintaining decent performance.
Image | Xataka, KDG2020
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