The European Union has served as one of the most notable drivers of major smartphone industry change in the last few years. Ten years ago, that would have been a very odd sentence, but these days, it sort of just makes sense when you see what they’re up to. The EU almost single-handedly killed Apple’s Lightning port when you think about it.
The EU is going to be bringing something new to the table, starting from June. Smartphones and tablets sold in the EU are going to have to come with special labels included, as well as comply with a certain set of ecodesign requirements. The OEMs might not like this, but it is all upside for us as consumers. Let’s talk about it.
Phones and Tablets Sold in the European Union Will Have to Abide by Certain Design Requirements
It’s 2025, and it seems that the EU, just like us, believes that certain aspects of a phone’s design (whether inside or out) should be a standard in this day and age. For instance, there’s no reason for a phone to be launched without a degree of resistance to dust and water, and I’m certain you’ll agree with that. But that’s just one thing.
As part of its ecodesign requirements, the EU is going to require smartphones and tablets that are sold in Europe to fulfill a certain set of criteria after June 20th, 2025. Not a single one of these is a minus to us consumers. These ecodesign requirements will include the following:
- Resistance to accidental drops and scratches, as well as dust and water resistance (the exact degree isn’t stated).
- Batteries which can go through at least 800 charge and discharge cycles and still keep at least 80% of their capacity.
- OS updates for at least five years after the last unit of that model is placed (not sold) on the market.
- Availability of critical spare parts within 5 to 10 working days, and continuous availability for 7 years following the sales of that model in the EU. Other unspecified disassembly and repair rules too.
- Allowing professional repairers non-discriminatory access to any software or firmware needed to complete a repair.
The EU Will Also Introduce New Energy Labels for Smartphones and Tablets From June
The ecodesign requirements are one thing that will make things a lot better for consumers, but that isn’t it. The EU is also going to introduce new energy labeling requirements, as you might be familiar with for other electronics sold in the EU. This time around, phones will have to comply too.
This new Energy label will give you a bunch of information at a glance, including drop protection, battery life, energy efficiency, and for the first time, a repairability score.
The image above shows an example of the label, and to the right side, you can see what each aspect of the label is referring to. I think the most valuable of the bunch for those looking to buy a new phone will be the battery life number. This will provide a more standardized way to calculate battery life between models. OEMs will still be doing the testing themselves, but the EU will have the opportunity to verify any claims.
