Universal charger: the European Commission makes USB-C compulsory!

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The European Commission has just presented, on Thursday 23 September, a new directive for the adoption of a universal USB-C charger for smartphones in the Member States. This is the first concrete measure of a bill initiated a few years ago.


TL; DR:

  • The directive has yet to be submitted to the European Parliament and the European Council to be tabled
  • If successfully filed, “industry” will have 24 months to begin its transition to the universal USB-C standard.
  • Laptops are curiously not covered by the scope of this directive.

With this directive, assuming it is adopted, USB Type-C will become the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headsets, smart speakers and portable video game consoles. The European Commission is also proposing to separate the sale of chargers from the sale of electronic devices.

Yes, to my regret, the European Commission has just ruled in favor of Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi to not have to include chargers with some of their smartphones this year. I will not repeat the history of this legislative project which started in 2009 and which we have already discussed in depth. But the September 23 announcement was interesting because, after years of intentional declarations, the EU is finally starting to embark on the first concrete step of this legislation.

What does this directive proposed by the European Commission mean?

The content of the directive can be summarized in 4 objectives:

  • One universal charging port for all electronic devices: The USB Type-C port will be the universal port of choice. This will allow consumers to charge their devices with the same USB Type-C charger regardless of the brand of the device.
  • Harmonized fast charging technology: This will prevent different manufacturers from unduly limiting charging speeds and will help ensure that the charging speed is the same across the board, regardless of which compatible charger is used.
  • Separate the bundle of a charger with the electronic device: Consumers will be able to purchase a new electronic device without a new charger included, which will limit the purchase of additional chargers or the number of unused chargers.
  • Better inform consumers: Manufacturers will need to provide relevant information regarding charging performance, including information about the power required by the device and whether it supports fast charging. This will make it easier for consumers to see if their existing chargers meet the requirements of their new device or to select a compatible charger. This measure and others would help consumers limit the number of new chargers they buy and save 250 million euros per year by avoiding the unnecessary purchase of chargers.

Types of devices covered by universal USB-C legislation / © European Commission

Full compatibility: the EU’s ultimate goal of getting Apple submitted?

As my colleague Rubens immediately pointed out when I brought up this news on our Slack channel, one of the major issues facing this project is the universality of the charger, as well as the type of devices involved. Take the smartphone as an example.

“In order to have a universal charger in the long term, full compatibility is required on both sides of the charging cable: Between the device and the external power supply”, underlines the European Commission, which is convinced that this “proposal presented today achieve compatibility on the device side, which is by far the biggest challenge. “

“Compatibility with the external power supply will be addressed in the Commission’s ecodesign review, which will be launched later this year so that its entry into force can be aligned with today’s proposal.”

As explained above, this is a proposal for a directive. It has yet to be submitted to the European Parliament and the European Council for a vote. If the directive is adopted, actors in the sector will have 24 months to comply with it and start the transition (given that this is a directive and not a regulation, it must also be approved by the states). members).

Hmmm, but which actor (s) is the Commission talking about? Hmmmmmmmmm … let’s think about it for a moment. The underlying goal is obviously to make Apple undergo these changes for its smartphones and tablets, and to include a USB-C port instead of its proprietary Lightning port. However, Apple will not be the only one affected by these measures.

The fact that the Commission wants to prevent manufacturers fromUnjustifiably limiting the charging speed “and” ensuring that the charging speed is the same when using any compatible charger for a device “reminds me of the famous fast charging technologies that don’t work than with a very specific power supply Am I right, OnePlus?

common charger two

The EU thinks it’s a good idea to sell a smartphone without a charger, because we will all have one eventually / © European Commission

What do you think of this measure and this first step towards adopting a universal USB-C charger? Do you think smartphone makers, Apple AND Android, will play along? Would you be more willing to buy a smartphone if you have a universal charger that works regardless of brand or range? Let’s discuss this question in the comments.

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