Following the announcement of their plans last September, EU lawmakers announced today that they had reached an interim agreement on legislation that would require phones sold in the EU to include a USB-C port in the autumn of 2024. .
A new European Parliament press release notes that USB-C will become the EU’s “common charger”, meaning that electronic products such as smartphones, tablets, cameras and handheld game consoles sold in the EU EU will require a USB-C port for wiring. loading. “Charging speed is also harmonized for devices that support fast charging,” the press release said, “allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger.”
The measure has been made to reduce e-waste and make life easier for EU consumers, who will only need one type of cable to charge all small and medium-sized devices. Laptops will also have to adopt the standard, but manufacturers have much more time to make changes, with 40 months added to the fall 2024 deadline.
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The legislation will particularly affect Apple. Apple has products that use USB-C ports, such as the iPad Air (Gen 4 and Gen 5), but since 2012, iPhones have been using the technology giant’s patented Lightning cable to charge using a cable connection. Apple is the only major smartphone maker that still uses a proprietary port instead of USB-C.
While this appears to be a big hit for Apple in terms of using its proprietary charging port, recent reports suggest that Apple is already moving in that direction with its iPhones. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple was testing iPhones equipped with a USB-C port. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also claims that Apple could switch to USB-C on iPhones next year.
There is also the possibility that Apple may circumvent the law altogether, as the latest EU press release states that the law only covers devices that have ports used for cable charging. Apparently, Apple could abandon a cable charging port and make iPhones that depend solely on wireless charging. Since 2020, Apple has included the option for its newer iPhone models (iPhone 12 and iPhone 13), which offer two wireless charging options: Qi and its patented wireless charging method, MagSafe.
Apple has not yet publicly responded to the EU announcement.
Taylor is IGN’s Associate Technology Editor. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
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