Smartphone charging cable: Soon one for all devices?

Uniform regulation in the EU is getting closer

Created: 04/28/2022, 13:23

By: Fee Halberstadt

The EU is getting closer and closer to standardized smartphone charging cables.

© Jakub Porzycki/Imago

The draft for standardized smartphone charging cables has been on the table for some time.

The EU Parliament has now voted to introduce this uniform regulation.

Brussels – The many different smartphone charging cables cause two things in particular: electronic waste and cable clutter.

That is about to change, however, as the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee voted on Wednesday (20 April) to introduce USB-C format connectors for all mobile phones and electronic devices such as tablets, digital cameras, headphones, portable speakers and video game consoles.

There should only be exceptions for smart watches and devices that are too small for this connection.

Apple isn't thrilled with the decision, as the company's Lightning connector will no longer be usable.

The draft law for this change was presented in Brussels last September.

The aim of the EU directive is to make life easier for consumers.

Many people own more than one device - and accordingly have numerous charging cables in the house.

Smartphone charging cables in the EU: USB-C as a uniform regulation

In addition, there is a demand that a new charging cable should no longer be supplied with every new device in the future.

The Commission hopes that this will avoid unnecessary electronic waste.

The idea is that many users already have a suitable cable at home and can then do without a new cable when ordering their cell phone.

This means that almost 1,000 tons of electronic waste and 180,000 tons of CO2 equivalents can be saved every year, as the EU Commission writes on its website.

And that is not the only measure that should ensure more sustainability in connection with smartphones at EU level.

According to the so-called Green New Deal, more mobile phone parts are to be recycled and fewer thrown away.

Permanently installed batteries should soon be history, as well as micro-USB and Lightning connections.

The 27 EU member states had already come out in favor of a uniform charging plug in January.

The European Commission has been trying to find a uniform solution since 2009 so that consumers do not have to buy a new charging cable when they switch cell phones or tablets - or can easily charge their cell phone abroad if they have forgotten their own cable.

Since then, the number of connections has continued to decrease.

Variety of smartphone charging cables: No more Lightning and micro-USB

There are now only three different systems: the micro-USB connection, the newer connection via USB-C and Lightning from Apple.

There used to be a much greater variety of connection types.

Next, the plenary session of the EU Parliament will deal with the issue, after which negotiations with the EU member states can begin.

On Twitter, users disagree.

Under a tweet from the news service heiseonline, which reported on the vote in the EU Parliament, there is approval as well as contradiction.

Thus, comments like "What nonsense" and "That's more than sensible!" are mixed up.

Another user points out that the law is too late: "EU votes for uniform charging cables.

Apple is removing the charging cable completely in the next few iPhones.

Good law, but much too late.” (fh/afp)