The European Commission has officially announced today that it has approved the proposal for all device connectors to be USB C. The measures they implemented years ago managed to prevent each company from using their connector, and currently we only find three on the market: USB C, Lightning and microUSB . Now these last two are doomed to disappear.
This was announced today by the European Commission , which has revised the European Directive on radioelectric equipment (RED) , in which it will force all new devices to use USB C. The connector will have to be used in mobiles, tablets, cameras, headphones. , portable speakers and portable consoles.
It is curious that the wireless headphone connectors are included here, but they may only mention the wireless ones and their charging medium, and not those that currently use a jack as a connection interface to receive the signal with higher quality. Therefore, this should not imply the disappearance of the jack in the next few years.
The chargers will not come with the mobile
In addition, the European Union has approved something that Apple began to do last year: that chargers do not come included with mobile phones . This will allow users to choose the charger that their devices integrate, and will reduce the amount of electronic waste by not having too many chargers, or by throwing away old ones that are not used. Only 2 of the 3 chargers we have are used.
With this, the objective of the European Union is clear: that users can use the same charger for their devices, regardless of manufacturer, size or power. Therefore, there are four clear changes on the part of the European Union.
The first will be that, regardless of the brand of the device, all devices will have to have a USB C port. This may negatively affect innovation in some respects, as Apple, for example, may stop using physical connectors in your devices to use the magnetic chargers. However, they may use the loophole that magnetic chargers use USB C.
Apple users are currently in a connector limbo for their devices, since for example if they have a MacBook, an iPhone and an Apple Watch, they have to have three different chargers for their devices instead of one. Thus, future iPhones will safely use USB C connectors. Or, if not, they will have magnetic chargers with a USB C connector like the current ones.
Interestingly, the EU makes no mention of smart watches, since they have a multitude of different chargers using magnetic or wireless charging. As there are no physical ports, what seems to matter to the EU is that at least one magnetic connector is integrated that is connected to a charger with USB C connectivity.
Same fast charging for everyone
Second, the EU calls for harmonization in fast charging technologies , since there are chargers that do not work at maximum speed in some devices if the one of a specific brand is not used. If they all meet the same characteristics, it will not matter which charger is used.
Third, as we said, they ask that the charger be included in the mobile phone . This reduces waste, and makes the device boxes smaller. With this, it is estimated that electronic waste will be reduced by at least 1,000 tons per year.
Fourth and last, they ask manufacturers to provide transparent and standardized information on the energy requirements of each device and if they support fast charging. With this, users will be able to know if their current chargers are valid, and help them choose a compatible charger. Thus, it is estimated that European consumers will save 250 million euros in unnecessary purchases.
Following approval by the European Commission, the amendment will now have to be approved by the European Parliament and the European Council through the normal process. There will be a 24-month transition time from the approval date to the adoption date to allow time for manufacturers to adapt their device designs. Therefore, it will be necessary to wait at least until the end of 2023 for it to come into full force so that the entire industry is obliged to use the connector.
