It will finally be in 2024 that all smartphones will have to be equipped with a USB-C port to be marketed in Europe!
USB-C mandatory for 2024
After an initial agreement this summer, the European Parliament to come to adopt today a text that imposes a universal charger. It will come into force in 2024, or in a just over a year.
The goal here is to require all smartphone, tablet and headset manufacturers to use a single format, USB-C. A priori some products, deemed too small, would not be interested, such as watches or wireless headphones. The Apple Watch or AirPods should be saved for now.
A generalization of USBC-C not only for ecological reasons
By the end of 2024, a large number of small and medium-sized portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras and headphones will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. This legislation is part of the bigger picture for making EU products more sustainable, reducing e-waste and making life easier for consumers.
Note that from spring 2026 this obligation will also apply to laptops. The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday with 602 votes in favor, 13 against and 8 abstentions, is part of a wider EU effort aimed at reducing electronic waste and enabling consumers to make more sustainable choices
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Limited exchange?
However, Europe’s intervention might seem a bit late given the latest rumors, which estimate that the change will take place with the iPhone 15. It could therefore be that Apple will abandon the Lightning port well before the date of entry into force of the text …
