EU Battery-Removal Rules Set to Reshape Phones, Gadgets and Headphones
On February 18, 2027, a 2023 European Union law is set to take effect and could shake up the electronics industry. From that date, manufacturers selling in the EU will have to make batteries user-replaceable, or at least removable with commercially available tools, in smartphones, tablets, laptops, handheld gaming consoles, smart glasses, e-readers, e-bikes, toys and more.
The law does not require old-style pop-out batteries. Instead, it says batteries must be removable by a nonprofessional without special tools, unless those tools are provided free at purchase. Makers also cannot rely on exotic screws or bury batteries so deeply inside devices that users cannot access them. There are major exemptions for especially durable fixed batteries that still hold 83% capacity after 500 charge cycles and 80% after 1,000 cycles, and for water- and dust-resistant devices rated at least IP67. In practice, that exempts most recent midrange and flagship smartphones from Apple, Samsung and others. Medical devices and some products meant for constant water exposure, such as swimming and diving gear and electric toothbrushes, are also exempt.
Wireless earbuds, smartwatches and smart glasses fall into the exemption because their battery compartments are so small that amateur removal would likely damage the seals and the batteries. Even so, the rules are expected to force makers to stop gluing earbuds shut and to make battery replacement practical for independent repair shops instead of sending them to landfill after two years.
Some companies are already adapting. Fender launched Mix headphones this year with easy battery access under one earcup, while Sennheiser’s Momentum 5 needs only a Phillips screwdriver. Fairphone has long used replaceable batteries, including in the recent Fairphone 6, and its Fairbuds also have easy-to-swap cells. Amazon is reportedly planning Kindle e-readers with replaceable batteries, leaked images suggest the Xbox Elite 3 controller will as well, and Nintendo is said to be working for months on an EU-only Switch 2 version with a removable battery. The likely result, the report says, is two versions of many products, one for the EU and one for the rest of the world, with Europe potentially turning the standard into a global one over time.
