The European Union has finally gone ahead and submitted the proposal asking for a uniform charging port for smartphones, wireless headphones and other portable devices alike, to reduce the e-waste that’s collected every year.
The proposal for a revised Radio Equipment Directive asks for the charging port as well as fast-charging tech to be harmonised with USB Type-C to become the standard going forward for all devices like smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles.
The new proposal also asks for the unbundling of the sale of chargers with the device, meaning the box will only come with a device and no charger bundled inside. According to the proposal, this would reduce the production and disposal of new chargers and is expected to reduce the amount of e-waste by a thousand tonnes annually.
The proposal also asks for clarity on providing relevant information about charging performance such as information on power required by the device and if it’s compatible with fast charging, to allow consumers to easily see if their existing chargers meets the compatibility criteria and eliminate the need for purchasing a new charger, and by extension, reducing e-waste.
Today’s proposal will be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council by the ordinary legislative procedure. If it does pass with majority approval, a 24 month transition period will be given to the industry to make the switch.
Won’t be a smooth transition
The proposal asks for unbundling of chargers with the phones, which would be music to the ears of smartphone makers (considering many have already started doing it), however, what can be a challenging feat to achieve is a uniform fast-charging speed.
Today, even though devices like OnePlus, Samsung, Xiaomi all use USB-C, they have their proprietary charging technology, like OnePlus’s WARP Charging, Xiaomi’s SonicCharge etc that only work on those phones, while only being compatible with the brand’s chargers.
Asking for uniformity in charging speeds could mean all phones might have to go to slower charging speeds, blocking innovation on faster-charging technologies.