For iPhones & Co.: EU decides that USB-C is mandatory as a charging connection

For years, the EU has been fighting unsuccessfully to make a uniform charging connection for mobile devices mandatory. In 2009, many device manufacturers agreed on micro-USB as the cable standard, except for Apple. In June 2022, the EU announced that it had agreed on a uniform standard for charging cables. The EU Parliament gave its approval on October 4th, so that after the vote by the EU member states, the law come into force can. From the end of 2024, all smartphones sold new within the EU must have a USB-C port for charging. So there can no longer be a new iPhone without a USB-C port, proprietary solutions like Lightning will then be history.

EU also prescribes loading speed standard

In addition to smartphones, the requirement for a USB-C charging port also applies to all tablets, e-readers, PC mice, keyboards, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, portable speakers, portable navigation devices and gaming handhelds. From 2026, this obligation will also be extended to notebooks, which must then have a USB-C port with Power Delivery and a maximum charging capacity of 100 watts. If it is a gaming laptop with more power consumption, for example, the USB-C charging port is not mandatory. Although the USB-C 2.1 standard with a power supply of up to 240 watts already exists, this function called Extended Power Range is not mandatory. It is still unclear when the first laptops & Co. with a USB-C port with 240 watts will come onto the market.

New USB-C logos from the USB Implementers Forum will probably become mandatory in the EU.

Source: USB-IF

Device manufacturers can do without an included power supply as soon as the USB-C obligation applies. This is to avoid e-waste. To ensure that you can also charge with different USB-C cables, the EU is also unifying charging speed standards. For example, USB Power Delivery is prescribed, with a maximum of 100 watts being supported, depending on the device. Device manufacturers must then support at least one USB PD standard and not just offer a proprietary standard for fast charging, as is currently the case with the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi. With dedicated labels, device manufacturers must specify what the USB-C cable must offer as a minimum in order to be able to charge the respective device. It is unclear whether the manufacturers have to stick to the new logos for devices and cables from the USB Implementers Forum. According to the EU, the new regulation should save 11,000 tons of electronic waste annually because consumers need fewer charging cables. In addition, EU citizens can save up to 250 million euros annually because they no longer have to buy additional chargers.

Also worth reading: Clarity at last with USB-C? With new logos against the USB chaos

Collection on the USB-C obligation for iPhones & Co.:

• The EU Parliament has cleared the way for USB-C as a standard charging connection for smartphones and the like. Device manufacturers must use logos to indicate what the USB cable must offer in order to be able to supply the device with power.
• From the end of 2024, all smartphones, tablets, e-readers, PC mice, keyboards, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, portable speakers, portable navigation devices, and gaming handhelds sold new in the EU must have a USB-C charging port.
• To ensure that you can also charge with different USB-C cables, the EU is also unifying charging speed standards. USB Power Delivery with a maximum of 100 watts is becoming the new standard.
• Portable devices with a battery that require more than 100 watts of power, such as gaming laptops, are exempt from the USB-C charging port requirement. For normal notebooks, the obligation to have a USB charging port will only apply from 2026.

Source: Eu Parliament