United Kingdom

Report: The EU will decide on a common charger standard on 7 June

The EU has been trying to get manufacturers of smartphones and other portable electronics to standardize a common charger port since the days of microUSB. In the end, most of the industry opted for USB-C, with the exception of one black sheep, Apple. Cupertino has been arguing against the common harbor for years, but the battle can only end in days.

EU lawmakers and representatives of EU countries are expected to make the final decision on Tuesday (June 7th). Reuters. Insiders say smartphones, tablets and wireless headphones will need to use a USB-C port for charging. Note that this is for the port of the device itself, the adapter provisioning door will no longer apply.

Some decisions have yet to be finalized – some lawmakers are pushing for laptops to be included in the regulations. Many laptops already use USB-C, but there are many that still use a main plug. This requirement would affect certain manufacturers (ironically, not Apple), so there is opposition.

USB-C cable to Lightning

The next battle will be about wireless charging – the EU can ask for support for a common standard by 2025. However, some countries and the European Commission want a longer transition period “for technical reasons”. However, it is not clear what rules the EU has in mind. Nowadays, most phones that support wireless charging can return to Qi (but prefer to use faster patented technology).

Analysts have already announced that Apple has begun testing an iPhone with USB-C, which is expected to be released in 2023 (this year’s models will stick to Lightning). Some reports claim that Apple is also preparing an adapter that will allow users to continue using their old Lightning accessories with upcoming iPhones with a USB-C package. This may be available separately, but is unlikely to be included in the retail package – the iPhone 5 does not come with a 30-pin adapter to Lightning, for example.

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