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This article is clickbait. There are exceptions for devices that are "waterproof" or have batteries that last a certain number of cycles.
This isn't going to change a thing (especially it EU judges allow IP68 to be considered "waterproof.")
IP68 is defined as:
suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which the manufacturer shall specify
The Apple "conditions" include this choice quote:
resistant to accidental spills from common liquids
And this one:
Splash, water and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Liquid damage is not covered under warranty
I think it would be hard for Apple to argue handling "accidental spills" meets the EU requirement for the device to be "regularly subject to splashing water". Especially when "normal wear" can decrease the water resistance and it's not covered under warranty.
If, on the other hand, Apple actually makes a phone I can use to record my kids swimming underwater... heck yeah that sounds awesome. I'd totally sacrifice a user replaceable battery. Bring it on.
By 2027, all phones released in the EU must have a battery the user can easily replace with no tools or expertise.
Was hoping it wouldn’t be phrased that way. That’s going to make phones less waterproof and significantly reduce the battery capacity or increase the size.
I’d be much more happy with a screwdriver and sliding the lid off, disconnecting a connector that’s made available for end user fiddling, swapping in the new battery and then putting it back in.
On the other hand I hope manufacturers find a way. This might open up for bigger batteries where the battery is basically the outside of the phone and you just wrap it in a case.
Actually, thinking about it - external batteries might be the solution to waterproofness.
This will likely also see a rise in cheap knockoff batteries catching fire. It’s not unprecedented, and people are like “a battery is a battery”. Well, they aren’t.
Will be interesting to see how this is handled.
The last time I heard phone batteries catching fire was the Samsung Note 7 and those weren't user replacable. There's a lot of fearmongering on what you wrote, it almost sounds like a script the manufacturers' lobby would write to avoid this legislation. Are you really assuming the EU doesn't have laws and safety regulations for Li-ion batteries et al.?