The EU’s mandatory adoption of USB-C: What it means for consumers and manufacturers

It is now certain that unified connectors will be implemented in the EU. In recent times, there has been a lot of talk about the EU making the USB-C standard mandatory across all member states. Initially, rumors suggested that electronic manufacturers would have to comply with the unification as early as 2023, but it has since been revealed that they will have more time, with the mandatory use of USB-C ports only becoming effective from fall 2024.

The official directive has now been published in the EU’s Official Journal, which will come into effect on December 27th this year and states that from December 28th, 2024, only devices that can be charged through a unified USB-C port will be allowed to be sold in EU member states. This means that from that date, all smartphones, regular mobile phones, tablets, earphones, headphones, portable gaming consoles, speakers, electronic book readers, keyboards, mice, and navigation devices will have to have a USB-C port. Additionally, if the charging capacity exceeds 15 W, the devices will also have to support USB PD (Power Delivery).

Member states have until December 28th, 2023, to adapt and publish laws and regulations related to the topic. Portable computers are currently exempt from the regulation, but this will not be the case for long. From April 28th, 2026, only notebook computers equipped with USB-C ports will be able to be sold in the EU. According to EU surveys, citizens in EU member states spend around 250 million euros annually on charger purchases, and discarded chargers create 11,000 tons of waste.

It is unknown what plans Apple has for charging, but the company officially confirmed in late October that iPhones will soon have USB-C ports. Greg Joswiak, the company’s marketing director, said at the time that Apple is not necessarily happy about making the change, but did not comment on when the first iPhones with USB-C ports will appear. Previously, there were also rumors that Apple would soon release iPhones without any connectors, which would only be able to charge and transfer data wirelessly.

However, it remains to be seen whether these rumors will come to fruition. In any case, the EU’s decision to standardize USB-C ports is a positive step towards reducing waste and making the charging process more convenient for consumers.