Well that’s handy, because thanks to the EU that’s what everything will be using anyway.
What else are they going to mandate? That sand remains course and irritating? Or more likely demand that the rest of the world stops laughing at their Jetsons city idea.
Saudi sand actually isn’t course enough
This goes way further than EU rules.
EU regulation only mandates this for phones. This also covers non-phone electronics, such as mice, keyboards, flashlights, handheld fans, ebooks etc. As of 2026, it also applies to laptops.
No, that’s EXACTLY the EU regulation too. Up to and including the 2026 exception for laptops.
I didn’t look into every little detail. But EU’s regulation certainly is not only for phones.
Government mandates electronics sounds very Communist. I thought were way past that already. Companies should be allowed to compete for charging standards without government interference. Let the invisible hand of capitalism self correct itself, though the heavens fall.
Yes, every government regulation is communism. No dangerous lead levels in drinking water, gasoline, etc.? Communism. Companies should be allowed to compete for lead level standards without government interference. Let the invisible hand of capitalism correct itself.
Yeah well the markets had plenty of time to regulate itself it hasn’t bothered to do so mostly because it contains Apple. Not every piece of government oversight is communism.
True… companies can come up with their charging standards. Just don’t try to sell it in all of EU or Saudi Arabia. Also apple overcharged for the damn cables and they break so quickly. last time I used iphone the cable was 20 euro. While I could buy 20 USB-C cables for that. Never had a broken USB-C cable. not even the ones for AliExpress
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Will this global push end up limiting miniaturization of electronics? Even if it does, may still be a worthwhile tradeoff.
It aims to eliminate waste by reducing the number of cords and plugs required for various devices. It will surely have to be upgraded and miniaturized as tech progresses, but for now it’s one everyone is agreeing on.
One aspect to consider for miniature devices is wireless charging. My watch and my headphones don’t even have a port
What miniaturization? I generally try to buy the smallest reasonable phone, and every generation they get slightly bigger.
That would be clause 9: “It is also necessary to provide the basis for adaptation to any future scientific and technological progress or market developments, which will be continuously monitored by the Commission”
There is a second stage, starting from April 1, 2026, which will apply to laptops and portable computers.
I’m with them on small devices using USB C, but all laptops is a pretty tall task. Can gaming laptops that need a high voltage even use USB-C? They already struggle with massive charging bricks and thick cables.
The latest USB power delivery standard allows for new voltages of 28, 36, and 48 volts at up to 240 watts at 48V. My current Dell workstation laptop uses two 20V USB C connectors to achieve similar.
I’m chuckling at the idea of someone plugging in an early USB-C device and watching it go up in flames as it gets hit with 48v instead of the 5v that it’s rated for. I know USB-C has a chip that is supposed to negotiate power transfer, but it’s still a funny “what if” thought.
Lol where is this “chip” because between the all the cables, chargers, and devices bought off Alibaba or
AliexpressAmazon that’s bound to happen at some point.It’s built into the connector. The connector isn’t just wires soldered to contacts; It’s a PCB with actual circuitry. When you plug a device in, it uses that chip to tell the charger how much power to send. Then the charger receives that signal, and sends the appropriate amount of power.
If the signal isn’t received, then the charger should only send the bare minimum amount that any device should be able to handle, for things like flash drives or peripherals. This is why some of the cheaper cables won’t charge your newer devices, because those newer devices need more power and the old cable isn’t negotiating a high enough power transfer.
It’s ironically one of the biggest complaints that people have about USB-C, because it causes a nightmare in regards to compatibility. Old cables and chargers are constantly being phased out as the standard gets developed for more and more power transfer. And that outdated equipment is still sitting on shelves, waiting to be bought. A cable or charger that you bought a month ago may not be compatible to charge a device that you buy today, because that unit is actually a year old and was phased out six months after it was manufactured and shipped, but has been on a store shelf ever since because a retailer bought a bunch and doesn’t want to write them off as a loss.
It means people are constantly re-buying the same gear at higher specs, simply to keep up-to-date with existing standards. And if you don’t re-buy everything then you have a hodgepodge mix of cables and chargers that all look the same and only some of them will charge all of your newer devices. The older stuff looks the same on the outside, but your new phone will refuse to charge when you try to use them.
Ah… so that explains why I have two dozen USB-C cables and only like 5 of them will fast charge my phone.
the ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 17, their biggest baddest gamiest 17" laptop, ships with a power adapter rated for 280W. it also offers charging over USB-PD at up to 240W, so would comply with the regulation here.
your gaming laptop is struggling because gaming laptops are scams. you’ll never get the performance you want and you’ll pay the premium anyways.
Not gaming (obviously!) but the2019 MacBook Pro has a 140W USB-C charger to a single port.
2019 is 96w charger. 140w is 2021 or later.
There is a second stage, starting from April 1, 2026, which will apply to laptops and portable computers.
I hate this type of legislation. Almost zero USB chargers can power a laptop. But politicians don’t know that. So this won’t reduce the number of chargers. Unless they’re requiring all charges support the full PD spec?
Leave standards to experts.
Edited: Yes i fucking know many laptops use USB-C power now. You’re not smart in telling me this. I mean that most USB chargers are cheap crap that can’t put out enough power to run a laptop. Not all USB is the same.
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…and you can charge your phone with the laptop USB-C charger just fine.
So - like I know that many laptops charge from USB-C right now. The one I’m typing on does. Why do people seem to think they’re smart in pointing this out?
So then what’s the point? People will still be buying cheap USB chargers because, well, they’re cheap. And they’ll have the expensive one for their laptop. Problem…solved?
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They’re adopting the standards created by the experts from the USB consortium, which is comprised of all the large electronics manufacturing companies. If they’re not expert enough then who is?
The experts know that ‘not all USB-C is the same’. You pick up a $20 USB-C charger from Walgreens you think that’s going to run your nvidia 3080 laptop??
Can you currently buy anything that would power a 3080 laptop from Walgreens? Not sure what point you’re trying to make. They’re standardizing the port not the chargers or the cables.
How can you complain about the government forcing a single standard on us while also complaining that there’s too much variation in the market?
You also can’t use a $20 USB-C charger to power a refrigerator, but are you upset that they both use the same wall socket?
Can you currently buy anything that would power a 3080 laptop from Walgreens? Not sure what point you’re trying to make. They’re standardizing the port not the chargers or the cables.
This is my point. They haven’t standardized anything but the shape of the plug. It’s a stupid law. USB is NOT a standard. It is many standards. USB-C and do 5V, 9V, 12V, 20V. And USB cables are not all capable of the different voltages and current either.
So what problem has been solved? There will still be myriad chargers and combinations of things that do and don’t work. The shape of the adapter will just be the same. Groovy.
You also can’t use a $20 USB-C charger to power a refrigerator, but are you upset that they both use the same wall socket?
That wall socket puts out a reasonably standard voltage (depending on country) and a reasonably standard amperage.
So how is it an improvement to have the same myriad of different charging standards but also multiple different port configurations? Cables are capable of all these voltages but the charging circuitry is not and your USB-PD laptop charger will charge phones and anything else that share the same port. Adding a different port just ensures that you must buy different chargers/cables for each device. It also means that all accessories are useless once a manufacturer changes their proprietary port design.
I won’t argue that they could do a better job unifying additional standards like power delivery and data transfer speeds, but eliminating useless variations is an improvement regardless of how you want to spin it.
So how is it an improvement to have the same myriad of different charging standards but also multiple different port configurations?
If you think that’s my argument then you, and a dozen or so others, have sorely misunderstood anything I’m saying.
The purpose for these laws is ostensibly to “reduce e-waste” which is complete BS. And I know it’s BS because practically everyone arguing with me is NOT making that argument. It’s all about personal conveniences which is an abuse of state power and often has unintended consequences.
Yes, there are USB-C chargers that are made for smaller devices and can’t charge a notebook. So what? The alternative would be going back to proprietary chargers that can only charge one specific model.
I have a 100W USB-C-charger in my car, I have one by my bed, one on my couch, one at my desk and one powerbank that can charge my notebook anywhere I go.
Going back to proprietary chargers would mean if my notebook breaks, I can throw all these chargers in the trash and buy a new set. How would that make anything better?
The alternative would be going back to proprietary chargers that can only charge one specific model.
I realize you’re exaggerating but all you’re doing is standardizing on size and shape of the connector. Not the power standards it supports. If your laptop needs 240W PD 3.0 and your car supports 100W QC3 you’re still out of business. If your laptop uses QC3 but needs 12v and the adapter only supports 9v you’re still out of business.
USB is not a standard. It is a collection of standards.
I don’t know exactly what the percentage of new laptops that can use USB-C charging is, but it’s a pretty large percentage. My Lenovo Yoga came with a USB-C charger and that’s all it uses for charging. That said, I actually do agree with you that this is not really a problem for laptops and IMHO it’s often a lot easier to fix/replace a broken DC barrel type charging port than a USB port on a laptop because a DC barrel generally just has 2 relatively large solder points. I’m a lot more nervous handling my laptop with a USB-C charging cable attached than I would be with a DC barrel. However, I’m in favor of legislation that reduces the number of proprietary port standards (like Lightning).
You people are missing the fucking point. Not all USB-C chargers are the same. It’s just the shape of the connector. There are many power delivery standards and not all will drive your laptop.
Let’s be real, they just want to have more of a reason to execute American iPhone-loving tourists 😂
