From today, only one cable for all new rechargeable devices

This article was last updated on December 30, 2024

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From today, only one cable for all new rechargeable devices

As of today, only electronic devices that can be charged with a USB-C cable may be sold in the European Union. The law applies to smartphones, game consoles, headphones, speakers, e-readers and tablets, among others.

An exception has been made for laptops: they do not have to comply with the new European law until April 2026. The new law should put an end to drawers full of different cables. The measure should also contribute to a better environment, because a new cable is no longer required for each new device.

In practice, most devices now already have the option to charge with USB-C, but that was different a few years ago. Back then, there were a multitude of cable types, such as USB-A, Micro-USB and Apple Lightning.

It has been going on since 2009 spoken about the new charging standard. The European Union had called on manufacturers to come up with a new standard themselves, but that did not work. For example, Apple held on to its own Lightning chargers for a long time.

In addition to the mandatory USB-C cable, it should also become clearer to consumers whether a product is sold with or without a charging cable. From now on, products will display an icon if a cable is included in the packaging.