The European Union has introduced a standard for a single charging connector for smartphones, tablets, headphones, portable consoles and other devices. All of them must be equipped with a USB-C port, according to the directive published in the official EU journal.
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The document covers smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, portable game consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable browsers and in-ear headphones. Starting April 28, 2026, the requirement to have a USB-C connector will be extended to laptops.
In addition, if the device is charged with a power greater than 15 W, it must support the unified USB Power Delivery charging protocol, according to the directive. This means that devices from different companies can be charged with the same charger.
The EU reached an agreement on a common charging connector in June 2022. The BBC wrote that the European Commission has been trying to implement a common port on the territory of the European Union since 2009, explaining the measure by environmental protection. . According to the publication, at that time there were more than 30 types of charging connectors on the market, but their number has since been reduced to three.
Apple resisted the introduction of a common connector, which used the Lightning port on its devices. The company indicated that the introduction of a single connector would slow the development of innovations, including those related to safety and energy efficiency. Despite this, Apple was forced to switch to USB-C.
Author:
Bogdan Muzychenko
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
