The EU may force the return of the removable smartphone battery (including for the iPhone)

There was a time when all smartphones (except the iPhone) had removable batteries, and now that time may be coming back, according to a leaked report published by Dutch publication Het Financieele Dagblad.

The newspaper has reportedly seen an EU proposal that all smartphones (including the iPhone) should have user-removable batteries, in an attempt to fight e-waste.

The idea is that even in a well-looked after device the battery inevitably degrades and that a user-replaceable battery would prolonge the life of these devices.

The proposals are expected to become public in March, after which they would wind its slow way through the EU political process.

It is likely to face opposition from Apple and other smartphone companies like Samsung, who may say it affects the design and ability to make the device waterproof and dust proof. Proponents of the proposal, however, suggested that devices could simply be made more user-serviceable e.g. using screws instead of glue and not soldering batteries in place, making it easy for small stores to replace batteries at low cost.

What do our readers think of the idea? Would we be going backwards, or is this a reasonable response to the environmental crisis? Let us know below.

Via TechRadar