Robert Triggs / Android Authority
The EU’s requirement that gadgets be charged exclusively via the USB-C port from 2024 is a welcome step in many angles. This initially affected Apple’s stubborn connection to the Lightning port, rather than the much more universally accepted connectors, cables and chargers. But that means the end of the new USB-A and micro-USB-powered accessories, which include portable speakers from headphones. The exception is laptops, which have a 40-month recovery until 2025.
This sounds like good news – nobody wants to go around with different wires and chargers. Plus, I instruct It is estimated that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be reduced by about 180ktCO2e, material consumption by about 2,600 tons, and e-waste by 980 tons per year if USB-C were completely switched. So what is not to love?
Despite the good intentions, making the USB-C port mandatory does not solve the problem The The big problem with the standard: a cable for everything doesn’t always work well in practice.
Read more: Many years have passed, and USB-C is still a mess
One size fits all
USB-C is a powerful, flexible connector, but the port isn’t the only reason; The alternate mode value supported by the device on both ends of the cable is just as important. For example, USB-C headphones only work if your phone, tablet, or laptop supports USB-C audio. Similarly to support Ethernet and DisplayPort monitors over USB. Even data transfer speeds depend on port sub-ratings, such as USB 3.3 Gen 1 or Gen 2, USB 4, or Thunderbolt 4. Not to mention that you need the right cable to maximize data and power transfers between gadgets. Misleading is an underestimation.
Related: The best USB-C cable you can buy
We have also seen how easily values ​​can be broken. A small number of USB-C gadgets, such as the Insta360 Go 2 and Bob & Brad Q2 massage guns, are all charged with C-to-A cable only, instead of C-to-C. Meanwhile, other devices outright refuse to work with non-fixed cables sold cheaply in various marketplaces. For example, OnePlus cables won’t charge Pixel phones in 2015, and some just won’t charge yet. After that, Google’s 3.5mm adapter and USB-C earbuds don’t work on OnePlus phones.
Poorly applied USB-C accessories and gadgets are another source of frustration and waste.
You’re not alone if you’ve ever been frustrated just by plugging in a cable to find out if your preferred feature isn’t supported or not working properly. USB-C feature support is frustratingly opaque and mandatory that charging gadgets using this port will certainly not solve this bugbear. In addition, poorly implemented cables and accessories also add to e-waste.
That said, the EU is doing what it can to ensure that charging works more smoothly. The guidelines require that USB-C gadgets “include charging at more than 5 volts or more than 3 amps of current or more than 15 watts of power, USB power delivery charging communication protocol.” Theoretically, all USB-PD plugs will work with all high-power USB-C gadgets, reducing the need for multiple plugs for different gadgets and charging standards. That said, the industry is already well on its way, but it will help reduce e-waste somewhat faster. However, this will not necessarily remove duplicate plugs completely.
USB-C feature support is annoyingly opaque and there is no upcoming solution.
In that case, the guidelines do not prevent manufacturers from using proprietary standards other than USB power delivery. This is probably a good thing to avoid stifling innovation, but it does mean that some phones and other gadgets can charge much faster with some plugs than others. This is further complicated by the fact that many phones are already moving to a more flexible USB power delivery PPS variant for more efficient charging, not to mention the old USB-A, Quick Charge and many other plug / access hosts. Consumers already own.
While there will be some simplifications ahead, the USB-C charging landscape will still be varied and confusing for most customers by 2024 and beyond.
What to do with USB-C?
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
The EU’s move, on a balanced basis, is a welcome one that will help reduce plug-in e-waste and reduce some of the annoying charging we’ve been living in for eight years since the first announcement of the 24-pin reversible connector. But with that deadline in mind, it’s probably too late to make charging ports mandatory so late in the game, especially since the law won’t be effective for laptops in 2024 or later and will only solve charging problems. At that time, millions more gadgets and chargers that would make a messy and annoying standard to deal with USB-C would be sold and probably dumped in landfills.
Unfortunately, the EU and other regulators are stuck playing catch-up with a standard that has turned into something quite unpleasant. While much attention has been properly focused on Apple’s reluctance to play ball with the larger industry, the same industry has adopted the USB-C standard and has often failed to implement it in a way that ensures an integrated, easy-to-understand. Ecosystem charging is certainly the most consumer-friendly and cost-effective failure of USB-C, but the widespread e-waste problem will not be solved unless all the accessories work seamlessly on any USB-C port unless you plug them in.
Top tips: How to choose the right phone charger
