Are removable phone batteries really coming back? The EU's 2027 rules are more nuanced

A modern phone can incorporate battery replacement while retaining screws, clips or sealed structures; the EU rules do not require every phone to return to a tool-free removable back. (Move Auto illustration)

There was a time when replacing a phone battery was barely a repair. You removed the back cover, pulled the battery out and dropped another one in. Modern smartphones went in the opposite direction: sealed bodies, adhesive, glass backs and batteries that most owners would never attempt to remove themselves.

So headlines about the European Union “bringing back removable batteries in 2027” sound like the old days are returning. That makes for a neat story, but the actual rules are more interesting, and more complicated.

The EU is not telling every phone maker to bring back a clip-on plastic rear cover. What it is doing is making battery longevity and repairability part of the design brief.

What changes in February 2027?

Article 11 of the EU Batteries Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, applies from February 18, 2027. As a general rule, portable batteries built into products must be readily removable and replaceable by the end user during the life of the product.

“Readily removable” does not mean tool-free. Commercially available tools such as ordinary screwdrivers can be used. What the rules are trying to avoid is a battery replacement process that depends on proprietary equipment, heat or solvents just to open the product.

That leaves plenty of room for a modern-looking device. Screws, clips and seals can still exist. The important change is that repairability can no longer be treated as something that only matters after the product has already been designed.

Smartphones already have a more specific EU rule

This is the part that often disappears from simplified headlines. Smartphones and tablets are also covered by a dedicated Ecodesign regulation, and those requirements have applied since June 20, 2025.

The default direction is straightforward: battery replacement should be possible for a layperson using basic tools. But manufacturers can take an alternative route. If a battery retains at least 83% of its rated capacity after 500 full cycles and at least 80% after 1,000 cycles, while the device meets at least IP67 protection, battery replacement may be limited to repair professionals.

That changes the story considerably. The EU is not simply saying, “make every battery user-removable.” It is effectively saying: if the battery is harder for the owner to replace, it needs to be substantially more durable and the device has to meet tougher protection requirements.

Older smartphones often used removable rear covers and batteries. The EU's 2027 rules focus on replaceability and repairability, not on forcing every phone back to this form. (Move Auto illustration)

The bigger issue is product lifespan

A phone can remain perfectly usable long after its battery has become annoying. The processor still works, the display is fine and the cameras still take decent photos, but battery health gradually declines until everyday use becomes frustrating.

That is why repairability matters. Making batteries easier to replace, while ensuring spare parts remain available, can keep otherwise functional devices in use for longer. It also supports the EU's wider push to reduce electronic waste and improve resource efficiency.

None of this guarantees a cheap battery replacement, of course. Rules can make a product repairable, but consumers still depend on sensible spare-part pricing, repair networks and manufacturers actually implementing the requirements well.

Thin, waterproof and repairable do not have to be opposites

There are genuine engineering reasons why modern phones became sealed. Internal space is tight, batteries are large, camera modules are complex, wireless charging takes room and customers expect slim devices with water resistance.

But regulation is now challenging the idea that poor repairability is simply an unavoidable by-product of progress. Repairability can be an engineering target too, just like thermal management, water resistance and drop durability.

That is arguably the more important shift. The EU is not asking technology to go backwards; it is asking manufacturers to think about what happens when a product is two, three or five years old.

What about Malaysia?

As of August 2026, Move Auto has not found a Malaysian smartphone rule equivalent to the EU's battery-replaceability requirements. Malaysia has, however, started discussing the broader idea of a “right to repair”. A recent parliamentary discussion focused on motor vehicles, where the government described right to repair as a relatively new concept locally that has not yet been implemented.

Phones and cars obviously need different regulations, but the consumer question underneath is similar: once you buy a product, how much freedom should you have to repair it, obtain parts and keep using it instead of replacing the whole thing?

There is no indication that Malaysia is about to copy the EU smartphone rules. Still, the European framework gives local policymakers a useful reference if repairability in consumer electronics eventually moves onto the agenda.

Malaysian users could also benefit without a local law. If manufacturers adopt the same repair-friendly hardware across global models to simplify production, improvements made for Europe may eventually reach devices sold here. That is possible, not guaranteed, and worth watching as 2027 approaches.

Logitech already shows why that outcome is not automatic. Logitech Gaming head Robin Piispanen told The Verge that the company plans to use a more rigid, user-replaceable battery pack for wireless products sold in Europe, with certified replacement batteries available there. For now, markets such as the United States are expected to keep the lighter internal soft-pack design. In other words, EU regulation can absolutely force a redesign, but manufacturers may still choose to build a separate European version instead of extending the same repairability worldwide.

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Move Auto's Take

The interesting part of this story is not nostalgia for carrying a spare phone battery. It is regulation becoming part of product design. For years, poor repairability was often accepted as the price of thinner, more water-resistant devices. The EU is now forcing another question into that equation: what happens when the battery ages but the rest of the product still works? Malaysia is not there yet, but the fact that right to repair has entered local policy discussions makes this a trend worth following beyond Europe.

Move Auto covers more than cars. We will continue following battery technology, repairability and technology policy when they affect how people buy, use and keep everyday products.