EU rules on common chargers apply to laptops from today. It means that all new laptops sold in the European Union must now support USB-C charging.
In December 2024, the rules came into force for mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, videogame consoles, and portable speakers.
Laptop manufacturers were given a longer lead in time to allow for redesign and transition to the common charging system.
All new laptops must have USB-C to be sold in the European Union(EU)
https://www.rte.ie/news/europe/2026/0428/1570471-eu-common-charger-rules/
87 Comments
parson0@startrek.website · 173 pts · 109d
I just love the EU. Not perfect of course, but this kind of stuff is great.
themurphy@lemmy.ml · 117 pts · 109d
Nothing is perfect, but the EU is by far the best government entity for consumers right now.
myrmidex@belgae.social · 64 pts · 109d
Low bar though. I'll not forget Chat Control. Dieselgate, Qatargate, or Ursula's unelectedness.
lepinkainen@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 109d
“Unelected Ursula” is directly from the Russian disinformation playbook btw.
acockworkorange@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 107d
I'm OOTL, what is that?
lepinkainen@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 107d
Pick a mainstream social media site, find a post/video about the EU. If Ursula Ledoyen is in it, the comments will be full of comments Super Concerned that she wasn’t “properly elected”. Within 15-30 minutes of it being posted.
Perfectly organic and posted by normal concerned EU citizens. Yep yep.
acockworkorange@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 107d
AstroTurf, when regular turf simply won't do.
myrmidex@belgae.social · -17 pts · 109d
Implying I'm a shill, nice one.
TheTimeKnife@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 109d
No, he is implying you are sharing misinformation. Misinformation works because most people who share it are earnest.
SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de · 18 pts · 109d
No, just someone who ate up their misinformation
themurphy@lemmy.ml · 23 pts · 109d
Chat Control was still a proposal made by a few politicians in a big continent. Never an EU made innitiative of any kind, and never voted through.
And I think you should read about the democratic system in the EU, if you want to challenge how she was elected.
She's elected how most of European countries elect their presidents. You vote for parties, and then after; one among them will be president. Typically the head figure from the biggest party.
We should be very glad it's not an election like in the US. Awful way of giving "power" to the people, by putting a single person in charge by popular vote.
myrmidex@belgae.social · -9 pts · 109d
The way Ursula obtained that re-election was not pretty. Perhaps not as unsightly as Trump's second rise to power, but still not a resounding show of democracy.
Referring to member states that don't have their shit in order is as weak as the low bar set by OP.
themurphy@lemmy.ml · 11 pts · 109d
If you want democracy, you have to expect and accept disagreement. Even if it's as shitty and fucked up as chat control.
Which the majority doesnt want.
encelado748@feddit.org · 15 pts · 109d
How is dieselgate the fault of the EU? The main offender was Volkswagen. Chat Control and Qatargate are the result of lobbying and corruption, and while the EU is not immune to this kind of influences (being a government body made by people), the aggregate result of EU bureaucracy is much better then any other power block currently active in the world in my opinion.
myrmidex@belgae.social · 4 pts · 109d
encelado748@feddit.org · 8 pts · 109d
While this is totally true, you cannot fault the EU for not acting on the in-house science team info given the EU commission had no authority on policing car manufacturers. At the time that was the duty of national authorities. Now the EU commission has granted itself the power to conduct vehicle audits and fine those responsible. Positives changes over embarrassing scandals are a positive outcome to me, and not the norm in modern politics.
boonhet@sopuli.xyz · 0 pts · 108d
To be clear, for consumers (of said vehicles), that was actually a negative when they got caught, not while it was happening. The cars were inferior after the software update, because the performance and fuel efficiency balance they offered was never going to be possible with sufficient EGR to reduce NOx to what it needed to be. Many have reported drivability or reliability issues with the updated software unfortunately.
Of course literally everyone else benefited from the fix because air is cleaner now.
j_j@muenchen.social · 0 pts · 109d
@encelado748
You could argue that the EU did not prevent Dieselgate. The fines are symbolic, the same will happen again.
@myrmidex
encelado748@feddit.org · 4 pts · 109d
The EU did not prevent Dieselgate because the EU was lacking the regulatory framework to do so. And after Dieselgate, lots of new laws were put into place to address a market wide breach of consumer law (the representative actions directive and the omnibus directive). That is exactly what a good governing body should do: act within the boundaries of the law, and improve the law when something bad happens. I very much doubt it will happen again. We are talking billions in fines before there was an actual framework in place to address this. Today the result could be in the tens of billions.
magnue@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 109d
They have an excellent control of their market.
Zedstrian@sopuli.xyz · 49 pts · 109d
The article doesn't mention the requirement's 100W limit.
Edit: Per reply, the regulation is designed with 240W accounted for, and updatable in case of further improvements to the standard.
RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 23 pts · 109d
Glad you did, because I was gonna make a comment about how high end gaming laptops are now illegal in the EU.
Not sure there's a 330w USB C going around I could use.
Zedstrian@sopuli.xyz · 32 pts · 109d
The limit should really be 240W, because that's what the USB-C PD 3.1 spec goes up to.
Edit: Per reply, the regulation is designed with 240W accounted for, and updatable in case of further improvements to the standard.
Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de · 20 pts · 109d
It is 240 W actually. Seems Techpowerup was wrong. See my first comment: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/59511400/25528592
themurphy@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 109d
When you make minimum requirements, you dont go for max. All laptops shouldnt be able to take 240W.
Zedstrian@sopuli.xyz · 13 pts · 109d
Laptops can be rated for whichever power level the manufacturer prefers; USB-C PD is used between the power supply and device to negotiate the maximum power level allowed for by both, so a consumer that purchases a 100W or 240W cable and power supply could still use them with a lower-rated device.
A 60W USB-C laptop can therefore stay at 60W without issue, but if a 240W laptop is produced, it should also be made to use USB-C under such a regulation.
themurphy@lemmy.ml · -4 pts · 109d
Fair point. But it will still be overkill to require 240W for a device that will never take it.
I know it will regulate output. But requirements should make sense.
WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 109d
sounds like they do
https://discuss.tchncs.de/comment/25528592
Jesus_666@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 109d
Nope, still perfectly legal. Proprietary charging ports are allowed but have to be accompanied by a USB PD port that supports the same wattage (or 240 W if the device needs more than that).
So basically the law says "devices must support USB PD", not "devices must only support USB PD".
Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz · 13 pts · 109d
RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 109d
Mines not a barrel either, big ol rectangle
Fortatech@gregtech.eu · 2 pts · 109d
Lenovo, i see
RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 108d
MSI actually. Not a good idea, and I'll probably go back to clevo for my next one.
Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz · 0 pts · 109d
cecilkorik@piefed.ca · 5 pts · 109d
Even if they had left out that condition, I'm sure there would be ways around it for gaming laptops and they wouldn't necessarily even have to be stupid ways: I could imagine a stupid way of complying being a charging cable with USB-C for the first 100W and proprietary port for the other 200W+.
Just because a law might say that it's got to be technically able to charge from USB-C probably doesn't imply that has to be the only charging port and method, nor even the normal/recommended one. Even on a 200W+ gaming laptop it would be nice sometimes to be able to charge it from USB-C, without pulling out the full charger. If mine supported USB-C charging I could see using it like that when I travel, I might only be using it for half an hour or an hour a day, the 100W would significantly extend the battery runtime, the rest of the time it could be sleeping or off and charging happily back to full from USB-C, so I wouldn't even need to bring the (literal) charging brick.
Gonzako@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 109d
Can't the provider just make two charging ports?
Jesus_666@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 109d
They can.
USB-C goes up to 240 W now and the law has been amended to acknowledge the new USB PD spec. Devices are also allowed to have proprietary charging ports but must include a USB-C port capable of showing the full power draw of the device (or 240 W of they need more than that).
So a big gaming laptop might have a USB PD-capable port that supports 240 W and a barrel jack that supports 350 W.
Gonzako@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 109d
So yeah, basically what I supposed. Gaming laptops are bulky so there defo no shortage of space
RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -4 pts · 109d
The limit is apparently 100w, so they would need 4 charging ports. But also, who is gonna want to plug in their laptop to the wall twice, even if it's 2x240w?
ViatorOmnium@piefed.social · 10 pts · 109d
USB-C can take 240W. The law just says all laptops under 100W need to use USB-C, not that others are not allowed.
stsquad@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 109d
How big a niche is that - because when I think high end gaming a laptop has all sorts of trade offs to make anyway.
RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 109d
They sell more than you'd expect, tons of companies do them.
The trade offs are high price and low battery, comparitavely.
On the plus side, I have a easily movable PC that will run new games at ultra settings and it takes about 20s to fully pack up.
cynar@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 109d
Luggables are quite common for gamers who travel a lot. I can't take a tower into hotels easily, but most of my free gaming time is on the road. I know quite a few people with portable gaming systems.
My current laptop is rocking a 4080, with a water cooling loop. It has to fall back to internal graphics when on battery. The batteries just can't provide the current required.
stsquad@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 109d
The majority of my gaming is on the road too but I've found the Steam Deck hits that niche for me. I carry a thin Chromebook for work related things. Admittedly you don't need as powerful a GPU for a small 720p display.
cynar@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 109d
I've also got a steam deck. Unfortunately it just doesn't cut it for games like satisfactory or factorio.
grandma@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 109d
Couldn't they just make two charging ports? A generic 100W usb and a proprietary one?
weaponG@lemmy.world · 45 pts · 109d
Putting "Universal" back in "USB"
Dicska@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 109d
I bet it's not available on Jupiter.
eager_eagle@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 108d
and it'll take a few million years for Andromeda to get the news
Tattorack@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 108d
Let's change that.
modus@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 108d
Send Elon.
rmuk@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 107d
He said "Jupiter", not "the Sun".
Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de · 29 pts · 109d
The source of law here is Directive 2022/2380 (which amends Directive 2014/53), in Article 2 a grace period until 2026-04-28 is defined for the category of laptops. This has now expired, which explains the renewed wave of articles being published.
The directive itself is not that interesting to read, as a lot of it is just empowering the Commission to make a decision on the specifics. The result is in the Commission Delegated Regulation 2023/1717. Although it seems to me like something is missing. I can't find more though.
A very interesting Q&A from their Commission Notice – Guidance document:
But then also
That means those hefty laptops going up to 350 W or whatever, now need to accept 240 W over USB PD, but they may still include additional proprietary charging solutions that are rated higher.
Also I don't think the 100 W limit that some outlets report is actually in force since 2023/1717 has replaced the references to ‘EN IEC 62680-1-3:2021’ by those to ‘EN IEC 62680-1-3:2022’
Reading on, yes they make that explicit further down:
amateurcrastinator@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 109d
Oh no the innovation will suffer! How are the laptop makers going to screw the consumers now?
Lexam@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 109d
Now make them put a port on each side of the laptop!
nullify3112@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 109d
What if the ports are recessed and you have built in dongles you can swap to change the port type on either slot?
Oh wait, framework did it :)
Jesus_666@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 109d
Though, to be fair, Framework laptops can't charge from all of their ports. The 16 can charge from one port each per side; not sure about the 13 and 12.
nullify3112@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 107d
Well, I have a 16 and it can be charged on 4 out of the 6 ports. It is true though that not all ports are equal. Some supporting display, others not, some consuming more power when a USB-A is plugged into them etc.
The diagram is here: https://knowledgebase.frame.work/expansion-card-slot-functionality-on-framework-laptop-16-amd-ryzen-7040-series-rkUjGm7cn
somenonewho@feddit.org · 3 pts · 109d
The 13 (amd) can charge from either side not sure if the ports closer to the keyboard also charge at the same speed
Edit: Apparently they do. (negotiating 3A PD on a first come first serve basis)
qwerty@discuss.tchncs.de · 7 pts · 108d
So the shape of the plug is the same for all devices regardless of the spec... doesn't it just make things more confusing for non techies? I can already see people saying their new laptop is broken because their 5v 0.67A power brick won't charge it, or buying a USB-c charger just to find out it doesn't work. A lot of aftermarket chargers claim to support up to 120W etc. Except they mean 120W is a sum of all ports for a 6 port charger so really it's only 20W. For techies it can get annoying too if you like to play with hardware. You can just feed appropriate voltage DC over those barrel connectors, for example from a car battery with a buck converter or AA/18650 in series and it will work while usb-c charging needs to be negotiated.
Luffy879@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 108d
That is called deceptive marketing.
rmuk@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 107d
If you plug in a weak charger or an inadequate cable you will get a message on the screen saying as much. Also, the new law doesn't prevent manufacturers shipping proprietary chargers alongside USB-C.
Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 107d
Yeah right, my laptop supports usb c charging, but it came with the usual power brick that I use if I need a faster charge.
Nalivai@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 107d
I guess all those tech enthusiasts will have to buy a cheap bms board that can control those batteries and negotiate the charging. Their brave seven bucks sacrifice in that regard will have to suffice.
Robust_Mirror@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 107d
There 100% has to be regulation on charges and ports, maybe a colour system like how usb3 ideally is blue.
Nalivai@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 106d
They already do that de-facto, I think all my high power usb3 charger ports are orange, regardless of manufacturer. Codifying it into law is probably a good idea
Brkdncr@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 108d
Nope.
x00z@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 108d
There has been a lot of marketing done towards non techies regarding charge speeds, so most common people do know about it. Plus most people will also just buy the one the companies will suggest or bundle.
A little side thing that's also important is that in Europe the salespeople aren't simply trying to get you to buy their product with the highest markup, which means you'll get people that will actually look up your laptop and sell you a correct charger.
Aftermarket crap is a thing though, but from what I've seen most people will understand it's because they bought cheap Chinese stuff.
pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 0 pts · 109d
Apple in shambles
Zagorath@quokk.au · 30 pts · 109d
Macs have had USB-C charging since 2015.
This was, in many respects, a downgrade, since Apple's proprietary MagSafe was seen by many as a valuable feature. Power cords that pop out rather than yanking the laptop off the desk if someone trips over it are pretty handy.
In 2021 Apple started re-including MagSafe on their laptops. But since doing so, the USB-C ports have also been able to charge the laptop.
So since 2015 they've been compliant with this law, and since 2021 they've had the best of both worlds, with either option working.
phoenixz@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 109d
I wouldn't mind a USB-C sub type that works like that, just the connector is yankable like that, yet it's pure USB-C and fucking compatible
Because if you think that Apple added this port just and only because of the yankable cable, and not to again be purposely be incompatible so they can squeeze more money out of you, then I have a bridge to sell you...
0x0@infosec.pub · 4 pts · 109d
Usb c adapters like that exists
https://www.amazon.com/Magtame/dp/B0DM5HGC5H?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&psc=1
dubyakay@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 108d
I'd be surprised if they followed the USB standards properly. I've had two kinds of these before, and they were sketchy at best, not offering the advertised data and power rates, nor working properly with custom firmware keyboards and KVMs.
Zagorath@quokk.au · 0 pts · 108d
Why would they deliberately leave the ability to charge via USB-C, if that were the case?
I hope that bridge is going cheap.
pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 109d
Ah ok, I thought they were tied to magsafe
jasoman@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 109d
Iphones still using usb2 over usbc
djdarren@piefed.social · 1 pts · 109d
My MacBook Air has MagSafe, and I love it. I sometimes charge with USB-C, but very, very rarely. Not least because it only has two USB sockets.
fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 109d
Apple was one of the co developers of USB C.
pastermil@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 109d
Anything but
Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org · -6 pts · 109d
The problem with this is they mandate something in the law and then there comes along a new and better option that nobody can use because there's a stupid law...
Personally I still want to see more people do that contact connector that was in the dock of my Motorola Xoom.
vandsjov@feddit.dk · 21 pts · 109d
The law says that the laptop needs to support USB-C charging, not that it can’t have other means. Like MacBooks that has the MagSafe charger - they can also use USB-C to charge.
Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org · 0 pts · 108d
The problem with that is the corporations love to save a penny or two on hardware, no matter how much worse it makes the product, specifying one seems like a good way to make them just use that even if there is something better.
fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 109d
The law doesn’t actually force USB C. It’s whatever the standard the USB IF says. So if USB D comes out and they say it’s the best then they’ll switch to that.
Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org · 1 pts · 108d
The one they were talking about months ago was specific, not really a fan of C, it's a much more fragile connection than A. The extra bandwidth isn't worth how often they fail compared to other connectors.
quips@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 109d
Then just change the law when the time comes?
Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org · 2 pts · 108d
You've seen what a well oiled machine legislation is, no?
disco_jimmy@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 109d
Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org · 1 pts · 108d
anon_8675309@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 108d
Nothing better than usb c will ever come along.
Besides we’re in late stage PC so we’ll all be analog before you know it.