It has been quite a while, from 2008, when mobile device vendors running on Android OS globally decided to adopt the use of the micro USB charger in their mobile devices. This led to the introduction of a USB port for charging the device as well as for data transfer in Android smartphones.
The move brought with it welcome relief to millions of users who were now assured of being able to charge their devices when they run of charge wherever they may be just by requesting a charger from a colleague or someone nearby as each other could charge any other mobile phone, no matter the vendor or model. Essentially, the USB charger was compatible with any mobile phone.
However, the only people left out of this group were iPhone handset users who have their own proprietary (and exclusive) chargers only compatible to Apple devices.
From 2015, a new model (or version) of the USB charger – called Type C – made its debut in the market with a number of smartphones. According to online sources, Letv, a Chinese smartphone vendor, was the first device maker called to introduce the USB Type-C connector on its Letv One Max smartphone. Since then, many vendors have opted to adopt and move to the use of the USB Type-C charger in their new smartphone models including Huawei, OPPO and even TECNO, just name a few.
And now, in a move meant to curb the pread of e-waste and also encourage widespread adoption and use of the USB Type-C charger, the European Union (EU) late last month announced that it will impose a universal charger for smartphones, a move that could be welcome news to vendors of Android smartphones. However, Apple customers and iPhone users won’t really be excited by this latest development.
The European Commission believes a standard cable for all devices will cut back on electronic waste. Apple, on the other hand, argues that standard universal charger would slow innovation and create more pollution.
The move by the EU bloc is important and the decision can’t be ignored (or downplayed or even successfully opposed) by any of the global smartphone vendors. The 27-member EU bloc is a key global market, playing host to some 450 million people, some of who double up as the world’s richest consumers with their spending power. This therefore means that the imposition of the USB-C as a cable standard, and its subsequent approval by member states and European Parliament, would undoubtedly have an impact on the entire global smartphone market.
“European consumers have been frustrated long enough about incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers,…We gave industry plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now time is ripe for legislative action for a common charger,” ” said EU executive vice president Margrethe Vestager in a statement.
Depending on the choice of their smartphone, consumers are currently served by three main charger types – the ‘Lightning’ charger for Apple handsets; the common micro-USB which is widely used on most other mobile phones; and the latest version of USB Type-C that is slowly gaining users with new shipped handsets.
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