In 2022, the European mandated the use of USB-C as the common charging port for small and medium sized devices, with the law having to come into effect by December 2024, followed by April 2026 for larger devices such as laptops.
This law has now come into force and key requirements are:
Mandatory USB-C port for new smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable speakers, and handheld video game consoles sold in Europe.
Harmonised fast charging
Unbundled chargers
Clearer information
Only some devices were exempt from the law, such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, and location trackers due to being too small for the port.
The main reason for this mandate was to reduce waste after estimating that unused and disposed of chargers resulted in thousands of tonnes of waste going to landfill and it is already estimated that at least 11,000 tonnes a year of electronic waste will be saved.
So, with only a few months until this law will enforce laptops & screens too, what does the future of USB-C look like?
From April 28, 2026, USB-C is set to become the universal, high-performance connector for nearly all consumer electronics, driven by the new laws. Laptops and other high-power devices will be mandated to use USB-C in the EU which it seems will accelerate its adoption globally with the USA and India considering similar mandates.
The future of USB-C will feature higher charging capacity meaning that higher power delivery will become standard, USB Power Delivery (PD) 3.1, which enables EPR, can deliver up to 240W of power which is sufficient to charge even high performance laptops and devices.
Faster data transfer speeds will also emerge: Expect a rise in devices supporting USB4 Version 2.0 (also known as USB 80Gbps), which can deliver up to 80 Gbps of bidirectional data transfer.
At Fulcrum, we plan our power distribution and events with the end user in mind, making sure all power products that we supply are robust, advanced and in line with European and Global laws and markets.
