March 25, 2026
It's been far too long since replacing your phone's battery was as easy as popping off the back cover and simply swapping the battery for a fresh one.
It's been far too long since replacing your phone's battery was as easy as popping off the back cover and simply swapping the battery for a fresh one. In recent years, this process has involved application of heat and use of industrial adhesives. A process especially dangerous on Apple devices where the flex cable for FaceID is cryptographically paired to the logic board. One rip of a cable and your simple battery replacement could turn into a costly trip to Apple due to the risk of collateral damage to critical components.
Consumers and businesses alike could benefit from smart devices with replaceable batteries. Devices could greatly outlive the estimated 1000 charge cycles before the lithium batteries begin to degrade. Often devices in constant heavy use will experience battery failure long before they become ineligible for software updates.
As of January 1st 2026, the state of California has begun imposing a 1.5% "Covered Battery-Embedded (CBE) Waste Recycling Fee" (Capped at $15) on all electronics with non-removable batteries. California has found that devices with non-removable batteries carry an increased risk of fire, which was demonstrated in 2016 when the Shoreway Environmental Center facility caught fire due to improperly disposed of lithium batteries.
In 2023 the EU forced Apple to take consumer-forward action when they banned the Lightning charger due to the excessive e-waste generated by this. Apple complied with this regulation to continue selling devices in the EU and promptly abandoned the lightning charger. Although this battery tax is only a state-level regulation, it is certainly making waves in the tech industry. As it stands, no major manufacturers have made changes as a result of this tax. Unfortunately, a tax is not the same as a ban and Apple is likely to pass on this cost to the consumer. If other regulatory bodies follow suit with California, we could hopefully see the return of replacement batteries in smart devices as pressure mounts. For now, it's still a waiting game to see if other entities will apply similar pressure to smart device manufacturers, not only for environmental reasons, but for consumer convenience.
