Victory for the consumer or brake on innovation? The answer to that question doesn’t matter now. The European Union has agreed that USB-C should become the standard charging socket for mobile phones, tablets, laptops and many other devices.
The regulation will be implemented from mid-2024. The negotiators of the EU states and the European Parliament have agreed on this. Chief negotiator Anna Cavazzini (39, Greens) writes on Twitter: “It will save resources and nerves.”
In practice, it is unlikely to change. USB-C is already used as a charging connection in virtually all devices today. Only Apple’s iPhone still uses the proprietary Lightning connector. Apple now uses USB-C for tablets, laptops, and even some headphones.
Until now it has not been possible to use it in high performance laptops because the USB standard could not supply enough power. However, a new standard should solve the problem soon. USB-C should soon be able to transmit up to 240 watts instead of a maximum of 100.
