The European Union decided back in June of this year that USB-C port should be the new normal for smartphones and it seems like India is planning to the follow. Mobile device makers and technology companies in India will now have to adopt USB Type-C as the standard charging port for consumer electronic products by March of 2025.
“There is a global supply chain at play when it comes to chargers, therefore we have to align ourselves with the global timeline,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary, ministry of consumer affairs. He further adds that the directive will be implemented three months after the EU’s law comes into play. This means that electronic product makers in India have time till March 2025 to switch all their products to USB Type-C.
For context, EU countries and EU lawmakers agreed to a single mobile charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras. While the European Commission had proposed a single mobile charging port more than a decade ago, companies failed to come to an agreement to use a common solution.
“The deal we struck this morning will bring around EUR 250 million (approx Rs 2,075 crore) of savings to consumers”, said EU industry chief Thierry Breton in a statement when the law was passed. “It will also allow new technologies such as wireless charging to emerge and to mature without letting innovation to become source of market fragmentation and consumer inconvenience,” he added.
While over 98% Android smartphones use USB Type-C as charging port, iPhones use Apple’s Proprietary charging solution which goes by the name of Lightning port. “The objective is to reduce the number of chargers per household thereby, minimising the amount of e-waste generated,” Singh added.
While Apple has already switched a bunch of its product lines to USB Type-C, including the iPads, the iPhones are yet to adopt the USB-C standard. Apple’s executive gave a statement back in October this year that “Apple will need to comply with a European Union law to switch the iPhone to a USB Type-C charger”.