For years, a smartphone’s lifespan was decided by three things almost never printed on the box: how long the manufacturer would update the software, how long the battery would hold up, and whether fixing a cracked screen would cost less than buying a new phone. Since June 20, 2025, those factors have been legal requirements in the European Union, and a year on, the phones in stores are starting to show the effects.
What the rules require
The EU ecodesign regulation for smartphones and tablets sets a common floor for every manufacturer selling in the Union:
- Operating system updates for at least five years after the model stops being sold. The clock doesn’t start at launch, but when the model is taken off the market.
- Spare parts available for seven years, also counted from the end of sales: screen, battery, cameras, connectors, and other essential components, with defined delivery times.
- Batteries that last at least 800 charge cycles while keeping 80% of their original capacity.
- Minimum durability against accidental drops, scratches, dust, and water.
- An energy label that, besides consumption, shows battery endurance, drop resistance, battery cycles, and a repairability class from A to E.
How to read the label
The label looks like the one on home appliances, and should be read the same way: not as an absolute grade, but as a way to compare two models. The most useful entries before buying are the repairability class, which accounts for how easy the phone is to take apart, spare part availability, and the information provided to repairers, and the number of battery cycles, which says a lot about how the phone will behave in its third or fourth year.
Every label carries a QR code linking to EPREL, the European product database, where the full technical sheets live.
The problems still unsolved
- Spare part prices. A part being available says nothing about what it costs. If an original battery plus labor comes close to the value of the used phone, repair stays theoretical.
- Software pairing of components. Some manufacturers tie parts to a specific device, and an unauthorized replacement can lose features or trigger warnings. The regulation sets limits, but this is still contested ground with independent repairers.
- Apps, not just the system. An updated phone can still be left behind by apps, which drop support for older Android or iOS versions on their own schedule.
- Updates don’t mean new features. The obligation covers system continuity and security, not a guarantee of getting every new feature from later models.
Tip: before buying, compare the repairability class and battery cycles on the label, then look up the manufacturer’s stated end-of-updates date for that model. A mid-range phone with five years of support ahead is often worth more than a flagship at the end of its cycle.
What to expect from here
The next step comes from the EU battery regulation: from 2027, batteries in portable devices will have to be replaceable by the user, with some exceptions for particularly durable models. Together with the ecodesign rules, the expected result is a market where keeping the same phone for five or six years becomes normal, and where refurbished stops being a fallback choice. For buyers, the biggest change is also the simplest: the information needed to choose a phone that lasts is there — you just have to look at it.