EU Ecodesign — Smartphones & Tablets
Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 (ecodesign) and (EU) 2023/1669 (energy labelling) have been in force since 20 June 2025 — battery durability, drop/water resistance, spare-parts availability and a point-of-sale label are all tested requirements, not guidance.
Last updated 4 September 2026
Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 sets the technical thresholds a smartphone, feature phone, cordless phone or slate tablet has to meet before it can be placed on the EU market: a battery rated for at least 800 full charge cycles while retaining at least 80% of its original capacity, and physical durability testing against drops, scratches, dust and water ingress. It also sets repair obligations directly — manufacturers (or their EU-based responsible party) must make key spare parts available to professional repairers within 5 to 10 working days, for at least 7 years after the model stops being sold in the EU.
Source: Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 of 16 June 2023.
A companion regulation, (EU) 2023/1669, requires an energy label at the point of sale — both online and in physical stores — showing an A-G energy efficiency class based on the device's Energy Efficiency Index, alongside a separate repairability index built from the same disassembly, spare-parts and documentation data the ecodesign regulation requires manufacturers to test and disclose. The two scores sit on one label, so a buyer sees energy efficiency and repairability side by side before purchase.
Source: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1669 of 16 June 2023.
The EU Right to Repair Directive is a separate, broader law — in force from 31 July 2026, covering more product categories, and focused on warranty extension after repair and banning software/hardware repair locks. This ecodesign regulation is narrower, older, and specifically a product-testing and labelling regime: it's the reason a smartphone has to survive a defined drop-test and battery-cycle test before the repairability index on its label means anything. Manufacturers already compliant with the Right to Repair Directive's obligations still need to separately test and document against this regulation's thresholds if they haven't already.
See also our EU Right to Repair Directive page for the separate repair-lock/warranty-extension obligations.
Any smartphone, feature phone, cordless phone or slate tablet placed on the EU market from 20 June 2025 onward is in scope — including an existing model still being shipped into the EU after that date, not just new launches. That makes this a live compliance gap for any consumer-electronics manufacturer or importer currently selling into the EU without a completed battery-cycle test, durability test, or the required label.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1670, in force since 20 June 2025, requires smartphones and tablets sold in the EU to meet minimum battery durability (at least 800 charge cycles retaining 80% capacity), physical durability (resistance to drops, scratches, dust and water), and repair obligations — manufacturers must supply key spare parts within 5-10 working days for at least 7 years after a model is discontinued. A companion regulation, (EU) 2023/1669, requires a physical energy label at point of sale.
The repairability index is a graded score (based on the underlying repairability class set out in the ecodesign regulation) that manufacturers must disclose alongside the energy label, covering how easily a device can be disassembled, how available spare parts and repair documentation are, and software-update support. It sits next to the A-G energy efficiency class on the same label, so a buyer sees both at point of sale.
The Right to Repair Directive (in force from 31 July 2026) is a horizontal repair-obligation law covering a wider range of product categories, addressing warranty extension on repair and bans on software/hardware repair locks. The Ecodesign Regulation for smartphones and tablets is narrower and older (in force since 20 June 2025), and is specifically a product-testing and labelling regime: it sets the actual technical thresholds — battery cycle count, drop/water resistance, disassembly requirements — that a smartphone or tablet has to be tested against before it can legally be placed on the EU market, plus the label that displays the result.
Yes, if it is still being placed on the EU market. The regulation applies to smartphones, feature phones, cordless phones and slate tablets placed on the market from 20 June 2025 onward, not just new model launches — an existing model still being shipped into the EU after that date needs to meet the same battery, durability, repairability and spare-parts requirements and carry the energy label.
This is a testing and documentation regime, not a paperwork exercise — battery-cycle testing, drop/water/dust resistance testing and repairability-index scoring all need an accredited lab, and the spare-parts and documentation commitments have to be real and maintained for years, not just claimed once. We scope what your specific device needs tested, bring in the right lab, and manage the label and ongoing spare-parts commitment end to end.
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