The requirement is simply that the battery is removable with commercially available tools, or if specialized tools are needed to have them provided with the product. So the SD would already be compliant.
As much as I like my Steam Deck, replacing the battery is not as easy or clean as it should be because of the glue.
Yes I know there’s a reason they glued it, and yes its good that it is “user replaceable” to some extent, but I hope this pushes for easier replacement in the future.
I would imagine that the battery cell manufacturers also play a role here, although I have absolutely no way to back this up so take it with a grain of salt. Because 99% of consumer mobile devices have glued in batteries, it is likely that Li-ion manufacturers have adjusted their supply chain to accommodate and make it less expensive for device makers to buy batteries that need to be glued. So it would be reasonable to assume if more companies need to switch to easily replaceable (read: not glued), the suppliers would shift to accommodate and stay competitive.
I mean, what is the difference behind removing the entire back with a few screws and removing a battery cover with a few screws? The Deck battery is user-replaceable. That said, I wouldn’t mind a battery compartment and for the battery not to be held down with adhesive (not sure if the Deck battery is or not, but lots of devices using flat cell batteries do).
Steam deck battery is held with adhesive unfortunately. And replacing it is difficult according to ifixit https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Steam+Deck+Battery+Replacement/149070
I hope with this legislation it will be easier to replace.
That sucks. I replaced the batteries in my two Razer laptops recently (my 2016 was getting bloated and my 2021 battery randomly stopped charging…) and I will say it was easy enough to replace as the battery packs were held in with screws, not tape. Unscrew the screws holding the battery frame into the laptop, remove battery, insert new one, screw it down, put bottom panel back on. I don’t mind screws, just no glue or tape please. Glue and tape suck for repairability.
It’s pretty much the Achilles’ heel of the Steamdeck’s repairability.
