The new regulation recently introduced by the European Union has directly rewritten the script for the tech industry. Starting from February 2027, mobile phones and tablets sold in Europe must support users replacing their own batteries, manuals must be permanently available, and battery spare parts must be supplied for at least 5 years at a fair price. This is not just a simple policy adjustment; it reflects a new regulatory logic.

Interestingly, this logic has already played out in the crypto space. Under strict regulation, even the most powerful tech giants must play by the rules. Rumors suggest that the iPhone 17 will attempt to have a detachable back cover, but this is not an innovation by Cook; it’s a script written by the EU. Projects in the crypto circle that are busy adapting to regulation are actually facing the same issue.

For the crypto community, this new regulation is more than just watching the spectacle. Hardware wallets are essentially portable electronic devices and are now included under the EU battery directive. According to the latest EU regulations, the button batteries in hardware wallets must have a cycle life of at least 300 charge-discharge cycles, which is 42% higher than domestic standards. Once the detachable battery regulation is implemented, the development path of hardware wallets will diverge: some will adopt detachable designs to fundamentally solve cold storage endurance concerns; others will accelerate the adoption of battery-free solutions, like certain cold wallets that rely on external power sources, completely eliminating battery life worries. Regardless of the path chosen, the adaptation costs will not be low, further reshaping the competitive landscape of the hardware wallet market.