Is Xiaomi easy to fix? EU sustainability test results explained

The Chinese firm is now synchronizing its hardware development with the sustainable regulations set by the European Union. As the date draws near to comply with Regulations (EU) 2023/1670 and 2023/1669 by June 2025, the company is now optimizing the design of the Xiaomi 17 series smartphones and Xiaomi 15T series. These regulations require stronger durability and the provision of accessible spare components. This development ensures that European consumers now get to enjoy devices that have longer lifecycles and repairability scores.

Technical Compliance and the Repairability Index

Xiaomi phones, such as the Xiaomi 17 series and different series of Redmi Note 15, are also being tested comprehensively in order to ensure EPREL requirements are fulfilled. Today, the vast majority of these phones are classified in the “Class C” group according to the Repairability Index Scale of the European Commission.

While this is an excellent level of durability with respect to batteries, this also has implications for technological compromises in order to have advanced functionality in these devices. For example, IP68 rating requires use of strong adhesives, making it harder to dismantle the phones compared to modular designs. The regulations include various stringent guidelines for the manufacturers:

• The critical spare parts for a model that has been discontinued must be available for a period no less than 7 years.
• Batteries are required to retain at least 80% of their original capacity after 800 full charge cycles.
• It is required that updates related to the security of Xiaomi HyperOS be provided for a minimum of 5 years.
• The repair manuals need to be readily available for use either by technicians or, when possible, for consumer use.

Future Engineering Challenges and Battery Regulations

Another paradigm shift is expected to occur in the hardware environment in 2027 with the enactment of the EU Battery Regulation.

This forthcoming regulation will ensure that batteries support replaceable batteries without requiring special tools or thermal energy. Xiaomi has already readied themselves for this with the inclusion of ‘pull tabs’ in newer models’ battery slots. However, these ‘pull tabs’ still cannot be accessed without opening the glass frames in models that support ‘tool-free’ designs.

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