Saudi Arabia mandates all electronic devices to use USB-C charging ports from 2025
Saudi Arabia mandates all electronic devices to use USB-C charging ports from 2025
Well that's handy, because thanks to the EU that's what everything will be using anyway.
What else are they going to mandate? That sand remains course and irritating? Or more likely demand that the rest of the world stops laughing at their Jetsons city idea.
This will just lead to increased popularity of wireless charging
I still haven't found a good reason to ever use wireless charging, feels like a gimmick to me Wire is just more convenient.
We've hit peak QI, almost.
Even Kindles have it now. Watches, phones, like 4 brands of earbuds I tested the other day (testing power share from the older samsungs), etc.
The only thing that doesn't have it in our house is my oura ring, which as a G2 is the last one I want to buy from what that company has become, so it's going to solve itself soon.
Government mandates electronics sounds very Communist. I thought were way past that already. Companies should be allowed to compete for charging standards without government interference. Let the invisible hand of capitalism self correct itself, though the heavens fall.
Yes, every government regulation is communism. No dangerous lead levels in drinking water, gasoline, etc.? Communism. Companies should be allowed to compete for lead level standards without government interference. Let the invisible hand of capitalism correct itself.
Yeah well the markets had plenty of time to regulate itself it hasn't bothered to do so mostly because it contains Apple. Not every piece of government oversight is communism.
True.. companies can come up with their charging standards. Just don't try to sell it in all of EU or Saudi Arabia. Also apple overcharged for the damn cables and they break so quickly. last time I used iphone the cable was 20 euro. While I could buy 20 USB-C cables for that. Never had a broken USB-C cable. not even the ones for AliExpress
Saudi sand actually isn't course enough
Not that a new connector is around the corner, but I love how people try to act like this will be an achilles heel for these laws. How long will it take to vote in an amendment that updates the connector?
I get it, being anchored to one connection type sounds good now while it's still somewhat new, but in 10 years it could be a burden. Still, I do not want to go back to the days of every device having a unique barrel connector.
Many people have been taught regulation is bad, not much logic to it.
USB-C as a connector can easily last a decade, much longer for just power delivery.
I collect old handhelds. Each one having a unique charging and/or sync cable fuckin sucks and I'm so glad that USB is ubiquitous. My current daily driver has mini USB for data, but charges using a unique connector that plugs into a unique cradle that sends power to the device when hooked into the cradle. Without the cradle, ya ain't charging this thing.
EU version has review process built-in. Anyways it'll be hard to get more outdated than lightning.
Well USB-C was published 9 years ago, and has been well-established, nearly ubiquitous for at least 5. Why did this take so long?
This is my first thought when it comes to legislation like this. My representatives in government are the last people I would confer with when it comes to technology, so I don’t think they should pick phone charger standards.
How long will it take to vote in an amendment that updates the connector?
Depends on what corporations and countries are backing it probably.
I thoroughly agree the connector insanity was a pain in the ass (though, being a hoarder of cables it made me a sort of superhero) but I just really dislike governments dictating this kind of thing.
USB-C is a connector shape, so there's really no need for a USB-D. What you're thinking of is USB 5.0, except the USB has a penchant for coming up with the dumbest names imaginable. The current latest (I think) version is 3.2 Gen 2x2, so the next major version will probably be called some bullshit like USB 3.2 Gen 2x2+1.
USB4 is here and is already being called weird stuff.
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2+1.
Thankfully it's not the 90s or they've called this "USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Extreme"
Wikipedia lists USB4 Gen 4 (No space between USB and 4, which is different from previous versions which did have a space there).
Following USB4 Gen 2×1, USB4 Gen 2×2, USB4 Gen 3×1 and USB4 Gen 3×2.
okay nerd
If the USB-IF can agree on it, why not?
The USB-IF moves so slowly it might as well be standing still.
I think it's good for USB standards to move slow.
Finally just about every device I buy has USB-C now. If they release a new connector that'll just mean using 2 different cables for everything again.
Prince ibin-whateverface is an Android user and finds lightning annoying. That’s all this says to me. He’s not wrong, btw. For once.
See? This is how you should use your authoritarian powers
There is a second stage, starting from April 1, 2026, which will apply to laptops and portable computers.
I'm with them on small devices using USB C, but all laptops is a pretty tall task. Can gaming laptops that need a high voltage even use USB-C? They already struggle with massive charging bricks and thick cables.
The latest USB power delivery standard allows for new voltages of 28, 36, and 48 volts at up to 240 watts at 48V. My current Dell workstation laptop uses two 20V USB C connectors to achieve similar.
I'm imaginining some kind of monstrosity of a gaming laptop with a power cable that looks like a hydra splitting into three or four USB-C connectors, and it's gloriously silly.
Maybe it's time for a new thing similar to USB 3.0 micro B, with two USB-C connectors next to each other on the same plug.
I’m chuckling at the idea of someone plugging in an early USB-C device and watching it go up in flames as it gets hit with 48v instead of the 5v that it’s rated for. I know USB-C has a chip that is supposed to negotiate power transfer, but it’s still a funny “what if” thought.
your gaming laptop is struggling because gaming laptops are scams. you'll never get the performance you want and you'll pay the premium anyways.
I recently bought a gaming laptop. Specifically a Lenovo Legion 5 with a rx 6600. It has both the big powerbrick charger and can be charged via USB-PD, obv not at the same speed but it is an option that is available.
Probably. But your will have to buy the correct charger and cable. I have a couple 100W cables. The problem is they Al look alike.
The label maker business is about to be booming!
I specifically buy cables with different colors or from different brands as I upgrade, and keep a note around for what their PD capacity is for each set. It's annoying, but doable.
the ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 17, their biggest baddest gamiest 17" laptop, ships with a power adapter rated for 280W. it also offers charging over USB-PD at up to 240W, so would comply with the regulation here.
i think some companies use seperate ports for charging and gaming on gaming laptops
The problem with these types of mandates is it locks us into standards and makes change hard. Imagine if they had done this when the terrible USB port was dominant.
Or, it gives all the power to the USB group. They have a terrible track record (USB-C is a mess).
The other problem is all the cheap devices that have a USB-C port, but will not charge from a real USB-C to USB-C cable. They are the same old USB ports electrically with a new shape.
These are bad laws with good intents.
Standards can be updated. Like the EU standard was from Micro-USB to USB-C. It happens all the time in all fields of technology.
How quickly will a standard be updated if the mandate encourages companies to entrench on the current standard? Industries built around the legislative certainty of the current standard may exert influence to inhibit moves to new standards, even if there are good reasons to move on.
What if we had mandated, by law, that all monitors must use the VGA connector in 1995? Would that have made DVI or HDMI or later technologies less likely to take off?
Suppose a company sees an opportunity for a better standard with such a law in place. They would have to develop the new standard and create the market for the new standard, all while their change is forbidden by law. How can they propose a new standard before actually developing it? Then, after sinking the costs on a hope, they would have to pay more to fight to change the law to encompass the new standard against everyone who likes it the way it is.
Don’t get me wrong. It would be neat if every doodad I had used the same connector. But soon enough, any connector we care to choose is a straitjacket.
It's locking nobody with no standard. The standard is evolving time to time. This argument of locking the user which by the way is the same as "competition is the better" is the Apple argument to impose it's locked (walled garden) ecosystem.
It's well known strategy to argue in a way that isn't your goal to achieve another one. Apple is a master here. They use this same strategy with the future mandatory easy battery replacement.
I second this. How could anyone argue that regulation is bad for user? Standardization locks user in, what kind of logic is that?
God that last one drives me up a fucking wall. My partner’s laptop refuses to charge with anything except the officially supported power adapter, even though it’s just a USB-C connector. Everything I’ve plugged it into has been rated for the 100W that the laptop needs to charge, but the damned device locks out anything except official chargers under the guise of safety.
Unlike pretty much all other standards, all USB documents are open access and allow you to build compliant devices without 3rd party permission. You only need a license if you want to sell devices with the logo and/or need a official Vendor and Product ID (VID/PID). So unless all manufactures are forced to publish documentation for their IO in a similar level of detail, forcing one standard upon everyone is the next best option. Apple gambled on keeping their connector proprietary, and now get the backlash they deserve.
There is a second stage, starting from April 1, 2026, which will apply to laptops and portable computers.
I hate this type of legislation. Almost zero USB chargers can power a laptop. But politicians don't know that. So this won't reduce the number of chargers. Unless they're requiring all charges support the full PD spec?
Leave standards to experts.
Edited: Yes i fucking know many laptops use USB-C power now. You're not smart in telling me this. I mean that most USB chargers are cheap crap that can't put out enough power to run a laptop. Not all USB is the same.
They don't mean laptops have to run off of a phone charger. It says they need USB-C charging ports. Many laptops already run power via a USB-C slot right now.
...and you can charge your phone with the laptop USB-C charger just fine.
So - like I know that many laptops charge from USB-C right now. The one I'm typing on does. Why do people seem to think they're smart in pointing this out?
So then what's the point? People will still be buying cheap USB chargers because, well, they're cheap. And they'll have the expensive one for their laptop. Problem....solved?
Yeah, but that only works when your device uses less than 100W, because that’s what USB-C is currently rated for. Gaming laptops can easily use two or three times that amount while simply idling on the desktop. Once you start looking at GPU/CPU power requirements and active cooling, the power consumption quickly stacks up.
These devices usually have IEC power bricks with a fat barrel connector, because that’s what they require to be able to get enough wattage into the device. Requiring them to charge via USB-C is going to have them using two or three USB-C ports just to break even and avoid losing power. The power adapter would look like some weird fan-out adapter with one IEC power cable going in and three or four USB-C cables on the other end.
I’m laughing at the idea of a device having three or four USB-C ports, and not being able to use any of them for anything except charging.
Leave standards to experts.
That's what everybody did at first. It gave us a different connector for each device. After a few decades, there are still competing standards. Either the experts are incompetent, or the business environment they're in doesn't incentivize single standards.
This is the issue, you can squeeze more money out of your consumers if you lock them into an ecosystem an license every single 3rd party device.
Or, and go with me here, it's a non-issue? Like it's fine to have multiple standards for different uses?
All they did was standardize the shape of the connector. Not the voltage, power output, etc. So you'll still have multiple competing standards and it will be a bit more confusing as "not all USB chargers will be able to power your laptop."
It does not say that it has to ONLY have UBC-C charging, my laptop will charge from USB-C and the dedicated charging port. I wonder if that would be complaint.
I have 6 laptops that can charge from type-C, including from battery banks and the last "cell phone" charger I got (OnePlus 9).
???
Most laptops charge over USB C nowadays
I don't know exactly what the percentage of new laptops that can use USB-C charging is, but it's a pretty large percentage. My Lenovo Yoga came with a USB-C charger and that's all it uses for charging. That said, I actually do agree with you that this is not really a problem for laptops and IMHO it's often a lot easier to fix/replace a broken DC barrel type charging port than a USB port on a laptop because a DC barrel generally just has 2 relatively large solder points. I'm a lot more nervous handling my laptop with a USB-C charging cable attached than I would be with a DC barrel. However, I'm in favor of legislation that reduces the number of proprietary port standards (like Lightning).
I run an M1 Macbook off USB-C daily.
Not sure I get your complaint, most people will just use the charger their laptop comes with. With this legislation that charger would be a usb-c and therefore able to power most other devices so you'd only need to bring your laptop charger when you travel, I do this now with my Mac charger which works with my phone, switch, headphones, vape etc. , reducing the amount of chargers you need. Sure someone might lose their charger and buy a cheap one or just bring their phone charger and realize it doesn't work, but that's there problem for not researching and they'll learn that they need a special charger for their laptop. We shouldn't let a few idiots ruin things for everyone.
They're adopting the standards created by the experts from the USB consortium, which is comprised of all the large electronics manufacturing companies. If they're not expert enough then who is?
Yes, there are USB-C chargers that are made for smaller devices and can't charge a notebook. So what? The alternative would be going back to proprietary chargers that can only charge one specific model.
I have a 100W USB-C-charger in my car, I have one by my bed, one on my couch, one at my desk and one powerbank that can charge my notebook anywhere I go.
Going back to proprietary chargers would mean if my notebook breaks, I can throw all these chargers in the trash and buy a new set. How would that make anything better?
The alternative would be going back to proprietary chargers that can only charge one specific model.
I realize you're exaggerating but all you're doing is standardizing on size and shape of the connector. Not the power standards it supports. If your laptop needs 240W PD 3.0 and your car supports 100W QC3 you're still out of business. If your laptop uses QC3 but needs 12v and the adapter only supports 9v you're still out of business.
USB is not a standard. It is a collection of standards.
Will this global push end up limiting miniaturization of electronics? Even if it does, may still be a worthwhile tradeoff.
It aims to eliminate waste by reducing the number of cords and plugs required for various devices. It will surely have to be upgraded and miniaturized as tech progresses, but for now it's one everyone is agreeing on.
One aspect to consider for miniature devices is wireless charging. My watch and my headphones don't even have a port
What miniaturization? I generally try to buy the smallest reasonable phone, and every generation they get slightly bigger.
Let's be real, they just want to have more of a reason to execute American iPhone-loving tourists 😂
Common Saudi Arabia W
That would be clause 9: "It is also necessary to provide the basis for adaptation to any future scientific and technological progress or market developments, which will be continuously monitored by the Commission"
And people will be dismembered if they fail to comply.