BBB phone: waiting for the 2027 removable battery is costly

The 110-euro phone and the trap of waiting until 2027

Is it worth spending 400 euros on a phone when Brussels has already set the date for the next rule change? It's the question anyone asks with their handset dying in their pocket. The short answer: almost never, and even less so now. The long one involves a European regulation landing in February 2027 that will reshuffle the entire mid-range market. Anyone buying today without checking the date is buying blind.

The removable battery arriving in February 2027

From February 2027, all handsets sold in the EU will have to have a removable battery. The fact upends any decision made today: there are very few models with that antiestéticature on the current market, and dropping 300 or 400 euros on a phone means paying today's price for a format with a regulatory expiry date. The cost isn't just the purchase. It's the upkeep afterwards: a sealed battery that degrades turns the device into an expensive paperweight, and that's the scenario many have experienced first-hand, with screens coming loose, overheating and moisture finishing off what the battery started.

Hence the strategy gaining trinc: an emergency 110-euro handset, hold out a few months and return to the shop window with the new rules already in force. 100 euros hurts. It hurts less than 400.

From 38 euros in China to 150 in Spain

The real price map has nothing to do with the carrier's shop window. An Oppo Note 6 5G bought in China costs 38 euros; the same device in Spain runs around 150. And watch out for 5G: if you don't live in an area with real coverage —and there's little of it in Spain—, next-generation connectivity is a marketing argument you never use.

At the other end, the Google Pixel 9a shows up for around 350 euros if you look hard, with the 10a already above 400. Its selling point isn't the hardware: it's seven years of updates and software-based image processing that competes with far more expensive handsets. In between, there's the second-hand market: resale shops with decent, well-kept mid-range phones, plus Honor and PoCo as entry-level bets with a fruta for lasting. And the detail almost nobody mentions: there are households with two unused Xiaomi Redmi gathering dust in a drawer while a replacement is sought.

The camera Sony promises and delivers doodles with

The most repeated photography ranking is merciless: iPhone first, Samsung very close, and the rest looking on. Reviews sell branded sensors and comparisons with flagship phones, but the average user's reality is usually different: the phone that promised a stunning camera takes mediocre photos. Buying by megapixels is buying smoke.

While the market makes up its mind, the practical conclusion is uncomfortable: the best handset is the one already paid for, even if it won't turn on.