Durability and repairability: why some smartphones will now cost more ?

Le prix des smartphones devrait être impacté par un bonus et malus prochainement. MAXPPP – Guillaume Bonnefont

Le gouvernement envisage la possibilité d'un bonus et d'un malus pour les smartphones en fonction de leur indice de réparabilité. Mais quelles vont être les répercussions sur les prix de ces derniers ?

Bonuses and penalties. Indeed, when it comes to choosing a smartphone, future buyers will be able to either benefit from purchasing assistance of 40 euros, or from a penalty of 20 euros. This will depend on its durability index and its ease of repair, indicates BFMTV. Other devices, such as computers or tablets, could be affected by this measure.

Durability and repairability

Indeed, the reparability index is at the heart of this reflection by the Ministry of Ecology. The latter, implemented in 2021, consists of indicating the ease of repairing a smartphone yourself, without needing to go to a professional. It is different from that of durability which is based on other criteria such as the solidity of the coating or the intrinsic quality of the components.

Thus, if the sustainability index is less than 6.9/10, a penalty of 20 euros will have to be settled. But if this repairability index is greater than 8.2/10, then a bonus of 40 euros at the time of purchase is granted .

This system should be applied from July 1, but this date could be delayed for manufacturers as well as distributors who would be given time to adapt.

A question of clue

However, the impact of this measure should not be as significant as one might believe since this measure provides neither bonus nor penalty for smartphones between 6.9/10 and 8.2/10 inclusive, specifies BFMTV. Thus, the price of the 5 best-selling mobiles in France should remain unchanged.

As evidenced by these scores: 7.6/10 for the iPhone 15 Pro, 8.2/10 for the Samsung Galaxy S23, 7.5/10 for the ;#39;iPhone 15, 6.9/10 for the iPhone 14, 8.2/10 for the Samsung Galaxy S23+.

But those targeted by the penalty still remain relatively popular models, particularly at Apple, namely the iPhone SE (6.4/10) or even the iPhone SE (6.4/10). iPhone 13 (6.4/10).

But the bonus should only be granted very rarely, since it hardly concerns any device. Same observation for computers, where more penalties will be granted, with the MacBook Air with the M2 chip and its score of 6.6/10. As a result, the sustainability index could be based on the sustainability index and thus replace it, indicated the Ministry of Ecological Transition to the World .