Wireless mice from Logitech will only receive a user-replaceable battery in Europe. In all other markets, the manufacturer will continue to sell devices with permanently installed batteries.
This was announced by Logitech’s gaming boss Robin Piispanen in conversation with the US magazine The Verge. The background is the EU Battery Regulation: From February 18, 2027, it will stipulate that users must be able to replace the batteries in many electronic devices themselves. Logitech is complying with this requirement with a specific product variant for the European market, rather than changing its design worldwide.
“Very few people”
From the perspective of the Logitech manager, the European variant is not automatically the better product. Logitech usually uses lightweight soft-pack batteries, i.e., flat cells in a soft casing connected by a very thin cable. This design is not safe for laypeople to handle, which is why the company does not want to make it available for self-replacement.
For Europe, Logitech is therefore switching to hard-pack batteries in a rigid casing that is less likely to be punctured. Damaged lithium batteries can catch fire. However, according to Piispanen, the increased safety comes at a cost: the more robust design is more expensive and adds extra weight. Especially for gaming mice, low weight is a key selling point.
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Logitech will also offer certified replacement batteries in Europe. Piispanen does not expect many buyers to make use of the battery replacement option. “Very few people will do this.”, he tells The Verge.
Logitech has run the numbers and expects only a few replacements. In Piispanen’s view, replaceable batteries make more sense for expensive devices like laptops or smartphones. Wireless mice for 50 to 100 US dollars, on the other hand, are simply replaced by buyers once they wear out.
Like with the Switch 2
With the separate strategy for Europe and the rest of the world, Logitech is following Nintendo’s example. The game manufacturer is releasing a Switch 2 version with a replaceable battery exclusively for the European market to comply with the Battery Regulation. So far, there are no indications that these devices will be offered outside of Europe.
Logitech’s repairability does not extend further for now: According to The Verge, the company does not sell wear parts such as the rubber grips on the sides of the casing or the mouse buttons individually, even though it announced in early 2025 that it would facilitate repairs. Piispanen justifies this by saying that users are highly likely to damage something when opening a mouse. He does not want to sell a spare part that customers will then fail with.
The Battery Regulation is only one part of a larger regulatory framework with which the EU wants to strengthen the right to repair. This also includes ecodesign requirements that oblige manufacturers to provide spare parts for workshops and, in some cases, for end customers.
(dahe)
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This article was originally published in
It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
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