Ecodesign preparatory study on mobile phones, smartphones and tablets Final Task 4 Report Technologies Written by Fraunhofer IZM, Fraunhofer ISI, VITO February – 2021 Authors: Karsten Schischke (Fraunhofer IZM) Christian Clemm (Fraunhofer IZM) Anton Berwald (Fraunhofer IZM) Marina Proske (Fraunhofer IZM) Gergana Dimitrova (Fraunhofer IZM) Julia Reinhold (Fraunhofer IZM) Carolin Prewitz (Fraunhofer IZM) Christoph Neef (Fraunhofer ISI) Contributors: Antoine Durand (Quality control, Fraunhofer ISI) Clemens Rohde (Quality control, Fraunhofer ISI) Simon Hirzel (Quality control, Fraunhofer ISI) Mihaela Thuring (Quality control, contract management, VITO) Study website: https://www.ecosmartphones.info EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Directorate C — Sustainable Industry and Mobility DDG1.C.1 — Circular Economy and Construction Contact: Davide Polverini E-mail: [email protected] European Commission B-1049 Brussels 2 Ecodesign preparatory study on mobile phones, smartphones and tablets Final Task 4 Report Technologies 4 EUROPEAN COMMISSION Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). LEGAL NOTICE This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2021 ISBN number doi:number © European Union, 2021 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium Images © Fraunhofer IZM, 2021 (unless otherwise specified) Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs 2021 CONTENT 1. GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................... 13 2. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 17 3. SUBTASK 4.1 – TECHNICAL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ................................................ 17 3.1. Average Technology: Products .......................................................... 17 3.1.1. Mobile phones ................................................................................... 17 3.1.2. Tablets ............................................................................................... 44 3.1.3. Cordless phones ................................................................................. 57 3.2. Average Technology: Components ..................................................... 65 3.2.1. Frame and back cover ........................................................................ 65 3.2.2. Display assembly ............................................................................... 65 3.2.3. Batteries ............................................................................................. 67 3.2.4. Semiconductors ................................................................................. 74 3.2.5. Camera ............................................................................................... 80 3.2.6. Connections ....................................................................................... 81 3.2.7. Other functional parts ........................................................................ 81 3.2.8. Software ............................................................................................. 82 3.2.9. Chargers ............................................................................................. 85 3.2.10. Accessories ........................................................................................ 85 3.3. BAT – Best Available Technology at product level ................................ 86 3.3.1. Mobile phones ................................................................................... 86 3.3.2. Tablet ................................................................................................. 94 3.3.3. Cordless phones ............................................................................... 100 3.4. BAT – Best Available Technology at component level .......................... 100 3.4.1. Battery ............................................................................................. 101 3.4.2. Cover and backside glass ................................................................. 101 3.4.3. Parts with recycled or bio-based materials ...................................... 102 3.4.4. Semiconductors ............................................................................... 102 3.5. BNAT – Best Not Available Technology ............................................. 102 3.5.1. Housing with 100% recycled plastics .............................................. 102 3.5.2. Universal compatibility ................................................................... 102 3.5.3. Product modularity .......................................................................... 103 3.5.4. Modular RAM and modular SSD .................................................... 103 3.5.5. Display cover glass .......................................................................... 103 3.5.6. Solid state batteries (SSB) ............................................................... 103 3.5.7. Technology Outlook ........................................................................ 104 4. SUBTASK 4.2 – PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND END-OF-LIFE ............................. 109 4.1. Product weight and Bills‐of‐Materials (BOMs) ..................................... 110 6 Ecodesign preparatory study on mobile phones, smartphones and tablets 4.2. Assessment of the primary scrap production during sheet metal manufacturing ............................................................................... 110 4.3. Packaging materials ....................................................................... 111 4.4. Volume and weight of the packaged product ..................................... 111 4.5. Actual means of transport employed in shipment of components, sub‐ assemblies and finished products ..................................................... 112 4.6. Technical product life ..................................................................... 112 4.7. Materials flow and collection effort at end‐of‐life ................................ 113 5. PUBLICATION BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................. 113 6. ANNEX .............................................................................................................. 121 6.1. Tested DECT phones ...................................................................... 121 7 FIGURES Figure 1: Teardown of a smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S5) ................................. 18 Figure 2: Development of the amount of RAM and internal storage employed in smartphones between 2010 and 2019 (Clemm et al. 2020) .................. 21 Figure 3: Development of the amount of RAM and internal storage employed in mobile phones between 2000 and 2020 per price category (Proske et al. 2020a) ...................................................................................... 21 Figure 4: Development of internal storage employed in smartphones, 2017- 2020, market share (data provided by an anonymous OEM) ................. 22 Figure 5: Development of the display size and screen-to-body ration in smartphones between 2010 and 2019 (Clemm et al. 2020) .................. 22 Figure 6: Development of the display size and screen-to-body ration in mobile phones between 2005 and 2020 per price segment (Proske et al. 2020a) ........................................................................................... 23 Figure 7: Development of weight and weight per display size in mobile phones between 2000 and 2020 per price segment (Proske et al. 2020a) .......... 23 Figure 8: Smartphone display designs – market share, 2019, Europe .................... 24 Figure 9: display type and resolution of mobile phones between 2000 and 2020 (Proske et al. 2020a) ....................................................................... 24 Figure 10: Mobile network generation technology in mobile phones between 2000 and 2020 (Proske et al. 2020a) ......................................................... 25 Figure 11: Smartphones - 5G market penetration forecast (data provided by an anonymous OEM) ............................................................................ 25 Figure 12: Evolution of smartphone case joining techniques applied to the best- selling smartphones in Europe (based on market data from Counterpoint Research; market coverage denoted on top of data columns). ....................................................................................... 26 Figure 13: Trend towards the use of adhesives to fix the battery within smartphones among the best-selling smartphones in Europe (based on market data from Counterpoint Research; market coverage denoted on top of data columns) ....................................................... 26 Figure 14: Development of the battery capacity in smartphones between 2010 and 2019 (Clemm et al. 2020) .......................................................... 27 Figure 15: Development of