Apple Developing Replaceable-Battery Apple Pencils for 2027 to Meet New EU Regulation

Overview

Apple is developing new Apple Pencil models with easier-to-replace batteries, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman cited by 9to5Mac, with the redesigned styluses expected to launch alongside new iPad Pro hardware in 2027. The changes are aimed at complying with an EU rule requiring that “portable batteries are readily removable and replaceable by the end user, during the lifetime of the product,” according to 9to5Mac.

What We Know

• According to 9to5Mac, citing Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, “Apple is developing new Apple Pencil models launching alongside iPad Pro devices in spring 2027,” with new battery systems “which would make them more easily user-replaceable in order to comply with upcoming EU regulation.”
• Engadget reports Apple is working on two specific models: an entry-level Apple Pencil update with USB-C charging, internally codenamed B582, and a refreshed Apple Pencil Pro, codenamed B632, both targeted for the first half of 2027.
• AppleInsider, citing Bloomberg’s “Power On” newsletter, similarly reports that “Apple is expected to release an updated Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil with USB-C in early 2027,” alongside the iPad Pro with M6 that AppleInsider says “is expected in early 2027.”
• The regulation driving the redesign is Article 11 of the EU Batteries Regulation, which 9to5Mac says “came into effect in 2023 but is not legally applicable until February 2027.” AppleInsider similarly notes “the European Union mandated in 2023 that consumer electronics must have easily replaced batteries by 2027.”
• Per 9to5Mac, the rule’s scope extends beyond phones to “accessories like rechargeable styli, keyboard and mice, headphones and more.”
• Both 9to5Mac and AppleInsider describe the current Apple Pencil in identical terms: “a hunk of plastic filled with glue” that is “virtually impossible to repair.”
• Engadget notes that iFixit has separately rated all existing Apple Pencil models “repairability fails” because their internal batteries cannot be swapped once they degrade.
• 9to5Mac reports that smartphones such as iPhones “may already comply through Apple’s Self Service Repair program,” while AirPods present a harder case: “there isn’t an obvious way Apple could manufacture miniaturized wireless earbuds that allow for the battery to be easily replaced.”
• Engadget points to precedent, noting Apple previously “switched to USB-C on the iPhone 15 lineup due to similar regulatory pressure” from the EU.

What We Don’t Know

None of the reports specify what new features, if any, the redesigned Apple Pencils will include beyond battery replaceability; AppleInsider notes the update “could simply be focused around the battery change” rather than new capabilities. Reporting also varies on the precise launch window, describing it as “spring 2027,” “early 2027” and “the first half of 2027” across the three outlets. Pricing for the new styluses, the exact construction change needed to remove the internal adhesive, and how Apple might eventually address battery replaceability in more miniaturized accessories such as AirPods remain unaddressed in current reporting.

Analysis

The Apple Pencil overhaul would make Apple the latest major electronics maker to redesign a flagship accessory around the EU’s removable-battery mandate. Nintendo has previously moved to introduce a Switch 2 hardware revision with a user-replaceable battery in Europe under the same regulation. Where Nintendo’s fix required only modest trade-offs to battery capacity and weight, Apple’s challenge looks different: the Pencil line, according to both 9to5Mac and AppleInsider, is currently held together with internal adhesive rather than screws or seams, suggesting compliance may require a more fundamental construction change than a simple hardware revision.