A law requiring smartphone manufacturers to have USB-C charging for their devices has passed in Saudi Arabia.

After the EU put into effect a USB-C charging mandate, the Saudi Arabian government quickly followed its steps. Starting in 2025, Apple iPhone models and Android phones will need to have USB-C charging if they are to be sold in Saudi Arabia. The same mandate is being applied to laptops effective 2026.

The Saudi Arabian government explained the reason for the law, saying that the change will improve the user experience, reduce overall costs, and cut down on electronic waste. User experience is heightened as they can borrow or buy the correct cables and get better data transfer speed.

The Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization and Communications, Space, and Technology Commission made the announcement and said that starting January 1, 2025, all new routers, headphones, smartphones, speakers, and keyboards should have USB-C charging ports.