You can replace the battery in an iphone with a hair dryer and basic hand tools. It only takes like 15 minutes. I'm not sure what this legislation is going to result in besides making phones less waterproof and dust proof.
15 minutes maybe for an experienced technician but easily hours for someone who isn't used to device repair which is not reasonable.
Source: iFixit iPhone 13 battery replacement
You've been duped if you honestly think devices can only reach IP68 resistance when they have sealed batteries.
My current phone has a headphone jack and removable sim card tray with removable storage that you can take out easily with your fingernail, and it's IP68 and just as thin if not thinner than current gen iphones.
