First, we talk about Apple phones at the launch of the iPhone 12, Apple discloses it no longer includes charging bricks in the box. And then other distributors first ridiculed the Cupertino company for this, and some of them finally followed suit.
Samsung will stop bundling chargers with its smartphones, starting in 2021. in the S21 cell phone Samsung does not include a charger nor with the recently released Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. and Google’s Pixel 6 won’t have one either. Even Xiaomi also announced that its Mi 11 smartphone wouldn’t have a charger in the box, although it eventually refer and put one in.
But what’s the real reason behind switching or taking this step? let’s get back to find the exact reason
- For the environment.
- Saving a Few Bucks in the Box.
- Waste-making accessories.
For the environment:
The apple company also said that there were already over 2 billion Apple power adapters out there, with more made by other manufacturers,
So expecting these numbers Apple decided not to include these items in the box anymore, thus reducing resource consumption while at the same time allowing the iPhone packaging to be smaller. reducing its logistical carbon footprint Apple could ship up to 70% more phones in one container because the iPhone box is more compact.
In 2020 during the iPhone 12 launch, Apple announced that it would not include Lightning headphones and a charging brick in the box. The reason behind that is this decision is that most iPhone users already have Lightning headphones, and more are switching to wireless earbuds.
Saving a Few Bucks in the Box
On the face of it, Apple’s move looks like a sound decision. After all, shouldn’t we be in favor of reducing waste and resource use? ultimately other companies like Samsung and Google followed suit, with the S21 and Pixel 6 reportedly not including a charger in the box.
Waste making accessories
However, one argument against this decision is that it’s actually exacerbating the waste problem. Because even though the company may have saved on resources, packaging, and shipping, some users will still need to buy accessories not included in the box.
Electronic waste
Most people have too many chargers by now, and we don’t need any more electronic waste going into landfills. The whole point of standardizing USB charging is so that we won’t need to include a charger with every single product that needs to be thrown out when product is thrown out.
So instead of having to create a slightly larger box for one smartphone, manufacturers now have to make two entirely different kinds of packaging to accommodate the phone and the charger. And if a consumer buys an adapter from another manufacturer, it would constitute a totally different supply chain—thus expanding that particular user’s carbon footprint.
Apple
While Apple argued that most of its user base already has these accessories, you have to look at evolving technology. For example, past iPhones came with a Lightning adapter. However, the current model comes with a USB-C to Lightning cable, thus rendering the old iPhone charging brick incompatible.
Samsung
Whatever the reason behind that is, there were mixed reactions to Apple’s announcement. While other companies like Samsung eventually followed suit. Samsung’s Galaxy S21 did not come with a charger, and neither did the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3.
Xiaomi
One more piece of news is also spread out is that in December 2020 that the new Xiaomi Mi 11 wouldn’t come with a charger. the company eventually relented and included a 55W fast charger in the box.
Even Google got into this ruin by announcing that the Google Pixel 5A will be the last Pixel phone to come with a charger in the box. It clarified this by saying that most people already have a USB-C charging brick, so why add it to everyone’s charger collection?
Compromise between consumers and manufacturers
Both manufacturers and consumers make valid arguments. Shipping phones without chargers and earphones does mean less use of resources for accessories that might be unwanted or unused.
To ship phones in two configurations with and without chargers at different prices is one reasonable solution to this problem. That way, the consumer can decide for himself if they need it or not.
This is a fruitful solution for all including some savings for the manufacturer, freedom to choose for the consumer, and less actual waste for the environment.
A bench of justices S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Madan B. Lokur held that a “battery charger cannot be held to be a composite part of the cell phone but is an independent product which can be sold separately, without selling the cell phone.”