Since 2020, Apple has started a trend in the smartphone industry with its iPhone 12 lineup. Yes, we’re talking about the controversial decision from Apple to remove all chargers from the boxes of its brand new iPhone 12 series.
In the name of environmental awareness, Apple clarifies that it is looking to reduce its carbon footprint via reducing the production of its plastic chargers that come in its sealed new iPhone 12 boxes. Apple further explains that it has gathered surveys from its users and many iPhone users mention that they don’t use the new charger in the box as they reuse back the charger they got from their previous iPhone.
Since then, Android manufacturers, specifically Samsung, followed the trend and started removing chargers starting with its Galaxy S21 flagship series. Xiaomi almost followed the trend with its Mi 11, however, during the launch in China, they did give consumers the choice of choosing between a box with a charger or one without the charger.
In a Chinese forum, one Chinese netizen specifically voiced his disgust against the new policies practiced by Apple and Samsung, because this practice has affected consumers directly as they had to spend more to buy a new charger that supports fast charging. This was mainly because the new phones only support the marketed fast charging speeds with the supported brand charger (which is not included in the box). In turn, the consumers had to pay more, and more plastic packaging was wasted in the process of packaging the phone and charger separately as opposed to packing them together in the same box in the first place. So the netizen hoped that the Chinese government takes action on these companies.
China’s MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) took notice of the social media post. It replied that regarding the issue of chargers being sold separately from the phone, manufacturers should explicitly list in all of its marketing materials that the device does not include the charger in the box when they advertise the phone comes with fast charging. This is because it is the consumers’ right to be informed before making a purchase decision. And in the end, the consumer should be the one in charge of making the purchase decision themselves, whether they should buy the device or not.
MIIT further adds that if it is explicitly stated in the marketing materials, the consumer is already informed that they have to pay extra to buy the faster charging, therefore they should be ready to pay more to get the extra feature that they want in their phone. While it is indeed true that we are seeing the trend of chargers sold separately in several flagships from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi, MIIT notes that if the practice is not a safety hazard or health hazard to consumers, the feasibility of the practice can be observed over time.
Further, China’s MIIT also suggested companies should ensure that the correct information is passed on to their users to ensure that the satisfaction rate of their customers still remains at a competitive level.
Considering this comment comes from the official Chinese organization which regulates the development and approval of smartphones in China, it looks like the trend of selling separate chargers from the smartphone will continue in China.
So, what do you think of this increasing trend of removing chargers from smartphone boxes?
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