Despite mocking Apple for not including a charger on the iPhone, Samsung and Xiaomi should now follow suit and remove the charging adapter from their next smartphones.
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Along with the announcement of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, Apple announced that it would no longer include the charging adapter in all new iPhones, citing environmental concerns. The move was publicly criticized by rival smartphone makers Samsung and Xiaomi.
The day after the announcement of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, Xiaomi posted a video promoting the Mi 10T Pro on social media showing the unpacking of a charger accompanied by the comment “Don’t worry, we didn’t leave anything out of the box.”
Likewise, Samsung posted an image of a charger with the text “Included in the Galaxy” and the message:
Your #Galaxy gives you what you’re looking for. From the most basic as a charger, to the best camera, battery, performance, memory and even 120Hz screen.
Despite these social media posts clearly mocking Apple’s decision, it is believed that Samsung, based on regulatory documents, is removing the Galaxy S21 charger, which is due to be revealed on January 14. This may now be more likely considering that Samsung has entirely deleted its “most basic as a carrier” post from social media, as seen by HTTech.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun also confirmed on Weibo that the company’s next Mi 11 phone will not come with a charger due to environmental concerns. Jun said that smartphone users already have a lot of chargers, so adding another with the Mi 11 would contribute to an unnecessary environmental burden:
Xiaomi Mi 11 is officially presented with an entirely new packaging, so light and thin.
Behind the thinness, we made an important decision: in response to the call for technology and environmental protection, Xiaomi 11 canceled the included charger.
Today, everyone has many idle chargers, which is a burden on you and the environment. We are well aware that this decision may not be understood or even the subject of a complaint. Is there a better solution between industry practice and environmental protection?
iPhones now ship without wired EarPods or a power adapter in the box, with only a Lightning to USB-C charging cable included. With these accessories removed, all new iPhones are now shipped in a slimmer case. Apple touts the environmental benefits of no longer bundling these accessories, noting that the change reduces carbon emissions and avoids mining and the use of rare earth elements.
With a major competitor no longer offering accessories like the power adapter and EarPods, Samsung and Xiaomi can now believe that consumers are prepared to buy accessories separately. Samsung and Xiaomi are known to follow similar trends set by Apple in the past. For example, Samsung scoffed at Apple for removing the doiPhone 7 headset in 2016 before reflecting the decision and launching the 2018 Galaxy A8 without a headset.