Some popular brands such as Samsung and Apple have already stopped including chargers in their smartphone retail boxes. It looks like other brands are planning to follow suit. The tipster Mukul Sharma said on his Twitter account that OnePlus and Oppo will soon stop shipping inbox chargers in India.
Both smartphone brands are yet to confirm this, but Sharma claimed that his sources informed him about the latest update. Given that Apple and Google don't offer adapters, this may not come as a surprise to many. Samsung does this not only with its premium phones but also with its mid-range devices. Budget models still come with a charger.
Companies such as Vivo, iQOO, and Xiaomi still offer in-box chargers with their smartphones. A few months ago, Realme decided to ship its Realme Narzo 50A Prime without a charger. The company clarified that this would only be done with one smartphone, with the rest of the devices coming with a charging brick.
But why have technology companies done away with inbox chargers? Well, most of them claim that the decision was made to do a little bit more for the environment by not having a wall charger because it has less packaging and less global warming CO2 emissions.
But these brands are not talking about one thing. By removing chargers from all retail boxes, tech companies not only save money but also generate additional revenue by selling them separately. Apple saves $6.5 billion by not including chargers and earbuds with their phones.
But the trend backfired. Apple recently had to pay a fine of BRL 100 million (approximately 150 crores) in Brazil for selling the iPhones with a charger and doing a profitable business out of it. A national court has said the charger is an integral part of the phone, and the company must ship it in a box.
