Report: iPhone 12 Won't Include a Charger or EarPods A 20W charger will be sold separately and Apple is ending production of its 5W and 18W chargers.
By Matthew Humphries •
This story originally appeared on PC Mag
Last week images of a 20W iPhone charger leaked, suggesting Apple intended to ship the iPhone 12 with a more powerful adapter. Now it looks as though that was only half right.
As MacRumors reports, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also stated that Apple is manufacturing a 20W charger for the next iPhone, but it won't be included in the box with the handset. In fact, Kuo believes Apple intends to ship the iPhone 12 without a charger included. He also stated last month that there's no EarPods in the box, either. If correct, it means the only accessory included with iPhone 12 models is a Lightning-to-USB cable.
As to why Apple is thought to be doing this, Kuo says the manufacturing costs for the iPhone 12 have increased significantly compared to the iPhone 11 due the addition of 5G. Apple wants to keep pricing the same as iPhone 11, though, so by removing the charger and EarPods from the box, it claws some of the costs back. It also means the iPhone 12 can ship in a smaller, lighter box, which makes shipping per unit cheaper.
Kuo also believes Apple intends to end production of both 5W and 18W chargers before the end of 2020. Having one charger in production streamlines the process and should allow Apple to quickly ramp up 20W charger production to meet demand.
While removing the charger and EarPods from the box would be a bold move by Apple, the company can point to the positive environmental impact of doing so. It's also not a new idea, with Nintendo doing the same for the New Nintendo 3DS XL when it launched in the US and Europe in 2015.
