Apple will release the iPhone 12 without EarPods or a power adapter, according to a report from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, corresponding with previous reports from Barclays.
Kuo has suggested that, rather than releasing a new iPhone with the usual power cable, Apple will announce a new 20W power adapter, which will be sold as an optional extra.
The usual 5W and 18W power adapters won’t be included in the box but will be available for users to purchase one online when they buy their new iPhone. The new 20W adapter will offer USB-C power delivery, speeding up the charging process, according to leaked photos.
One of the biggest reasons for ditching the power adapter with the next iPhone is because the cost of production on the device will increase. That’s because of the introduction of 5G support for the first time.
Rather than increasing the new cost of the new models, Apple is planning to make some tweaks to the way it packages its iPhones to cut costs. One of those is to remove EarPods and the usual power adapter, which will also benefit the environment.
All is not lost, though. According to a report from UK bank Barclays, Apple will still ship a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box as standard, so users can plug in their new iPhones to their MacBooks or existing power adapters, should they have one that’s USB-C compatible.
Apple is also expected to stop including a power adapter with the iPhone SE later this year, but it will still include one with the iPad, iPad Air, and iPad mini for the time being.
Long-term, the company plans to remove power adapters from all of its devices to reduce costs and to encourage users to reuse old adapters. Most consumers have many lying around at home.
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