Google’s latest Pixel 5a 5G might just be the last Pixel smartphone to ship with a charger in the box. According to The Verge, Google’s new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will not include a charging brick, as the company says most people already have one.
We have already seen companies making fun of Apple’s decision and then later following the same path. Remember when Apple removed the headphone jack first from the iPhone 7 back in 2016? Shortly after, companies started removing the port and now in 2021, a headphone jack is considered to be a niche feature on a smartphone.
Apple argues that not including chargers is a cause for a better environment and instead, gave Type-C to Lightning cables with the iPhone 12 series. However, before the iPhone 11 series, all the iPhones came with a USB Type-A port on their charging bricks which were rendered useless. People buying the iPhone 12 had to anyway buy a charging brick that was compatible with the included cable and also featured faster 18W charging.
Most Android phone makers won’t include charging bricks in the future
Although Android phones have supported Type-C for a long time now, the charging brick included with most smartphones has a Type-A port. Also, there are different proprietary fast-charging technologies on Android devices like OnePlus’s WARP and DASH charging, OPPO’s VOOC, and more. To utilize the full potential of these fast charging tech, phone makers suggest consumers get the only use the genuine accessories that includes both the charging brick and the cable.
But with Google not including a charging brick with the box, customers might be forced to use other USB Type-C cables that they have. The new chargers might actually not support the fast charging tech that’s available on the Pixel devices and customers might have to anyway get a new charging brick from Google.
Doing this will clearly undo what the companies originally intended to do – save the environment by eliminating the need for more chargers. Furthermore, the packaging that comes along with the new charging bricks ordered separately for these new devices will add to the waste that the companies were claiming to reduce.
An ethical take on this one should be like how Xiaomi gave customers a choice whether or not to include a charger in the box or not for free.
Considering the cost of first-party chargers is high as compared to other alternatives available in the market, people also tend to opt for third-party chargers that are cheaper. Cheap chargers wear out relatively quickly and buyers will continue to repeat their purchases thus contradicting the whole point of not including chargers inside the box.
Regardless, make sure you have a Type-C charging brick and a cable lying around your home because your next phone might come without one.
What do you think about the whole charging brick situation? Let us know in the comments below.
