Would you buy a phone that doesn't come with a charger in the box?

By Joe Maring
published

Samsung's 25W charger
Samsung's 25W charger (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

Love it or hate it, there's no denying the impact Apple has on the entire mobile tech industry. When it dropped the headphone jack from the iPhone 7, just about every Android phone maker was quick to follow. The iPhone X popularized the infamous notch, and once again, the Android market followed.

There's a new report that Apple will not include EarPods or a charging adapter in the iPhone 12's box, with this being an attempt to save money given the iPhone 12's increased production costs compared to past models.

Not including a charging adapter would mean the iPhone 12 comes with no out-of-the-box way to refuel the battery — something we've come to expect with every phone that's released. We recently asked our AC forum members what they think about this, and this is what they had to say.

It's beyond stupid not to include a required charger, as it is their cords are low quality and prone to failure, just another way for them to make cash and sadly it won't hurt their sales. If this is true I'm sure fan boys will proclaim it's a great thing to buy the charger separate and all Androids should do the same.

L0n3N1nja

I guess I can kind of understand the reason for this, since so many people have mountains of chargers and charging cables at home. I think it'd make more sense if Apple gave consumers the option to get a charger/cable with their phone (for free) or not. Just have the charger in a separate package and hand them to the consumer if they request it. But don't charge for it -- that's tacky.

B. Diddy

I haven't used an OEM charger in years. Even with my new LG V60, it's only seen the OEM charger and cable once, just to see what it would do. It wouldn't bother me if those were no longer included. I would throw the caveat in that I would expect that cost cutting to translate to a lower phone price, but it's such a cheap accessory that there's no way to tell unless they offer a version with the...

Mooncatt

One word. Courage. FML I guess they're finally coming out with some wireless charger like no other, that's just simply amazing. What I hate even more is, Samsung and the rest will make this move as well.

bembol

This got us to wondering — Would you buy a phone that doesn't come with a charger in the box?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Joe Maring
Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.

16 Comments
  • As long as it supported USB-PD. Wouldn't buy say, a OnePlus phone that didn't include one.
  • iPhone users would buy an iPhone even if it didn't have a screen or battery.
  • That's the dumbest $hit I've heard.
  • No... A charger should come as standard operating equipment for a "mobile/cellular phone". Not everyone everywhere use smart phones everywhere, some are still old school and might suddenly upgrade.... and a new phone without a charger sucks...
  • If Apple does that Android manufactures will make fun and the following year or two do the same lol. Just like how Samsung and Google mocked Apple for removing the head phone jack and eventually followed.
  • Of course! And why not? Cars come without a spare tire these days! And I personally could open a store with all that cable/charger junk amounted over the years.
    But, they could also make it optional when buying a new phone. Then, if you need one you get a charger and if not, then not.
  • No. Adding another $20 charger to the collection littering my house is make-or-break when I'm spending a thousand dollars on a phone. /s because internet.
  • Yes I would buy a phone that doesn't come with a charger. I have too many already. The last time I used the charger that came with the phone was when I bought the original Moto Z Force Droid and that was because it was my first USB-C phone. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my Moto Z2 Play. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my iPhone XR. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my Moto Z4. Phones in mature markets should not ship with chargers in the box.
  • Yes! This is in preparation of the modular iPhone: screen, motherboard, cameras, and battery sold separately. 🤫🤭🤣
  • Absolutely not. This is a major difference between Apple and Android.
    Apple is, well, Apple. They are the OEM. Single brand, single product line, single standard.
    So, you can buy an OEM charger and cable that will work with any iPhone or iPad anywhere.
    You can also buy a third party charger from a reputable company - i.e. Logitech, Belkin, Anker, even AmazonBasics - that will work too, although it might not be as fast. This IS NOT the case with Android devices. Multiple devices, multiple brands, multiple product lines, multiple standards EVEN FROM THE SAME OEM. Samsung, for example, manufacturers Android, ChromeOS, Tizen and Windows devices. Lenovo manufactures Android, ChromeOS, Windows and Linux (Fedora and Ubuntu) devices. It was different (sort of) when chargers were "dumb" devices. But now, chargers have microchips - actual CPUs - in them. Also, I noticed that if you bought a "premium" phone from, say, Motorola or LG, you would get a great cable and charger. If you got a budget phone from those guys ... not so much. Which meant charging your premium phone with a budget charger made by another OEM was a bad idea. Charging your premium phone with a budget charger made by the same OEM was also less than ideal. Granted, this is not the case for wireless chargers as all wireless chargers need to conform to a standard. But with chargers - and even the cables - the hardware and the specs matter. I found that out years ago when I would buy random cables and chargers from various places ... and they would barely charge my device. Some would only slow down the rate that it would take the battery to die! And being able to use it as a data/sync cable when you plug your phone up to a ChromeOS/Linux/Windows/macOS PC and use it as a USB drive? Or connect it to Android Studio/adb? Forget it. Even relatively expensive cables were hit or miss. You really were better off with the OEM cables. I will grant you, most of this was during the micro-USB era and things have gotten a lot better in the USB Type C era. Still, if you buy Android devices and especially buy them from anyone other than Samsung or Google, you are better off with an OEM cable and charger so that at least you can establish a baseline.
  • There are charging standards though.
  • Apple has been taking advantage of their customers for years so why would this surprise anyone?
    They always come back for more anyway.
  • No unless there giving something else to replace it
  • I buy used handsets all the time without chargers. The only time I concern myself with chargers is when there are significant hardware differences, such as Q2 to Q3.
  • Next, they will have to pay for the screen
  • Yes, why not, if that reflects on the price!