Forget reduflation. That an iPhone, a Galaxy S22 or a top of the range from another firm reaches the market with half the accessories of a few years ago, is not the fault of the war in Ukraine or the post-pandemic era, it is something that has happened since long ago.
We live in difficult times. Before, it was not only easier to buy a flat, go out to dinner or travel without leaving half a salary in gasoline. Not long ago, when you bought a new smartphone, you would find its charging cable, charger and headphones in the box. Unfortunately, this is something that is increasingly difficult to see in today’s market.
Luckily, there are manufacturers that not only continue to bet on including the adapter and the data cable in their boxes , such as Xiaomi (another thing is what happens with the headphones) but also offer other accessories along with the phone such as they can be screen protectors or cases to protect the device.
The first step, goodbye headphones
From removable batteries to headphone jacks and chargers, companies have removed these features that used to accompany our smartphones since time immemorial. With the arrival of the iPhone 7, Apple permanently eliminated the headphone jack and, despite the fact that many brands laughed at it, many soon followed suit and only kept the USB connection for their headphones.
But it didn’t take long for brands to stop including headphones, either with MiniJack or USB in their boxes. This, beyond serving as an excuse to reduce the space allocated to them and thus collaborate with the environment, meant a good amount of profit for the companies that saw how their wireless headphones began to stand out in sales.
Since the quality of the headsets was not the best and users started to buy headsets separately, phone companies started excluding headsets altogether. Today it is very rare to find this type of accessories together with our new mobiles, unless we buy a cheap mobile that, as in the past, has all the accessories inside.
No charger or cable
The excuse or intention to collaborate in the preservation of the environment has continued until, in 2020, Apple decided to remove the charger from the box of its devices. This caused, once again, its competitors to make fun of the Cupertino firm, but, over time, again there are several who have imitated this strategy and sell their phones without a power adapter.
Curiously, this is beginning to be common, not in the cheapest phones, but in the most expensive ones. Cell phones that cost more than 1,500 euros are sold without these accessories, while cheaper models do have a charger.
Unfortunately, this strategy seems to be reaching every corner of the brand catalogue. Apple no longer sells any iPhones with headphones or chargers, and recently Samsung, another big phone seller, has expanded this strategy to the Galaxy A.
a very dark future
Xiaomi, OPPO, Realme and other Chinese brands do continue to offer the charger and cable along with their new mobiles, but we will see how long they last satisfying this important user need.
The growth of wireless charging, much like wireless headphones have been, is likely to be the final nail in the coffin for power adapters . Soon we will see how only one smartphone comes in the boxes of the devices and we will all have to have a wireless charger that allows us to recharge the battery of our mobiles, as well as other devices.