iPhone 12 doesn't come with a charger in the box – here's why

iphone 12
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple has announced that it will no longer ship new iPhones with a charger – and that includes the recently announced iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini.

Apple’s decision was rumored over a month ago, with many speculating that Apple would ditch the charger in a bid to reduce e-waste. Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, told GQ back in September that the company had vowed to do more.

“We’re always looking at ways to minimize the e-waste from our products. It’s a continuous effort and an important one. We’re fortunate that people buy a lot of Apple products, so we know that the decisions we make in this regard are going to have an enormous impact. It’s our responsibility to minimize packaging and minimize what’s in the packaging if it’s not something the customer needs.”

The Cupertino company is aiming to have net zero climate impact by 2030. 

Apple revealed its decision to not include a charger in the box during its iPhone 12 launch event, where the company also showed off its new iPhone 12 Pro, which includes Dolby Vision and some seriously impressive camera tech. 

With millions of chargers out in the wild already, Apple is confident users won’t be in need of another one, and therefore e-waste should be significantly reduced. It’s not ideal for those who are new to Apple products, admittedly, but if it helps protect the environment, it’s hard to be too annoyed with Apple’s decision. 

Adam Vjestica

Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.

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