Apple is expected to release the iPhone 12 later this year and rumors of the specifications have been making the rounds for a while. Other interesting titbits regarding the in-box accessories have also been reported, such as the possible exclusion of EarPods in the box. Now, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has today added to that information (via MacRumors), suggesting that the company will not be including a power adapter in the iPhone 12 box.
Kuo reiterated that both, the EarPods and the power adapter will be excluded from the in-box accessories. This information corroborates earlier reporting that predicted the absence of these accessories, which also added that the only accessory bundled with the device would be a Lightning connector to USB Type-C cable.
The Cupertino giant will reportedly sell a new 20W fast charger separately as an optional accessory. This rumored USB-C power delivery (PD) based charger (pictured below, which was leaked on Twitter) might completely replace the current crop of 5W - shipped with the iPhone 11 - and 18W - shipped with the iPhone 11 Pro series - power adapters, with the firm ceasing production for the older accessories sometime later this year. It is not clear what the asking price of the new power adapter would be.
The analyst cites increased production costs of the iPhone owing to 5G support as the possible reason for the change. With the exclusion of the costs of the earphones and charger, the company aims to match the price of the new-generation smartphone with that of its predecessor. However, Kuo expects the company to market the removal of these accessories as being environmentally friendly. Lastly, the KGI Securities analyst also expects Apple to stop shipping the 5W charger with the second-generation iPhone SE.
If the reports turn out to be accurate, it will be interesting to see how the company communicates these changes. Expecting users to spend extra money on chargers for a premium product such as the iPhone might not bode well with customers.