Pixel phones include an 18W USB-C power adapter in the box, but the upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro flagships will ship without Google’s standard in-box charger.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- The upcoming Pixel 6 line won’t include a charger in the box
- That’s because most people have a USB-C charger today
- Pixel 5A is the last Pixel to ship with a charging brick
- Google’s move follows Apple and Samsung
No charger for you in the Pixel 6 box
Google has confirmed to The Verge that its upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will ship without an in-box charging brick because most people already have USB-C chargers.
Charger removal will surely help Google save costs, but the company is unlikely to pass on the cost savings of not including a charger to the consumer. Not bundling a power brick with a phone should also result in thinner packaging, making it more environmentally friendly.
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Google offers a smartphone charger along with a one-meter USB-C cable as a standalone purchase, priced at $35. Both Apple and Samsung price their standalone smartphone chargers at $20 apiece, but Apple does not bundle its chargers with a charging cable.
The company has also acknowledged that its $499 iPhone SE competitor, dubbed Pixel 5A, will be the last pixel phone to arrive with an 18-watt charger in the box.
Why do some phones ship without a charger?
It’s the same rationale Apple used to explain why it had stopped shipping chargers with iPhones back in 2020. And a few months later, rival Samsung followed in Apple’s footsteps.
The companies cite environmental responsibility as a primary reason for their move.
However, some people are not entirely convinced that that’s the case.
But then again, some people vehemently opposed Apple’s decision to remove the standard 3.5mm headphone audio jack from the iPhone 7 line back in 2017. But fast forward to today and now many high-end smartphones lack this port. If you belong to the same camp, you’re probably thinking that omitting a charger from a smartphone box is a cheap, cost-saving move.