For environmental reasons, Apple has decided to withdraw the earphones (except for Spain because the law of July 12, 2010 requires manufacturers to provide "an accessory that limits the exposure of the head to radioelectric emissions") and the chargers of the boxes of its new flagships, so first-time buyers find themselves without an AC adapter, despite the presence of a USB‑C charging cable.
To help you find the adapter that will boost your iPhone, we've rounded up your best alternatives. Before that, we explain the reasons that led Apple to remove this flagship accessory from the box.
iPhone 12 without charger
During their launch, Apple confirmed that the four new iPhone 12 models will not have a charger or earphones.
They are sold with a USB-C to Lightning cable, via which you can recharge them provided you have a USB-C adapter or a USB-C port on your computer. However, if the only adapter sockets you have accommodate the older USB standard, then it won't work.
Note that according to Mark Gurman, journalist at Bloomberg, the Apple brand will also abandon the charger for other models, such as the iPhone SE.
In addition to removing the charging adapter from the newest iPhones today, look for Apple to do the same for the SE and other iPhones it’ll keep selling.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) October 13, 2020The reason for such absence
To some extent, Apple's decision makes sense because the majority of buyers already have the adapter needed to charge their device.
The same goes for headphones, except for the exceptional case of Spain, mentioned earlier. Indeed, many users are getting rid of them in favor of their own intras, or even AirPods which have become increasingly popular.
Lisa Jackson, the vice president of political and social environmental initiatives, justified the decision at the Hi, Speed conference. She had announced that already more than 700 million Lightning headphones had been sold worldwide. There are also more than two billion Apple adapters worldwide, not counting those marketed by third-party manufacturers.
To this, she added that the removal of these surplus accessories had also led to a reduction in the size of the boxes, and thus the carbon emissions of Apple's supply chain.
However, as you can imagine, many users feel they have been fooled by the American giant.
These complaints are justified by the fact that Apple offers a Lightning charging cable in its box. However, many consumers have old USB chargers, which forces the purchase of a new USB-C adapter.
Which power adapter should I buy?
Apple includes a USB-C to Lightning cable with the iPhone 12, so we've chosen compatible USB-C power adapters.
- 30W USB-C power adapter: €55
- 20W USB‑C power adapter: €25
You can also get USB-C power adapters for less on Amazon. Anker's 30W model retails for €26,99, otherwise there's a 20W one for less than €20. As for the Aukey USB-C with two ports of 30 watts, it is sold at 25,99 €.
To charge two devices at the same time, there is the PowerPort+ Atom III from Anker for 45 €. Its USB-C port delivers up to 45 W and its USB-A port 15 W.
