One of the major reasons the Xiaomi Mi 11 got so much attention was due to the company’s decision of skipping the in-box charger. Xiaomi, unlike Apple, gave users the option to choose whether they want a charger or skip in favor of the environment. The social media eventually started mocking Xiaomi for copying Apple is this regard, the latter being the first manufacturer to ditch the charging adapter officially with the iPhone 12 series.
However, Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun assures that they did not copy Apple while making this decision. In fact, Xiaomi points out to reports way back in 2015 when it floated the idea of skipping the in-box charger. Jun says Xiaomi has long wanted to skip the charging adapter in phone boxes but the idea did not receive a positive response from the consumers. The CEO, however, does not mention what led the company to implement it now.
No in-box charger claimed to be Xiaomi’s original idea
Xiaomi was one of the earliest brands to start skipping on in-box contents in the retail packages. Ever since Xiaomi set foot in India, the company did not include extras such as wired earphones and cases. Additionally, the company has always gone for efficient packaging methods and the use of environmentally friendly options. The company later resorted to including a transparent case with most of its phones.
Ever since last year, Xiaomi started shipping fast chargers as standard with some of its popular models in the affordable categories. The Redmi Note 9 series came as standard with 18W chargers while the more expensive models got the faster 33W adapters.
Xiaomi did indeed toy around with the idea of skipping the in-box charger somewhere around 2015 but it is evident that the decision to implement it now seems inspired by Apple. Ever since the launch of the iPhone 12, Apple has stopped supplying charging adapters for all the iPhone models it sells. Hence, even if you buy a new iPhone XR in 2021, you won’t get the in-box charger. The decision certainly causes inconvenience for new iPhone buyers but it starts making sense when you consider the default charger only supported the slow 5W charging speeds.
In the case of the Mi 11, users have to opt for its 55W fast charging adapter n order to enjoy the best charging speeds. While consumers get an option in China to choose the charger, rumors suggest the global version will come as standard with the charger. However, it remains to be seen as to how long Xiaomi takes before it stops supplying chargers in the box even for its affordable phones. Samsung is the other big name in the industry said to ditch the charger with the upcoming Galaxy S21 series flagships.
from Xiaomi had plans to ditch in-box charger back in 2015, says company CEO
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