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Reliable leaker backs reports of no charger or EarPods in slim iPhone 12 box

A leaker with a solid track-record has backed reports that the iPhone 12 will ship with no charger or EarPods, reducing costs for Apple and enabling the new phones to ship in a much slimmer box.

The new iPhone 12 packaging is said to be ‘exquisite’ …

The report comes from the Twitter account @L0vetodream, which correctly predicted the iPad Pro, Magic Keyboard and iPhone SE launches several months ahead.

In my dream, the new iPhone will not come with the charger and earphone, this even applying to SE2. The new packaging box become thinner, and Exquisite.

The suggestion that Apple would exclude EarPods from the iPhone 12 box was first made by Ming-Chi Kuo, another source with a decent track-record. The analyst did, however, hedge by saying that they ‘may’ not be included.

Kuo’s own sources are in Apple’s supply-chain, and may reflect reduced orders for the entry-level in-ear headphones. Another analyst backed this, again based on supply-chain reports.

Our checks that likely no wired EarPods will come in the iPhone 12 box/packaging.

While some suggested that this was intended to boost sales of AirPods, I’m not personally convinced.

If you’re happy with Lightning headphones, you can buy a pair of official Apple ones for $18, or third-party ones for even less. If that’s all you want, then you’re not in the market for spending anything from $159 to $249 on AirPods.

A separate Kuo report then said that Apple would also be omitting the charger from the box.

Kuo says that Apple wants to keep selling the iPhone 12 at a similar price to the iPhone 11 and removing in-box accessories will offset the cost of the 5G networking components. This will presumably reduce the size of the iPhone packaging considerably, helping lower Apple’s freight costs and be better for the environment. It’s not clear if the Lightning cable is still included.

I personally think that would be a step too far, and most readers agree. However, if this latest report is correct, then Apple disagrees.

A conflicting report had suggested that the iPhone 12 might actually ship with a better charger, but it now seems the 20W one seen in photos may simply be destined for sale as an optional accessory.

It remains unclear whether or not Apple will launch this year’s iPhones in September, or whether the keynote presentation will be delayed.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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