'iPhone 12' packaging render points to lack of EarPods, AC adapter

A render of what is claimed to be the box insert for the "iPhone 12" shows a notable lack of space for a charger or EarPods.

Rumors and speculation surrounding the 2020 generation of iPhones has, in recent weeks, covered items that may or may not be included alongside the smartphones. Claims have been made about Apple dropping EarPods and power adapters for the next set of releases, effectively providing the new iPhone owner with just the device and a few peripheral items.

In a rendered image provided to AppleInsider by Ran Avni and claimed to have been acquired from a "reliable source," the box insert that could be used for the "iPhone 12" suggests there will be a lack of major elements. Resting just below the iPhone itself, the insert usually holds a number of important elements and has cavities to match the items, but the version shown offers little capacity for items in general.

Two cavities are shown, consisting of a shallow square element and a circular section, with the former likely to be used for any documentation or stickers Apple issues, while the latter may hold the usual Lightning cable. Neither of the sections are deep enough to hold substantial electronics, like a charger or earphones.

While the move to remove the charger and EarPods from the package will help reduce the overall cost of the purchase to customers, as well as saving Apple money in the process, it could also make the overall packaging for the iPhone smaller.

The removal of EarPods was predicted by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in May to help boost sales of AirPods, possibly dovetailing with some form of promotion. As for the charger, users will be expected to use their existing collection of USB power accessories, though they may also move to purchase a new 20-watt USB-C charger that is reportedly close to shipping.

Despite the rumors, it remains to be seen whether Apple will make such a major change to how it packages its products.

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23 Comments

fallenjt 4056 comments · 13 Years

About 4 years ago

You’ll face lawsuits if you don’t include the charger. User must be able to use the phone out of the box.

mike1 3432 comments · 10 Years

fallenjt said:

You’ll face lawsuits if you don’t include the charger. User must be able to use the phone out of the box.

I would tend to agree, but in the past few months, I have purchased a Kindle Paperwhite reader, JBL Bluetooth speakers and a new pair of AirPods. None of them came with chargers, just the USB cables. Not saying Apple should remove the charger, but I doubt that there would be any legal ramifications since USB ports are ubiquitous these days.

doozydozen 539 comments · 11 Years

Notice how the the iPhone cradle has a rounded edges. I thought the glass covering the next gen iPhone should be flat?

EsquireCats 1268 comments · 8 Years

I think it's more interesting how people literally can't think "outside of the [iPhone] box".

If Apple are going to provide a range of charging options and cables, then it makes total sense to remove the charger from the standard packaging. It's not a baseless idea: two of the EU's concerns about Apple's use of lightning have been charger waste and the need to purchase secondary cables to use other charging options. Apple can work to resolve these concerns by letting the user choose their cable and charging solution. That could include USB-A or USB-C based chargers/charging cables, as well as wireless charging options.

WRT the moulding shown, it shows a connected square and circular area which could also accomodate a wireless charging solution. Noting that the square inlay has Apple's rounded corners which are typical for their products. Also of interest is that the moulding would imply that the phone's edges aren't hard, but still utilising the rounded glass approach.

Japhey 1772 comments · 6 Years

designr said:

I suspect that people are getting this completely wrong and it's quite amazing too.

Here's what this is likely to be:

1. Select your phone
2. Select your power adapter/charging device, where none is an option
3. Select your listening device, where none is a option

In other words, they are likely unbundling and giving people options, including none (if they already have these items).

This is not lawsuit-worthy and should not be surprising or controversial.

I completely agree with you. But if they’re going to give options for chargers and headphones, why not go all in and give us options for the cord as well? I’ve recently purchased 2 new lightning cords, 1 from Amazon Basics and 1 from Anker, and while Anker’s was the better of the 2, both were a million times better than what Apple provides. Those go right in the bottom drawer with the 5w and the EarPods at my house.