Three-quarters of our readers expect a charger in the box with a new phone

Smartphone customers are feeling boxed out.

What you need to know

• Over the weekend, we polled AC readers to see how they felt about the new trend of smartphone companies not including phone chargers in the box.
• Over three-quarters of respondents said that they expect a charger in the box with a new phone.
• Fewer than a quarter said they didn’t need or want a new charger, while less than 10% said that they didn’t care either way.

Ever since Apple and Samsung began removing chargers from the packaging of their high-end smartphones, technology pundits and regular people alike have had mixed opinions on the subject. Those market leaders (as well as the other companies who have begun to follow them) tout the saturation of chargers in the home and on the market as a major reason why they’ve decided to exclude the charging bricks. In addition, they say that removing them reduces packaging and shipping costs, which then theoretically get passed to the consumer (though this too is up for debate).

These companies have also evoked environmental reasons for excluding the accessories, claiming that many of these chargers end up in the trash and contribute to the growing global e-waste problem. Regardless of their reasons, we wanted to know how you as smartphone customers feel about the decision to leave chargers out of the boxes of new smartphones.

According to our weekend poll, just over 74% said that there should be a charger in the box with a new phone, while fewer than 8% were indifferent on the matter. Nearly 18% said they didn’t need another charger in their lives and had plenty lying around their homes.

As you might expect, our readers had plenty to say on this charged topic…

Reader Tomys blackbird said

It doesn’t matter to me personally because I already have a bunch of chargers and cables that are probably better than what comes with most phones. But if my friends and family are any indication, the average person loses/destroys charging accessories pretty regularly. So a phone not coming with a charger is crappy. And, you know, you probably shouldn’t ship an item without a way to charge it if it does.

Several other readers also suggested alternative options, like OEMs offering discounts or vouchers to get chargers if buyers want or need them.

I think it should be optional. If I already have a compatible charger for my new phone, I don’t mind. But if I don’t, I’d definitely want one in the box. Smartphone makers need to give customers the power to choose. https://t.co/zoLfT0PDMe

— Namerah Saud Fatmi (@NamerahS) August 22, 2021

Rather than include a charger, how about a voucher that you can use to buy a charger should you want one or buy something else from the play store?

— Cristian (@Meleagru) August 21, 2021

Reader Remrose agreed, adding:

The phones should come with an option “bundle/discount” if you want/buy the charger with the phone. Not everyone has a charger, and how many are good/powerful enough for today’s phones. One’s BlackBerry or Pixel1 chargers will not provide the wattage needed and will leave many consumers with not fully charged/rapid charged phones. So why sell a $1000 phone with XYZ features to be disappointed by an old charger. Like buying a new car and putting your 4+ yr old tires on them.

Our poll is closed, but we’d still love to hear from you. Do you think chargers should be included in the box with new phones? Let us know in the comments below.