Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has announced that his company’s latest flagship smartphone, the Mi 11, will be sold without a charger in the box. This is something that Apple began doing with its iPhone 12 lineup, and apparently, it’s convinced other tech giants to follow in its controversial footsteps.
“Xiaomi Mi 11 is officially unveiled with brand new packaging, so light and thin,” a translation reads. “Behind it, we made an important decision: Mi 11 canceled the included charger and responded to the call for technology and environmental protection.”
“Today, everyone has a lot of idle chargers. This is your trouble and a burden on the environment. We are well aware that this decision may not be understood or even complained. Is there a better solution between industry practices and the environment? Next Monday, we will talk at the press conference.”
A report by South Korea’s ET News from over the summer suggested that Samsung would be doing similar by selling its next Galaxy smartphones without chargers. What’s funny is that both Xiaomi and Samsung had subtly mocked Apple in recent months for excluding this vital accessory.
We unboxed the #Mi10TLite – Atlantic Blue variant 😎 You'll get all the essentials, just with less plastic waste. Starting in Europe, we've committed to reducing plastic packaging by about 60%. 🌏 pic.twitter.com/ai1yq3YR92
— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) October 20, 2020
#Samsung deleted Facebook post mocking @Apple #iPhone 12's lack of charger 😂 @SamsungMobile @SamsungIndia #nomorecharger pic.twitter.com/ukOl87bv9v
— iTel iT Service #AppleServiceCenter (@itelitservice) December 22, 2020