- The Xiaomi Mi 11 series will not include smartphone chargers in their boxes, the company confirmed.
- The move comes after the company took aim at Apple’s decision to do the same with its iPhone 12 series.
- Xiaomi has now told Android Authority that it may offer alternative Mi 11 series bundles that include GaN chargers.
Update: December 28, 2020 (8 AM ET): Xiaomi has now clarified to Android Authority in an email that its announcement made on Weibo concerned users in China. It has a nifty plan up its sleeve, too. See the firm’s full statement below.
As for the in-box charger removal, the announcement is for Mainland China market. Xiaomi will be offering two versions, one with smartphone only, and the other with the smartphone and a separate 55W GaN charger as a bundle, both at the same price.
This suggests that it might have a different plan in mind for global users. But offering a package with and without a charger for the same price definitely seems like a consumer friendly move.
Original article: December 28, 2020 (2 AM ET): Xiaomi will join Apple and possibly Samsung by leaving out the bundled charger from its Mi 11 series‘ box, the company officially confirmed.
After it made a mighty fuss about including the power brick with the Mi 10T Pro in October, Xiaomi has now taken to Weibo to clarify its stance ahead of its next flagship’s launch and to celebrate its “light and thin� packaging as a result.
The company cites the environment as the primary reason for the move, adding that “everyone has a lot of chargers,� per a machine-translated version of the post. “We are well aware that this decision may not be understood or even complained,� continues Xiaomi, according to the shaky machine translation. The firm has however hinted that a “better solution� could be in the works.
Xiaomi Mi 11: Charging the pros and cons
When the iPhone 12 series debuted with an emptier box, Apple also claimed that environmental reasons were at the heart of its charger-less offering. But as the iPhone maker doesn’t quite focus on improving charging technologies between product launches, it’s arguably less of a bitter pill to swallow for its users.
Xiaomi however debuted its 120W charging smarts this year with the Mi 10 Ultra, a standard that’s largely enabled by the bundled charger. If Xiaomi users want to unlock their flagship phones’ future fast-charging speeds, they’ll likely have to spend even more cash on additional bleeding-edge chargers. To this end, Xiaomi’s move really doesn’t do much for the environment at large but puts consumers on the back foot.
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What it does suggest is that more Android manufacturers are now willing to drop the charger from their smartphones’ boxes. Rumors have swirled for much of 2020 that Samsung would be doing the same with its Galaxy S21 series. We can only hope that other Android OEMs resist the urge in 2021.
In saying so, leaker Abhishek Yadav alleges that people who buy the glass variant (presumably the standard Mi 11 finish) will be asked whether they want a charger at no extra cost. He further claims that consumers who opt for a leather model will receive the charger for free without having to ask for it.
As for the Xiaomi Mi 11 series itself, the phone family will make its debut in China today (December 28). It’s widely expected to be the first Snapdragon 888-sporting smartphone line. So we’ll likely find out more regarding the charger situation later today.
Next: All the confirmed Snapdragon 888 phones and brands so far