When Apple dropped the in-box charger with its iPhone 12 devices, several brands like Samsung and Xiaomi mocked the decision, but it looks like companies are coming round because the anticipated Xiaomi Mi 11 is confirmed to be following suit.
This news comes from Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun who posted on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform, to explain the decision. Jun also posted a picture of the phone's box, which confirms some specs, and we'll analyze this below.
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Jun stated "In response to the call of technology and environmental protection, Xiaomi 11 canceled the random charger" (this statement has been put through a machine translation, so its meaning might not be exact). They followed this up with "we are well aware that this decision may not be understood or even complained."
So it seems Xiaomi dropped the charger to reduce e-waste, which echoes Apple's statements: since most people likely have chargers from previous phones or other devices, they don't need more coming in every new gadget they buy. Tech will likely be a touch cheaper as a result, and the few people who don't own a compatible charger can easily buy one for the saved cost.
Dropping this unnecessary extra to protect the environment is indisputably a good idea (though whether that's Xiaomi's actual goal, or to garner praise for the move and build excitement for the Mi 11, is up for debate). It's a change rumors suggest Samsung will make with the Galaxy S21, which would be ironic since that company was another which initially mocked Apple's move.
If Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi all drop in-box chargers, we could also see most other brands do so over the course of 2021.
What's in the box?
As stated, Lei Jun shared a picture of the Xiaomi Mi 11 box. It looks slim, as it should without an in-box charger, but the packaging notes some specs of the phone.
So we can confirm the phone will come with a 108MP main camera, a Super AMOLED HDR10+ screen (the size of which isn't detailed), and speakers optimized by Harman Kardon.
That's all we know for certain, though the Xiaomi Mi 11 launch date is December 28, so we haven't got long to wait to find out more.
TechRadar will tune in to the Xiaomi Mi 11 launch so you don't have to. Check back on December 28 to find out everything about the new Xiaomi flagship.
