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Now a major budget brand is dropping the in-box charger too

realme cites sustainability reasons for the move, but also claims it will be able to offer better specs as a result.
By
April 6, 2022
realme logo closeup on realme 9 Pro Plus
Kris Carlon / Android Authority
TL;DR
  • realme has revealed that it will drop the bundled charger from an upcoming budget phone.
  • The company cited sustainability reasons for the decision.
  • realme also said the move will allow for the phone to have a better chipset and screen.

Apple and Samsung ditched the in-box charger from their flagship phones over a year ago, and we’ve since seen Samsung do the same for its mid-range and low-end phones. It’s a disappointing turn of events, and unfortunately, another brand is now jumping on the bandwagon.

realme published a post on its community forum earlier this week (h/t: XDA-Developers) announcing its decision to drop the bundled charger from the upcoming Narzo 50A Prime budget handset. The company claimed that this decision was made with sustainability in mind, pointing to its target for net-zero carbon emissions by 2025.

realme also asserted that the move to drop the charger from the Narzo 50A Prime’s box has upsides for the phone itself. It specifically claimed that the device will be a “big leap in terms of chipset performance and screen revolution (sic)” as a result of the charger being dropped.

What would make you give up the in-box charger?

527 votes

Interestingly enough, XDA-Developers conducted an interview with realme global CEO Madhav Sheth last month, and the executive suggested that a phone’s charging speed might have some bearing on whether it drops the charger from the box.

“If I was only giving you an 18W charger for the rest of my life, maybe I’d remove the charger from the box. But if I’m changing the voltage and the capacity of the solution, which is now 65W or 150W, where will the consumer go and buy this charger from?” Sheth was quoted as saying.

So we’ll need to wait and see whether the Narzo 50A Prime offers a pedestrian charging solution rather than 50W+ speeds seen on other phones.