Smartphones might not come with USB cables for much longer

Apple made waves with 2020’s iPhone 12, which was the first major smartphone to ship without an included charging brick. Apple’s public rationale was that USB chargers had become ubiquitous by then, and so no longer including them with every new device could conserve resources and reduce e-waste without causing much inconvenience for consumers. Now, it looks like we’re in for a similar shift with bundled USB cables.

As highlighted on the Linus Tech Tips subreddit, user Brick_Fish‘s recently purchased Sony Xperia 10 VII came without a charger or a charging cable. In the photo included with the post, you can even see iconography on the back of the phone’s box that spells out these omissions. Sony’s not really a major player in the smartphone space these days, but this seems like the type of trend we should expect to see gain traction over the next couple of years.

The environmental argument for ditching bundled cables is easy to wrap your head around: Years into USB-C being the standard, typical consumers will have amassed a collection of usable cables. That being the case, opting not to bundle cables with new electronics should lead to fewer USB cables in landfills without affecting end users much.

Apple actually beat Sony to the punch here, in a way. The company’s latest earbuds, the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3, both ditched bundled USB cables, as well. Still, Sony’s the first manufacturer I’ve heard of to omit charging cables with smartphones.

Of course, while there are knock-on environmental benefits associated with shipping fewer accessories, the biggest driver behind these decisions for companies like Apple and Sony is profit. While the effect here will be less pronounced than the industry’s turn away from charging bricks, shipping phones without charging cables will save manufacturers a few cents per unit. At scale, that adds up — and from the manufacturers’ perspective, it doesn’t hurt that it’ll get more people buying first-party cables, either.

Commenters on Brick_Fish’s post point out that a shift away from high-quality bundled cables will lead to consumers buying low-quality alternatives that may not perform as well or last as long, which is a real risk. Always do your research when you’re buying cables.

Do you care whether your next smartphone comes with a USB cable in the box? Let us know in the comments.