- Sony Xperia 10 VII comes without a USB charging cable
- This saves Sony -money but its environmental impact is less clear
- It’s probably that other brands will start doing the same
In a move that was perhaps inevitable, a phone is now launched without a USB charging cable in the box. This phone – Sony Xperia 10 VII – is probably not one that for many people planned to buy anyway, but it is a remarkable shift.
This news came to our attention thanks to the Reddit poster Brick_Fish (via Android Authority), which shared a picture of charger-free box content on Reddit along with a photo of the box itself, which has a picture of a cable with a line through it-what indicates that a charging cable is not included.
Since Sony does not put a cable in the box with this phone, it seems that future Sony Xperia hand sets are also sent without a cable – and after seeing Sony do this, we would not be surprised if other producers follow.
After all, for a long time now most smartphones have sent without a charging of bricks, so this trait is a logical extension of this approach. On the other hand, Apple was first to drop them, and Sony’s decisions probably don’t have the same influence.
But as Android Authority points out, Apple recently sent AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3 without bundled USB cables, so with or without this Sony movement, there is every chance that Apple could start sending iPhones without cables.
The rationale for this is probably basically the same as it was with the charging of bricks – namely that electronics have required USB cables in long enough now that most buyers probably already have a whole nest of them.
An environmental – and economic – influence
As such, they probably do not need to be included in new purchases, so by not making and sending cables, Sony is potentially more environmentally friendly as it reduces e-waste.
Although that is the argument, it does not save to send cables or charge bricks with phones also producers money, and it has probably been the most important factor in those who remove the charging of bricks from boxes, and now in Sony’s decision here.
And that can be a better justification in the end anyway, because the environmental impact of not including charging cables is not fully clear.
Although not everyone who buys this phone will have to go out and buy a cable for it, some buyers will inevitably inevitably, and it will lead to additional packaging that would not be necessary if the cable was just included in the box.
In response to Reddit Post note, the cables that people buy separately can in many cases be in third-party options of lower quality, which may not work so well, which makes them worse for buyers, and they may not be able to last as long, which makes them worse for the environment as well.
So it is unclear whether this is actually a good or bad feature for people and the planet, but it is almost certainly a good step for Sony’s bank balance – and for that reason it is likely that other brands will follow.
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