Xiaomi have done a complete 180 on their stance on chargers by confirming their next release, the Mi11, will come without one.
This has caused a bit of an uproar as the company previously used the outrage at Apple's removal of the charger from the iPhone 12 box to push that their Mi10T Pro would come with one.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun confirmed the new stance on the Chinese social media site Weibo, claiming environmental concerns as the reason they wouldn't be supplying anymore chargers.
"In a response to the call of technology and environmental protection, the included charger is cancelled from the box," he said in the post.
This is the same excuse Apple used, saying that users have more than enough chargers as a result of years of inclusion in their upgrades. For Apple this is a bold move as they change their ports frequently, making buying chargers necessary, and therefore an extra expense.
Jun acknowledged that they were likely to get the same backlash as Apple but cited grumbling as a poor excuse to forego improved environmental habits.
"We are well aware that this decision may not be understood or even complained. Is there a better solution between industry practice and environmental protection?" he said.
Fortunately for South Africans, Xiaomi is one of the more affordable smartphone ranges on offer, meaning picking up another charger if you need won't break the bank. Since they run on USB C chargers, you can pick up one from Takealot for as little as R120.
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