Following the trend, Google will not include a charger in the box for the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro

Possibly one of the most controversial hardware decisions by Apple in the past few years has been to refrain from including the charging brick for its iPhone in the box when consumers purchase it. At first, there was a lot of confusion and anger as a result, but the company came out and explained that it was hoping to be more eco-friendly by doing so. There’s no doubt that it has also saved loads of money a few dollars at a time by giving you less stuff in the box for your money, but ultimately, I suppose I saw where they were coming from. Shortly afterward, Samsung followed suit with their next device as well.

Now, according to The Verge, Google is jumping on the bandwagon with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. That’s right – neither phone will include a charger in the box. According to Google itself, most consumers who are purchasing a phone in the price range of these new devices will already own one or several type-c charging bricks and cords, and it’s not wrong! It’s not like people who usually purchase Android One phones are going without chargers, right?

Furthermore, as far as budget phones go, the Pixel 5a will include a charger, but according to Google, this will, in fact, be the last phone that they ship to do so! I imagine this is where it will face some criticism. For many, the 5a could very well be their first Google-branded phone or mid-tier smartphone, so it’s likely that some of these individuals may not already own a type-c charger. If that is the case, then offsetting such a cost to the consumer is certainly controversial.

While the three big companies shipping phones – Apple, Samsung, and Google – are lining their pockets with a bit of extra cash, the decision to avoid including this piece in the box does benefit the environment. Not only does greenhouse gas emission produced from creating and shipping these materials decrease, but the landfills will also include less tangled cords over time.

I personally think that’s a plus, but I can understand those who will now have to go out and buy a charger manually from Best Buy or another store! Let’s just hope that the next time you go shopping, everyone isn’t fighting over charging bricks and cords instead of toilet paper and water.