The evolution that we are experiencing within the different categories of mobile phones does not only divide them by the price and quality of hardware and software, there is another aspect with which the brands separate the two extremes of their catalog: the packaging of phones and what they contain.
Do you also feel that we are losing the accessories included in the packaging of each new cell phone purchased? Like that: Manufacturers have gradually reduced the contents of boxes to, in turn, reduce these boxes. At her pussy expression. With the collateral damage of losing first the headphones then the charger. Oddly enough, this relationship between cell phones and their accessories ended up marking the sales category.
Conversely.
Latest victim of accessory reduction: the screen protector
POCO X5 Pro and everything in the box (with screen protector)
Removing earbuds was a start, at least in the highest range of smartphones. As usually happens, Apple was the first brand to globally adopt the strategy of eliminating headphones included in every mobile phone; strategy that the rest of the manufacturers followed: first in their most premium smartphones, then in the majority of mid- and low-end smartphones. Currently, this is very rare against a cell phone that comes with headphones, if at all. You can offer them from the first days of launch
Ok, I can understand why headphones stopped coming with the phone, especially after removing the 3.5mm port generally (thanks again Apple). But what about the charger? I admit that I don’t quite understand why a charger is not included in a mobile for which I paid a good thousand dollars. Even more. On the other hand, you spend three hundred for a mid-range and it comes. Not only that.
On mid-range and entry-level phones, they even give you a case.
So I ask myself: Shouldn’t they care about who invests the most in a brand? Because the most expensive mobile phones have the highest profit margins, it is also the sector where it is most difficult to retain users, especially when it comes to Android. And that’s exactly where they cut it the most: I don’t want to have to reserve the phone as soon as it arrives to hope to get a free charger. What I would like is for the manufacturer to include it as standard in the box, especially if they are selling me that their product has fast charging.
Okay, the packages are smaller to make transport cost-effective, they don’t include headphones or charger because that way resources aren’t wasted on accessories that (we assume) we all already have at home . Afterwards that they don’t deliver them with the cheapest cell phones either. And even worse: why don’t we receive a case with a cell phone worth a thousand dollars when we receive a case with a phone worth three cents? It turns out that in the mid-range and entry-level, it is okay to waste resources.
The more you spend on a mobile phone, the less you get back. And the initial promotions are not worth it: whoever buys the cell phone two months later should have the same one as whoever buys it on the first day
The more you spend on a cell phone, the less you get in return: packaging was shrinking to the point where It even seems strange that there could be a phone inside. Additionally, they now don’t even come with the typical standard screen protector they used to protect the panel with during transport; and that it was used to get by until acquiring a tempered protector (or not, for many people it is more than enough). Cell phones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 have no protection, not even a printed sheet. The USB cable and get on with it. The minimum to comply with the regulations.
No chargers, but USB cables as you want.
If reducing packaging is “green”, so be it for everyone
What’s in the Samsung Galaxy S24 box (without screen protector)
There are different strategies to sell different categories of mobiles. AND Ecology is an excellent argument for those with the greatest purchasing power, this is the main reason why the most expensive cell phones have been discounted to the minimum. The problem comes from the comparative grievance, because it doesn’t make sense that an expensive cell phone comes bare and a cheap phone arrives with protection, a case and a charger. Something is wrong. And I, as a consumer, almost feel ripped off.
That the customer already has a charger and thus you save on manufacturing a charger to deliver it in the box? This sounds good to me, but it offers the option of ordering a separate charger if you really need one; with a price reduction for those who buy the cell phone with nothing. And the cover? Either all or nothing: As a customer, I appreciate that the manufacturer provides me with a boot cache, so I’ll look for a better one if I need one.
The protector seems excessive to me, The screen must be protected as standard against possible scratches during transport.
Ultimately, we have reached a point where category distinction can be seen in how the product is sold to you. What’s going on with your cell phone and that’s it? You have purchased a premium range. What brings you to a revival? This shows that your budget was lower. Nonsense.
Cover image | Ivan Linares
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