Expect Oppo to drop the charger from some phones
As more and more smartphone manufacturers have stopped including chargers alongside new smartphones, Oppo has remained steadfast and continued to include the accessory alongside its handsets. That may not be the case for much longer, though. Oppo has confirmed it plans to drop the charger from the box of some products within the next 12 months.
During a group interview at the European Oppo Reno 8 series launch where Android Police was present, Billy Zhang, Oppo’s vice president of overseas sales and services, confirmed the new strategy. Zhang said, “We will take the charger out of the box in the next year for several products. We have a plan.”
Zhang wouldn’t confirm what products would first see the charger removed from the box. His comments suggested it would be for specific markets, depending on the product itself. It may be that Oppo decides to remove the charger for some markets and not others.
According to Zhang, “It’s not that easy for consumers to get access to [SuperVOOC chargers], so we have to keep it in the box. However, as we are expanding our business operations, we are looking to taking chargers out of the box and put them in the store so that our users are able to buy the chargers and continue using them even when they upgrade their devices.”
Oppo does offer unique charging technology that isn’t available elsewhere, so if you don’t already own an 80W SuperVOOC compatible charger, you’d have to seek one out yourself to make the most of the company’s latest smartphones. Zhang didn’t confirm Oppo’s reasoning for removing chargers from its products, but it’s likely to be a way to cut down on e-waste like many other smartphone manufacturers have said.
As the parent company of OnePlus, Oppo’s move may mean we one day see this trend cross brands, and OnePlus could eventually drop chargers from its own boxes. Zhang didn’t comment specifically on this, but OnePlus products regularly follow Oppo strategies, so we’ll want to pay close attention to upcoming models like the OnePlus 11 series.
