It feels like Apple is being cheap by not including an important accessory with the $1,000 iPhone XS

By: Business Insider

September 20, 2018 at 08:59 AM EDT

YouTube/MKBHD

Apple's new $1,000 iPhone XS doesn't come with a fast-charging brick.
You'd need to spend $70 on the relevant accessories to fast-charge the $1,000 iPhone XS.
With a starting price of $1,000, the iPhone XS should come with a fast-charging brick. The fact that it doesn't makes it feel like Apple missed an easy and relatively inexpensive opportunity to provide the "complete package."

Everything about the new iPhone XS and XS Max exudes luxury.

From the edge-to-edge OLED displays, stainless steel construction, a camera that reviewers rave about, to the excellent speakers and iOS 12 operating system. It all combines for a decidedly premium — even luxury — experience.

But then you get to the charger that comes with the new iPhones: It's the same old bog-standard charger that charges iPhones at a glacial pace.

The new iPhone XS begs the question as to why Apple doesn't include a fast-charging brick with its $1,000 smartphone.

In his unboxing video of the iPhone XS, MKBHD put it well: "I was kinda hoping by 2018 you could get either a fast charger in the box, or a USB-C to Lightning charger [cable], or both. But we get neither of those things. I personally think it's getting kinda lame and kinda outdated that Apple of all companies doesn't ship a fast charger in the box of such an expensive, premium phone. Just sayin'."

Fast charging is a speed upgrade over the regular charging you get with the iPhone. It lets you get hours of battery life from just 30 minutes of charging.

And regarding a USB-C to Lightning cable, this tweet from the @JonyIveParody Twitter account portrays the problem beautifully:

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1040068185796603904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It Just Works.™ #Apple pic.twitter.com/T77raXfMGw

The fast charging experience is, indeed, available on iPhones starting with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X generation and onward. But you have to buy separate accessories to fast-charge your iPhone, like the $50 30W USB-C charger from Apple, and the $20 Apple USB-C to Lightning Cable. That's an extra $70 for fast charging.

Meanwhile, fast chargers have become a standard included feature on the majority — if not all — flagship Android phones these days. Even a $250 Android phone — the Moto G6 — comes with a fast charger.

More importantly, apart from comparing the iPhone's aging charger to its competition, it's also a question of getting a complete experience when you get a luxury item like the new iPhone XS. At this stage, when the best iPhone costs $1,000 or more, I'd fully expect it to come with a set of essential accessories that make the most of the device they're accessorizing. In this case, I'd expect a fast charger to make use of the iPhone's fast-charging support, not the minimum required spec.

Otherwise, it feels like buying an expensive sports car that comes with cheap road tires, and you have to pay extra for the good tires that make the most of the car's performance.

With this logic, some might say that wireless chargers should also be included, as the iPhone has had wireless charging support since the iPhone 8 and iPhone X generation. Unlike fast chargers, wireless chargers are not an included accessory on most — if any — smartphones, and fewer smartphones support wireless charging. It's less of an essential accessory compared to wired charging.

Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to this issue because I'm regularly exposed to premium Android flagship devices that come with fast chargers, whereas an iPhone fan who's only owned iPhones might not even be aware of the benefits of fast charging.

It's not the end of the world, as you'll still be able to charge the iPhone XS with the slow charger, much like you'd still be able to drive that fast and expensive sports car on cheap tires. It just feels like Apple is missing an easy and relatively inexpensive opportunity to provide the "complete package," which many would expect when spending $1,000 on a new smartphone.

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