Post the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro lineup announcement, Apple stopped bundling the Lightning EarPods and a power adapter for environmental reasons across its entire iPhone lineup. However, in France, the company continues to bundle EarPods with its iPhones.

Apple’s move here likely stems from the fact that regulations in France require all smartphones to be sold with a “handsfree kit” so as to protect children younger than 14 from electromagnetic waves as its side effects on young brains are not known.

If Apple sells the iPhone without earphones in the box in France, it would conduct a criminal offense and would be subjected to a fine of 75,000 euros. There’s still no power adapter in the box of the new iPhones though, with only a USB-C to Lightning cable being bundled with them. Apple has also updated the packaging of its older devices including the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, and iPhone SE to not include EarPods or a power adapter with them.

Post the launch of the iPhone 12, Apple also launched a 20W USB-C power adapter for $19 making it cheaper than the outgoing 18W adapter that was available for $29. The company has also reduced the price of the Lightning EarPods to $19 from $29.

Our Take

The new slimmer retail box of the iPhone 12 lineup does not have enough space for the EarPods so it will be interesting to see how the retail packaging of the new iPhones will look like in France.