Apple launched the iPhone 12 series smartphones on 13th October. Along with it, the brand announced that it will not be shipping a charging adapter and EarPods with the newly launched smartphones. And this decision has made the retail packaging of iPhones much more compact. However, France requires smartphones to be shipped with headphones. And Apple has come up with a solution to offer EarPods with the iPhone 12 without changing the size of the phone’s package.

Most of you might be wondering that why does France require smartphones to ship with earphones? 

Well, smartphones emit more radio frequency while they are being used for a call. Which is why most countries set a limit on how much radiofrequency should a smartphone emit. iPhone, in particular, uses its proximity sensor to detect when the phone is being held against the head and reduces the emission of radiofrequency. However, according to the policies in France, users should be encouraged to use earphones in order to reduce the effect of radiofrequency on the user, and therefore, it requires phones to ship with earphones.

The packaging of Apple 12 is too small to accommodate an earphone. So, what did Apple do to fit an earphone in the retail package of the device in France? Did it increase the size of the iPhone’s box specially for the country? Nope. Instead, the brand has opted for a box within a box solution to comply with rules in France. Once you open the retail package of the iPhone 12, you’ll find the same, slim-profile box of the iPhone 12 that Apple is offering in other countries. And when you pull out that box, there are earphones beneath it, in the main box.

Our Take

Apple could have just used a slightly larger box for the iPhone 12 for France to accommodate earphones instead of shipping it with two boxes; it would have been much more environmentally friendly. Anyway, that is how Apple is shipping the newly launched iPhone in France. What do you think about it? Do let us know in the comments section below.