During its Keynote in mid-September, Apple announced a surprising feature for its Apple Watch line. They are no longer delivered with a mains charger. This strategy has, according to the Californian firm, an ecological goal, in the sense that it should avoid having to provide an accessory that the majority of watch buyers already have at home. But several clarifications need to be made on this subject.
All Apple Watches? No
Here are the Apple Watches that do not come with a power adapter, in all their variations:
- Apple Watch Series 3
- Apple Watch Series SE
For the Apple Watch Series 6, there is a subtlety. The classic Apple Watch Series 6 and the Nike version do not have the power adapter. But the Hermès version, at a base price of €1,329, comes with a 5W USB power adapter.
© iPhon.fr
Without a charger, a price drop?
Impossible to prove that the absence of a power adapter in the box lowers the price of the Apple Watch. Still, we can observe the following points:
- the Apple Watch Series 6 displays a price starting at429 €, i.e. €20 less than the first price of the Apple Watch Series 5 at its launch
- the Apple Watch Series 3 now sells from219 €, when it cost at least €369 at launch, making it the cheapest Apple Watch ever sold by Apple since the product's existence
We are therefore with this new generation in adownward trend for the price of the Apple Watch. From there to seeing a link with the removal of the power adapter, there is a step that we will not take, lacking the elements to reach this conclusion.
Without a charger, what to do?
Apple Watches are in all cases delivered with their USB cable with magnetic charging puck. This must therefore be plugged into a mains adapter. Several possibilities are then available to you:
- either you use a power adapter that you already have at home, like the one for the iPhone
- either plug the cable into the USB port of your computer, MacBook for example
- either you must turn to purchasing a power adapter
Where to buy a power adapter?
The Apple 5W power adapter compatible with the Apple Watch costs €25 at Apple. You can find it cheaper below or turn to the following alternatives, often much better equipped while remaining more financially accessible:
- For less than 25 euros:the official Apple charger
- For less than 20 euros:the Aukey brand 4-port USB charger
- For less than 15 euros:the Ugreen solution with 1 fast charging USB portorthe alternative with the same characteristics from Aukey
You can obviously also consider purchasing a multi-device charger, on which you can place Apple Watch, iPhone and other products. There are some with Qi wireless charging,like this one by Belkin. Finally, many of us have an external battery that can also be used to recharge the watch.
What do you think about removing the power adapter with Apple Watches? Is this a good choice on Apple's part? Are you going to be bothered or do you already have enough chargers at home?
Finally, recent rumors about the iPhone 12 suggest that the next generation of Apple smartphones could also be delivered without a power adapter. Would we then be entitled with the new Apple Watch to a taste of what awaits us on the iPhone side? It’s quite possible…
i-nfo.fr - Official iPhon.fr app
By : Keleops AG
Editor-in-chief for iPhon.fr. Pierre is like Indiana Jones, looking for the lost iOS trick. Also a long-time Mac user, Apple devices hold no secrets for him. Contact: pierre[a]iphon.fr.
