Chinese students sue Apple over lack of iPhone 12 charger

Iphone 12 Pro Ios 15 Work Focus
Iphone 12 Pro Ios 15 Work Focus (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple is being sued by a group of students in China.
  • It's over the lack of charger in the iPhone 12's box.
  • They say Apple is misleading consumers.

Apple has been sued by a group of students in China because the iPhone 12 doesn't come with a charger.

A case filed against Apple was noted by the Shanghai Law Journal this week. A translated version of which states:

But many consumers have fallen victim to Apple's move, and Fang is one of them. She bought the iPhone 12 Pro Max and chose to defend her rights by legal means after discovering that the phone was not equipped with a charging device. "According to the transfer from property to owner and social trading habits, the purchase of mobile phones should be equipped with a charger." A team of university students from Beijing and Shanghai who defend the legitimate interests of individuals and Apple's consumer base was formed.

The group filed a suit against Apple in May, asking for a charger, $16 for breach of contract, and legal fees.

Agents for Apple told an online court in September that the packaging of the iPhone 12 Pro was clear that it didn't come with a charger, only a USB-C cable, a practice Apple continued with its new best iPhone, the iPhone 13. The group refuted the claims made by Apple that selling a phone without a charger was common practice and that because it came with a USB-C to Lightning cable, the charger wasn't compatible with older chargers sold by Apple.

The group claimed that Apple was using the argument of protecting the environment as a gimmick to help sell its new range of MagSafe products and said that Apple was committing mobile phone sales fraud. The case "is still at the stage of supplementary evidence and written material."

Apple unveiled its new iPhone in September, continuing the trend of not including a power adapter with its flagship iPhone. It also removed the plastic wrapping from boxes for the first time.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9