Apple’s 2018 iPhones still only bundle 5W charger, drop 3.5mm headphone adapter

As expected, Apple is no longer including its Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter with this year’s iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models, now confirming previous rumours from analysts that the company would be omitting them this year. While Apple’s logic behind the decision isn’t clear, it seems likely that the proliferation of third-party adapters, as well as Lighting and wireless headphones, has made new users less dependent on the adapter, which Apple continues to sell separately for $10. Perhaps more surprisingly, however, is that Apple is continuing to include only basically the same five-watt power adapter that has been bundled with iPhones since the 2008 iPhone 3G, despite rumours that this year would see an 18-watt USB-PD charger and Lightning to USB-C cable bundled instead. It’s uncertain of course whether Apple may still plan to introduce an 18-watt adapter separately, or perhaps even if the company did consider bundling them at one point but ran into delays in light of rumours that Apple’s partners would be running at full capacity to manufacture sufficient quantities.