iPhone 12 France double-boxed for earbuds

Today it's become apparent what Apple's needed to do to include earbuds in France with the iPhone 12. Because France has legal requirements for headphones with all smartphones sold in the country, Apple's green initiative with iPhone 12 isn't quite so sleek. The rest of the world gets one very slim box with iPhone 12, a USB-C cord, and paper documentation. In France, there's a whole EXTRA box.

If you purchase an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro in France, you'll get a white cardboard box. Inside this cardboard box is the standard iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro box. Below this standard iPhone 12 box is a compartment which contains the EarPods. We must assume that the outer box is as plain as possible to ease the recycling of said box in the near future.

Apple's earbuds – EarPods – can be purchased separate from the iPhone, but they come WITH the purchase of an iPhone 12 ONLY if you live in France. It would appear that Apple has been able to deliver the standard packaging almost everywhere in the world without trouble.

Apple's removal of the EarPods and the power plug have resulted in some impressive numbers. Apple suggests that with the smaller boxes, they've been able to fit 70 percent more products on a shipping pallet. That's a game-changer in both the short and the long run.

The iPhone 11 was the last iPhone to include a charging cord wall plug, too. The power converter, as it's also called, is no longer included in new boxes for the iPhone. This will likely be true of the iPhone 12 and newer iPhone devices from this point forward.

The video you see above was made by TheiCollection in France. In the video you'll see an unboxing of the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro this week, the same week the first reviews are out for both devices. For more information on the iPhone 12, take a peek at our iPhone 12 / 12 Pro hands-on and first impressions. And stay tuned for our full review of the iPhone 12 and our full review of the iPhone 12 Pro, coming soon.