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Here's why Apple's iPhone charger is so expensive

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By Victor Hristov

Published: May 21, 2012, 7:21 AM

Here's why Apple's iPhone charger is so expensive

Ever wondered why something as small and as simple as the iPhone charger can cost around $30? You’re, of course, right to notice it’s small, but it’s not as simple as it looks on the inside and that’s one reason justifying Apple’s pricing policy - its adapter is much safer than what many other manufacturers offer and even goes atop some technical requirements to bring even better quality and safety.

Ken Shirriff tore down one of those adapters to get a deeper understanding of what drives the price and found out some interesting things, and an in-depth analysis you can check out on his site at the source below. And here are the technical details about the iPhone charger:

"Apple's power adapter is clearly a high-quality power supply designed to produce carefully filtered power. Apple has obviously gone to extra effort to reduce EMI interference, probably to keep the charger from interfering with the touchscreen. When I opened the charger up, I expected to find a standard design, but I've compared the charger to the Samsung charger and several other high-quality industry designs, and Apple goes beyond these designs in several ways...
"Apple's design provides extra safety in a few ways... the super-strong AC prongs, and the complex over-temperature / over-voltage shutdown circuit. Apple's isolation distance between primary and secondary appears to go beyond the regulations...
"Apple's iPhone charger crams a lot of technology into a small space. Apple went to extra effort to provide higher quality and safety than other name-brand chargers, but this quality comes at a high cost."

Still, there’s a hefty premium on the price as you’d expect, but at least now you know what justifies it, right?

source: Ken Shirriff via Gizmodo

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.

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