The AirPods Pro 3 seem like a solid upgrade, but they have one significant drawback: Apple isn’t including a charging cable in the box, MacRumors reports. Apple spells it out right on the AirPods Pro 3 tech specs page, saying in the “In the Box” section that “USB‑C Charge Cable sold separately.” That means that if you want to charge the case for the AirPods Pro 3, you’ll need to use a charging cable you already have, buy a new one, or use a wireless charger.
For a lot of people, this may not be a huge issue, especially if you already have a bunch of USB-C cables lying around the house. It’s arguably a little more environmentally friendly, since it might mean fewer people lose or throw away yet another cable.
But I’m the type of person who likes to stash away the additional cables I get with my tech, even if I don’t need them at the time — having an extra cable in storage has come in handy more times than I care to admit. And with Apple having already stopped packing in things like wall plugs and headphones with iPhones, and now I’m wondering if it may someday stop including a charging cable in the box with iPhones, too.