Samsung’s 2021 smartphones may not include a free charger as the firm looks to cut costs
- A report suggests Samsung will remove default chargers starting in 2021
- The firm’s new smartphones typically come with a power adapter
- However, a report says Samsung is looking to cut costs by eliminating it
- The news follows a week after rumors surfaced about Apple doing the same
Free smartphone chargers may soon be a thing of the past – first Apple was said to exclude it with the new iPhone and now Samsung may do the same.
A new report suggests the South Korean firm could omit the power plug in boxes of some handsets starting in 2021.
ETNews, a Korean news site, reveals the reason for the shift is because users typically have a charger from a previous purchase and eliminating a new one is a way to cut cost.
The move is also environmentally friendly, as it would cut down on the some 20 million tons e-waste that is produced each year.
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Free smartphone chargers may soon be a thing of the past – first Apple was said to exclude it with the new iPhone and now Samsung may do the same. A new report suggests the South Korean firm could omit the power plug in boxes of some handsets starting in 2021
DailyMail.com has reached out to Samsung for comment and has yet to receive a response.
Although chargers cost nearly nothing for Samsung to produce, the fees add up with manufacturing packaging and shipping -as the boxes have to be larger in order to fit the charger.
A number of industry officials said, ‘Samsung Electronics is discussing how to remove the charger from smartphone components with related companies.’
However, the firm has not released any details of timing or which smartphones will not include the default power devices, but the report is confident that it will happen next year.
a Korean news site, reveals the reason for the shift is because users typically have a charger from a previous purchase and eliminating a new one is a way to cut cost.
ETNews notes that it is not set in stone that Samsung users will receive a new charge with a device next year, but it may be good to keep your existing one just in case.
Last month, Apple was said to not in include a power adapter and earphones in the box with the new iPhone 12, set to be released later this year.
The tech giant, which usually includes an adapter and a pair of its wired EarPods in the box of every iPhone, will sell them separately due to increased production costs related to components that support 5G.
iPhone 12 may not even support wired headphones, which would push customers towards Apple’s £160 wireless Bluetooth AirPods.
The claims come from renowned Apple product predictor and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as detailed in a research note obtained by MacRumors.
Apple will tout the environmental benefits of letting customers decide if they want to buy their own earphones or power adapter, which could reduce e-waste.
While iPhone 12 will include a Lightning to USB cable in the box, Apple is planning to phase this out too with the first ever wireless iPhone, due in 2021, Kuo said.