Samsung may follow Apple and drop in-box chargers

[midian182]

A hot potato: Samsung has faced accusations of copying Apple in the past, but this is unlikely to go down well with fans: following analysts' predictions that the iPhone 12 will ship without a charger, a new report claims Samsung could also drop the in-box power brick from some of its phones next year.

Last month brought news that analysts from British bank Barclays believed the iPhone 12 would come without Apple’s wired earbuds and might not even have a charger. The claims were echoed by renowned analyst Ming-chi Kuo, who believes the move will allow Apple to offset the costs of the new 5G components, thereby allowing it to sell the iPhone 12 at the same price as the iPhone 11—though it's rumored to be $50 more expensive. It would also save the company money on packaging, production, and shipping costs while reducing the amount of e-waste produced.

According to ETNews, Samsung is considering following in Apple’s footsteps and removing the chargers from some of its phones next year. It’s important to note that “some” is the operative word; if Samsung does decide to go down this route, it may start with its budget and mid-range devices, rather than the flagships.

It’s expected that if the companies do drop the in-box chargers, the USB-C (or USB-C to Lightning, in Apple’s case) cables will remain—for now.

It’s certainly a contentious issue. Many people today already have compatible charging bricks in their homes from other devices, and any reduction in e-waste would be welcomed. On the flip side, those without a spare charger won’t be happy about paying more after splashing out on a flagship phone, and there’s always the possibility that the companies won’t pass the savings onto the customers.

Charge your phone wirelessly AND disinfect the device

If Apple does ship the iPhone 12 sans charger, some believe the next Galaxy S series will follow suit. There are plenty of wireless options available, of course, including this one from Samsung that both disinfects and charges a device simultaneously.

What do you think? Are in-box power bricks about to go the way of smartphones' 3.5mm headphone jack?

Image credit: Haelen Haagen

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/85934-samsung-may-follow-apple-drop-box-chargers.html

 

[Theinsanegamer]

They should offset it by including larger batteries so I dont have to think about chargers as often.

 

[m4a4]

They should offset it by including larger batteries so I dont have to think about chargers as often.

But.... thinner phones! /sarcasm

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Get them phones back that are so thiccc that they have 3 c's at the end.

And last 7 days.

Genuinely, I miss my note 4 with the zerolemon battery. It was an inch think and went a week on a charge.

We need to go back.

 

[Nobodysfool]

This'll just contribute to the dwindling smartphone sales. I might just buy an old 4G phone with an included charger if phonemakers do follow suit. This is just sad.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

While I do enjoy my S8 still - I absolutely hate Bixby and the horsecrap software Samsung tries to shove down your throat.

You have to disable a few well hidden options to get Bixby from coming up if the bump the horrifically placed button that ONLY works for Bixby. Or, if you don't know what options to disable you have to actually sign up and agree to Samsung's terms so you can partially disable the Bixby button (partially here means you can set the Bixby button to require 2 rapid presses to bring up Bixby instead of a single press of the button).

Unless Samsung drops their atrocious software that is Bixby or allows you to completely disable it without having to agree to Samsung's EULA, it will be the last Samsung phone I ever purchase. Which means, if Samsung stops providing chargers with the phones, it won't impact me.

My guess will be that if Samsung does indeed drop charges from their phones, they'll probably change up the charging port to something "special" that will require you to purchase a new charger and cable because your old ones will no longer work on newer phones.

 

[kira setsu]

And let me guess, the price will somehow go up 100 dollars right?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

While I do enjoy my S8 still - I absolutely hate Bixby and the horsecrap software Samsung tries to shove down your throat.

You have to disable a few well hidden options to get Bixby from coming up if the bump the horrifically placed button that ONLY works for Bixby. Or, if you don't know what options to disable you have to actually sign up and agree to Samsung's terms so you can partially disable the Bixby button (partially here means you can set the Bixby button to require 2 rapid presses to bring up Bixby instead of a single press of the button).

Unless Samsung drops their atrocious software that is Bixby or allows you to completely disable it without having to agree to Samsung's EULA, it will be the last Samsung phone I ever purchase. Which means, if Samsung stops providing chargers with the phones, it won't impact me.

My guess will be that if Samsung does indeed drop charges from their phones, they'll probably change up the charging port to something "special" that will require you to purchase a new charger and cable because your old ones will no longer work on newer phones.

Go motorola man. Still dont regret it.

big batteries, headphone jacks, stock android, and WAY cheaper then Samsung.

 

[preyingrazor]

Why isn’t anyone talking about wireless charging here? I got my wife an iPhone 11 Pro Max and she’s been using it since January. The charger is still in the box. We never even opened it.

She has a wireless charger by her bedside that she puts her phone on before sleeping at night. Charges the phone within two hours.

I use wireless charging on my iPhone 8 Plus as well. Been using it for over a year now (or is it 2?) and never looked back. I have a cheap USB wireless charger in my study and a powered one next to my bed. Works a treat.

I think manufacturers are counting on folks switching to wireless charging when they see no power bricks. It sounds daunting at first but you never look back. Car manufacturers are also including wireless charging pads on the car console now as well.

Having said that, it will definitely be a love-hate affair for many.

 

[m-tec]

So ditch all headphones as well!

 

[Nobodysfool]

So ditch all headphones as well!

Be careful what you wish for...

 

[Hexic]

Genuinely, I miss my note 4 with the zerolemon battery. It was an inch think and went a week on a charge.

We need to go back.

Dude, I had an old Samsung Galaxy (can't remember which Gen) with some huge freaking (10,000mah(?)) Zerolemon pack slapped on the back. That thing would last legit 5-7 days of heavy use.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Why isn’t anyone talking about wireless charging here? I got my wife an iPhone 11 Pro Max and she’s been using it since January. The charger is still in the box. We never even opened it.

She has a wireless charger by her bedside that she puts her phone on before sleeping at night. Charges the phone within two hours.

I use wireless charging on my iPhone 8 Plus as well. Been using it for over a year now (or is it 2?) and never looked back. I have a cheap USB wireless charger in my study and a powered one next to my bed. Works a treat.

I think manufacturers are counting on folks switching to wireless charging when they see no power bricks. It sounds daunting at first but you never look back. Car manufacturers are also including wireless charging pads on the car console now as well.

Having said that, it will definitely be a love-hate affair for many.

Because

A) Wireless charging is still significantly slower then wired charging, and with device batteries increasing in size that differenc eis quite noticeable
B) wireless charging is not supported across the board, many phones do not support it
C) Many people do not have wireless charging for reason B. It is a niche market.

Wireless charging is a neat feature, but it is not a proper replacement for wired charging.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

If the goal is to reduce e-waste, then using replaceable batteries would do a HELL of a lot more to fix the problem then not including a charger. Just sayin......

 

[wiyosaya]

Sounds like incentive for people to get "unapproved" chargers that have a much higher risk of electrocution.

IMO, there are no stops that crApple and Samsuck won't pull to make $0.01 more profit per unit sold.

 

[Nobina]

Who didn't see this coming? Samsung copying Apple...

If there was one charger and USB cable that works for every phone then I would have no problems with it. Then again, whoever buys new Samsung or Apple phones doesn't care about anything as long as they get their logos.

 

[Evernessince]

Go motorola man. Still dont regret it.

big batteries, headphone jacks, stock android, and WAY cheaper then Samsung.

I used to have a moto before my current samsung. They are good phones, they had way more gesture features as well (which you will use all the time once you get a phone that does them well).

I'll likely be going back to them for my next phone.

 

[Edster]

I don't mind as a concept, but this is a ploy to save money or charge (yeah, haha) you more rather than genuine attempt at reducing waste.

E-waste is definitely an issue and people tend to have more chargers than they need, but if they made it so that the charger is opt in with purchase, I would have no issue.

 

[Jerry in WA]

Proper, USB-C (PD) power adapters are not cheap. It easily adds $30-$50 to the price of these phones.

 

[MaxSmarties]

Proper, USB-C (PD) power adapters are not cheap. It easily adds $30-$50 to the price of these phones.

we are speaking about $999+ smartphones here.
They can afford to give us a charger.
This is just Tim Cook at his best... a bean counter. And I have no doubt that Samsung will follow any *****ic move by Apple.

And before anyone say something, I have an iPhone 11 Pro and a Galaxy S10, so I am an Apple and Samsung customer, not an hater.

 

[Jerry in WA]

Totally agree. These are "premium" phones. This just adds to a base premium phone's 2nd mortgage prices.

I'm not sure if many people have bought these separately yet. Last month, when I bought a PD device that came without an adapter, the pricing for 18w and 30w was a bit of an eye opener. But hopefully these adapters last through many phones/devices.

 

[Polaris1983]

Genuinely, I miss my note 4 with the zerolemon battery. It was an inch think and went a week on a charge.

We need to go back.

Or they have a wireless body charging solution like a smartwatch using your hand or solar plastic back and front covers or gorilla transparent glass now for wireless recharging using sunlight and artificial room lighting. Sort of like the all in one pc and laptops soon like your smart tv using that technology found on solar transparent window panels made for the sun and artificial lighting in the home?

 

[dreamer2908]

Are chargers really cost $30-50? That would be an eye opener for me.

Xiaomi QC 3.0 18W chargers can be purchased for less than $5 here.
Basic 18W PD 3.0 or QC 3.0 chargers from other well-known* Chinese brands like Hoco, Baseus, TopK also cost about $5 on Ailexpress.

(*) okay, not well-known in the west.

 

[Neels Minnaar]

And let me guess, the price will somehow go up 100 dollars right?

Getting less for more of our money. Samsung, just like Apple's products have become overpriced status symbols with no real new features for their recently released phones. They are trying to compensate by making it overpriced.

 

[grvalderrama]

A few years ago I bought a Philips charger with multiple adapters so when I travel overseas I don't have to look up for new charges or adapters. Don't think it cost more than 5 dollars still rocking and has 2 usb ports, fast charging and only works with cellphone so my kid won't be charging his ps4 joystick any time soon with that charger ?