Samsung might drop bundled charger and earphones from the Galaxy S21

[midian182]

Rumor mill: Is Samsung about to repeat history by mocking an Apple move before doing exactly the same thing itself? According to a new report, the Korean firm might not ship a charger or earphones with the Galaxy S21, following Cupertino's decision to drop the accessories from the iPhone 12 lineup.

Months before the iPhone 12 arrived, analysts had predicted that Apple would no longer ship a charger or earphones with the handsets. The company confirmed the theories earlier this month, claiming that the move would cut over 2 million metric tons of carbon: the equivalent of 450,000 cars.

Even before the iPhone 12 reveal, reports claimed Samsung was also considering dropping the items from some handsets, possibly starting with its budget and mid-range offerings, but that started looking unlikely after the firm threw shade at its rival by noting in a Facebook post that highlights the Galaxy line's bundled charger.

 

??Your #Galaxy does give you what you are looking for. From the most basic as a charger, to the best camera, battery, performance, memory and even 120Hz screen ✌️ on a smartphone. ??

Posted by Samsung on Tuesday, October 13, 2020

According to the Korean media (via SamMobile), however, Samsung really could follow in Apple's footsteps by removing the charger and earphones from the Galaxy S21. That would likely be a controversial move, but some believe it may just drop the earphones and keep the power brick. SamMobile notes that the Galaxy Note 20 series doesn't come with AKG USB-B earphones in the US, though customers can get them free by contacting customer service.

While reducing e-waste is commendable, the iPhone 12 line's price doesn't reflect the saving Apple made by dropping the charger and earphones. If Samsung follows suit, expect the next Galaxy range to be just as expensive as usual, too.

Will the Galaxy S21's box be lighter than usual next year?

Samsung has precedent with this sort of thing. It publicly mocked Apple after it dropped the 3.5mm jack from its phones, yet it didn't take long before the legacy port started disappearing from Sammy's lower-end handsets. Eventually, the Galaxy Note 10 became the first Samsung flagship to lack a headphone jack.

According to rumors, Samsung will release the Galaxy S21—possibly called the S30—earlier than usual next year, with the reveal date set for January and the launch taking place a month later. Alleged leaked specs suggest there'll be few differences from its S20 predecessor, apart from a missing charger and earphones, perhaps.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/87305-report-samsung-could-drop-charger-earphones-galaxy-s21.html

 

[amghwk]

Don't know. If it's good or bad.

On one hand, people feel these corporates are being stingy and greedy by maximizing profits and reducing bundled items, while INCREASING the prices. And on the other hand, these corporates argue it;s for the environment, to reduce emissions and electrical wastages.

I wound tend to think it's good IF they bring down the costs to consumers too.

Otherwise, it's just PR stunt claiming saving the environment while being more and more greedy.

When we sell back the phones, things look nicer when sold complete with the box, headphones and chargers.

 

[Puiu]

Don't know. If it's good or bad.

On one hand, people feel these corporates are being stingy and greedy by maximizing profits and reducing bundled items, while INCREASING the prices. And on the other hand, these corporates argue it;s for the environment, to reduce emissions and electrical wastages.

I wound tend to think it's good IF they bring down the costs to consumers too.

Otherwise, it's just PR stunt claiming saving the environment while being more and more greedy.

When we sell back the phones, things look nicer when sold complete with the box, headphones and chargers.

It's always about the profit.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Apple is bold.

They dropped the headphone jack.

They released a ridiculous design in the Earpods and Airpods

They dropped chargers and they dropped bundled headphones.

I can't imagine how much profit they'll make simply shipping the phone with nothing else. They don't even include a simple little guide in the box as to how to turn the phone on/off or do a hard restart.

And they do it all in the name of "sustainability".

I personally LOVE corporatism. It's 100% democratic (people vote with their dollar) and they still manage to build a product that's so "good" that the users REFUSE to switch and many outsiders can't help but want to switch to it.

 

[SirDigby]

I'm fine with them removing the charger and headphones if it lowers the cost, most people I know use 3rd party headphones or the official ones but not the ones that come with the phone (buds/ airpods).

What I hate is when they bundle in a charger but its the 25w charger when the device is capable of 45w fast charge (looking at you samsung).

Some people even use 3rd party chargers - I used to but it's got confusing now they've stopped calling it Quick Charge 2 or 3 or some recognisable brand or tag, makes you want to stick to a particular ecosystem which isn't very consumer friendly.

 

[Adi6293]

Apple is bold.

They dropped the headphone jack.

They released a ridiculous design in the Earpods and Airpods

They dropped chargers and they dropped bundled headphones.

I can't imagine how much profit they'll make simply shipping the phone with nothing else. They don't even include a simple little guide in the box as to how to turn the phone on/off or do a hard restart.

And they do it all in the name of "sustainability".

I personally LOVE corporatism. It's 100% democratic (people vote with their dollar) and they still manage to build a product that's so "good" that the users REFUSE to switch and many outsiders can't help but want to switch to it.

Many also laugh at those using it ; -)

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Many also laugh at those using it ; -)

Lions don't mind the laughter of kittens.

 

[m4a4]

Sheep don't mind.

Fixed.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Fixed.

REAL MEN don't try to think in another man's wallet.

 

[Avro Arrow]

This is how global industrial capitalism works. The impossible theory of infinite growth (in a finite market) means that profits must rise EVERY SINGLE QUARTER. Once the limit of innovation and/or manufacturing efficiency is reached, the quality and/or frills must be reduced and/or prices must be increased to continue said "infinite" growth. This will continue until the product is no longer worth buying (which is why it's not infinite). When this happens, the company is crippled and starts laying off workers as the stock value drops. Then the corporation either dies, divests that part of the business, or is bought-out entirely.

Think of brand names that used to be ubiquitous but are now either rare or non-existent. Think of the following brand-names that used to be everywhere:

IBM: Divested its home computer division by selling it to Lenovo
National Semiconductor: Once one of the largest corporations on Earth. RIP
Hitachi and Toshiba: Once multimedia gods, now they seem to just make HDDs
Technics: Once ruled the world of professional DJs, now I never see them
Sharp: Bought by Hisense, a Chinese TV manufacturer
Sanyo: Now a subsidiary of Panasonic
Pioneer and Kenwood: Once bounced back and forth as #1 and #2 in car audio
Pyle: Invented the legendary "Pyle-Driver" Sub, now a cheap Pyramid brand

Long-term sustainability is not a factor in these corporations any more.

 

[Shadowboxer]

Kudos to Samsung if they do this and to Apple for already doing it. I don’t care if they aren’t passing the savings on, we need to stop expecting a bundled charger whenever we buy something that charges with a USB socket.

Removing e waste is more important than making your competitor look bad or the principle of what you get for your money.

We need to make it so manufacturers look bad for adding in unnecessary plastic items to their heavily mass produced products.

 

[pmshah]

I wouldn't know about the S21 but they supplied a 2-in-1 voltage - 9V-1.67A & 5V-2A - charger with my new M21 but have dropped the earphones. How the 9V function of this dual voltage charger is to work I haven't the slightest clue.

 

[Reehahs]

If they want to drop e-waste then they better start supporting their devices for at least 5 years with replacement parts at reasonable costs.

 

[pmshah]

This is simply a cost saving exercise. If I go out to buy original pair it costs ₹ 7/- . They figure everyone to be using Bluetooth pods. crApple is even worse. They have excluded even the charger & NO 3.5 mm port. One would be forced to spend additional couple of hundred $ because other brands may not link unless crApple tax is paid.

 

[mattferg]

Don't know. If it's good or bad.

On one hand, people feel these corporates are being stingy and greedy by maximizing profits and reducing bundled items, while INCREASING the prices. And on the other hand, these corporates argue it;s for the environment, to reduce emissions and electrical wastages.

I wound tend to think it's good IF they bring down the costs to consumers too.

Otherwise, it's just PR stunt claiming saving the environment while being more and more greedy.

When we sell back the phones, things look nicer when sold complete with the box, headphones and chargers.

Compared to the parts cost, Apple lowered prices. We need to stop shipping this ewaste

 

[mattferg]

This is how global industrial capitalism works. The impossible theory of infinite growth (in a finite market) means that profits must rise EVERY SINGLE QUARTER. Once the limit of innovation and/or manufacturing efficiency is reached, the quality and/or frills must be reduced or prices must be increased or both to continue said infinite growth and it will continue until the product is no longer worth buying. When this happens, the company is crippled and starts laying off workers as the stock value drops. Then the corporation either dies, divests that part of the business, or is bought-out entirely.

Think of brand names that used to be ubiquitous but are now either rare or non-existent. Think of the following brand-names that used to be everywhere:

IBM: Divested its home computer division by selling it to Lenovo
National Semiconductor: Once one of the largest corporations on Earth. RIP
Hitachi and Toshiba: Once multimedia gods, now they seem to just make HDDs
Technics: Once ruled the world of professional DJs, now I never see them
Sharp: Bought by Hisense, a Chinese TV manufacturer
Sanyo: Now a subsidiary of Panasonic
Pioneer and Kenwood: Once bounced back and forth as #1 and #2 in car audio
Pyle: Invented the legendary "Pyle-Driver" Sub, now a cheap Pyramid brand

Long-term sustainability is not a factor in these corporations any more.

Tonnes wrong with this post. What happened with IBM has nothing to do with what Apple is doing, and Sharp is owned by Foxconn...

 

[wiak]

I really miss the headphone jack, the USB-C to 3.5mm adapters are a joke, they only last a few months...

R.I.P quality audio on any phone

 

[Shaitan]

LG DAC for the win.
#neverSamsung
Apple are Satan to me for removing the headphone jack. Never touching their products for this. EVER.