Based on information from industry insiders, Samsung may follow Apple in selling smartphones that don't include chargers in the box. This is obviously a break from tradition that will upset some potential customers, but it could have numerous benefits for everyone. If this information is reliable, it's possible the next Samsung Galaxy S phones, the 2021 models, will be the first to come without power adapters.
While there aren't a ton of sources for this Samsung news at the moment, there's incredibly reliable information suggesting Apple has the same intention. The iPhone 12 – which is, itself, still just a rumor – will reportedly also ship without a charger or a pair of EarPods. That news was shared by some of Apple's business partners and reported by some extremely reliable sources in the smartphone industry, so most people consider it to essentially be true. Since the iPhone 12 is still expected this year, and Samsung's next Galaxy flagship is likely a 2021 release, Apple would be first to market without a charger, bearing the brunt of the public ire.
The news that Samsung might be done bundling chargers comes from ET News, a Korean publication. The story indicates Samsung's plan is not yet set in stone, but that the smartphone manufacturer is discussing the idea with its partners. It's possible that signifies a plan to wait and see how consumers respond to Apple but chances are people will adapt and eventually get over any initial outrage. It's also worth noting that phones tend to ship with both USB cables and power adapters. All signs point to the iPhone 12 launching with a Lightning to USB-C cable, and we can expect a similar choice from Samsung.
Running through a list of potential reasons Apple might opt to go charger-less, it's hard to not focus on two points. The first is that it would reduce manufacturing costs. The second is that it might not be that big of an issue since most potential iPhone 12 buyers already have iOS devices and appropriate chargers. If that's true for iPhones, it's absolutely true for Samsung.
As the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung has also shipped more chargers than anyone else. The company stands to save even more money on chargers than Apple (although, perhaps not overall, since Apple will reportedly stop bundling headphones, too). It also makes Android devices, so the hope that enough people have chargers to make this a non-issue is even more understandable in Samsung's case.
Samsung's market penetration and reliance on Android could also be a complication here, however. In Apple's case, the iPhone-faithful customers are going to buy iPhones, whether they like or dislike the lack of a power adapter. There simply isn't another iOS option, and that may have been a major factor for consumers getting over the then-shocking removal of the headphone jack.
For Samsung, though, there will be plenty of high-end smartphones in competition with the next Galaxy handset that could attempt to woo customers upset by the lack of a charger. Furthermore, given the amount of devices Samsung ships annually, its decision to remove chargers from the package would have a significant impact on its manufacturing partners who make them, potentially forcing those companies to sell directly to consumers.
Source: ET News
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