Samsung smartphones may sell without free charger accessories in the box starting in 2021, according to a recent report by the Korean publication ETNews.
Samsung is reportedly discussing the change with related companies, but specific dates for the new standard have not been set. If the change goes through, it is expected to begin next year, which could suggest a start with the 2021 Samsung Galaxy S series. The Galaxy A series could also be a good candidate to usher in this new standard. Samsung announces its latest Galaxy A smartphones at the end of each year, but they are marketed as devices for the coming year.
Sources claim Samsung is considering the shift due to its decade in the smartphone business, making premium devices, in particular. It believes users should be adequately supplied with charger accessories from older smartphone models. Additionally, chargers are among the cheapest components to produce for a smartphone, so their removal is an easy way for manufacturers to regulate the overall costs of devices.
Prices of smartphones have drastically increased in recent years as manufacturers, including Samsung market super-premium models and introduce new, costly standards, such as 5G. Having long passed the $999 mark on many models, shipping smartphones with no charger could help stabilize prices for another few years. ETNews noted Samsung already has a similar practice with a number of its budget model smartphones, which ship without basic earbud accessories in the box.
The shift could quickly become an industry standard as analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently detailed Apple’s potential plans to release the upcoming iPhone 12 series without a charger in the box. The brand may introduce a new 20W charger and market it as a sold-separately accessory. The claim is also unconfirmed, but the rumor suggests Apple may scrap its current 18W and 5W chargers in favor for the 20W charger. The 18W charger currently sells for $29, a price, which could easily be transferred to the 20W charger.
Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging Wall Charger similarly sells for $29.99, which could make it a formidable sold separately accessory for consumers who want an authentic product. There are also many third-party manufacturers that sell Samsung branded chargers for much cheaper prices.
With USB-C as a standard for most Android devices in the market now, users can easily use another brand’s charger with a Samsung phone. However, the device likely won’t benefit from whatever fast-charging claim Samsung markets unless it’s being powered by a proprietary charger. Manufacturers are also continuously pushing wireless charging as an option. Those accessories are not surprisingly much more expensive and sold separately by default.
One thing that could hinder this shift is companies that supply Samsung chargers would be directly affected by a sharp dip in orders from the manufacturer. With the rumor still unconfirmed, there is no word on exactly how the smartphone supply chain will be affected. There will likely always be a number of chargers made as sold-separately accessories, but those likely won’t make up for the hundreds of millions of chargers that accompany Samsung smartphones each year.
