Samsung red-faced after mocking Apple, as Galaxy S21 scraps charger too

(Image credit: ice Universe)

published 14 December 2020

When Apple launched the iPhone 12 without a charger in the box, the company faced considerable criticism. Some of that even came from competitor Samsung, which in a now-deleted tweet from October, told its followers that the Galaxy would offer everything they were looking for, including things as “basic” as a charger.

Embarrassingly for Samsung, it seems that this attempted jibe at the iPhone has now backfired, because the Samsung Galaxy S21 may not come with an in-box charger itself. According to recent approval documents for the upcoming smartphone series, the Galaxy S21 will lack both an in-box charger and headset.

Earlier this year, speculation first emerged that Apple might not include a charger with the iPhone 12, forcing users to buy one separately. These rumours proved true when a July leak confirmed that the iPhone 12 would lack either headset or a charger in the box. While Apple had marketed the iPhone 12 as around $50 cheaper than the iPhone 11, the revelation of those missing ancillaries left this discount feeling somewhat hollow.

Now, according to a recent report from Tecnoblog, Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy S21 without either headset or a charger in the box; in exactly the same manner as the iPhone 12. This information comes from the official approval documents for the upcoming S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra at Anatel – Brazil’s national telecommunications agency.

The missing ear buds are particularly noticeable in this case because Samsung is reportedly planning to launch the Galaxy Buds Beyond alongside the S21. Expected to be revealed in mid-January, these new buds will feature significant design improvements to the Active Noise Cancellation of the Galaxy Buds Live. Unfortunately, consumers may find that they need to buy these new buds separately.

When it comes to the charger, Apple partially mollified the news of the missing charger with the announcement of the MagSafe wireless charger; a big technological step forward even if consumers do need to buy it separately. Samsung may very well be looking to move in a similar direction.

As a result, consumers should keep an eye out for this factor when the Galaxy S21 does eventually launch. You won’t want to be caught out by mistake if you do need to buy a separate charger. This news also indicates that Samsung is following Apple’s lead in dropping in-box ancillaries. If this is indeed the case, other smartphone manufacturers may very well follow suit – or adopt the opposite approach as a selling point – over the coming year.