Samsung Galaxy S21 leak confirms no charger in the box — after mocking Apple

(Image credit: Evan Blass (Modified))

Samsung Galaxy S21 leaks continue to pour out. This time, regular tipster Ishan Agarwal wrote in a now-deleted tweet (below) that the Galaxy S21 won’t just follow the iPhone 12’s example by selling without a charger in the box, but will omit a pair of bundled headphones as well.

The Galaxy S20 included both a charger and a set of wired earbuds, so these are quite the deep cuts on Samsung’s part. Agarwal specified that his knowledge of the dropped components was only confirmed for the U.K. launch, but this does track with previous rumors of Samsung dropping the charger and headphones for other regions. A USB charging cable is set to be the only bundled accessory.

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Tellingly, Samsung had already deleted a Facebook post from its main account that poked fun at Apple’s decision to remove the charger from iPhone 12 box, ostensibly to reduce shipping costs and the environmental impact of its packaging. Should it truly get rid of the headphones as well, after their inclusion with the Galaxy S20, Samsung would be going one step further — not that the iPhone bundled its own headphones.

Samsung Galaxy S21 no charger — (Image credit: Ishan Agarwal)

It’s also telling that Samsung has a new pair of premium true wireless earbuds, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, set for an imminent release as well. As these have also been relentlessly leaked we already know plenty about their design and features, including active noise cancellation and an AirPods Pro-style spatial audio mode that, allegedly, will only work with Samsung Galaxy phones. And why give away a free pair of buds when you have these new buds ready to sell alongside the cheaper Galaxy Buds Live?

Samsung deleted Facebook post charger — Samsung deleted this Facebook post that poked fun of the iPhone 12 not coming with a charger. (Image credit: Samsung)

Expect to see both the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy Buds Pro to be formally revealed at a Galaxy Unpacked event on January 14. Samsung has already opened up Galaxy S21 pre-order reservations for “the next Galaxy," presumably for those who don't mind the absence of a charger.

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James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Paper Shotgun, but before that was Audio Editor at Tom’s Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also wrote computing and gaming news for TG, usually relating to how hard it is to find graphics card stock.