Despite mocking Apple for shipping the iPhone 12 without a charger, there has been a lot of talk of Samsung doing the exact same thing with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21.
Previously that was all just rumor and speculation, but now there’s some proper evidence Samsung is following in Apple’s footsteps. And we have filings from Brazilian regulatory agency ANATEL to thank.
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ANATEL is the local equivalent of the FCC, so anything filed there tells us exactly what Samsung is planning on selling in Brazil. While the documents have few details on the Galaxy S21 devices, they do seem to confirm that there will be no other accessories in the box. Specifically, there will be no charger, and no headphones.
Brazilian site Technoblog discovered the filings, which also seemed to confirm three Galaxy S21 smartphones with respective 4,000 mAh, 4,800 mAh, and 5,000 mAh battery capacities. That lines up with what we’ve heard so far, though there are no huge surprises with those figures anyway.
But the charger is the big story here. Apple has been criticized for its decision to not include a charger with the iPhone 12. The company line has been the decision was made to reduce e-waste, though many have accused the move of being financial in nature.
The iPhone 12 is packaged in a smaller, lighter box that reduces Apple's carbon footprint while also reducing shipping cots. But to fast charge you need to spring for a $19 USB-C to Lightning adapter.
Samsung was quick to mock Apple's decision during the iPhone 12 launch window, as it did with Apple ditching the headphone jack. But, as ever, Samsung seems to be following in its rival's footsteps and copying them. Naturally, if Apple can save money ditching in-box chargers, so can Samsung.
Unfortunately for Samsung, Apple is under fire from the Brazilian government for not including the charger. If it plans to follow in Apple’s footsteps, Samsung may well end up being told it has to supply free chargers as well.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 range is set to debut in just over a month, with three different phones for people to choose from. We’ll have to wait and see what the official line is about the missing charger, or whether Samsung is planning to say nothing and hope nobody notices.
