Samsung Galaxy S21 springs iPhone 12-style "most basic" fail on fans

Samsung Galaxy S21 is in for an embarrassing U-turn

Samsung Galaxy S21
(Image credit: Concept Creator)
Shabana Arif
By
published
in News

Samsung has only just launched its Galaxy Z Fold 2 but everyone's attention is already on the Galaxy S21 – the follow-up to the Galaxy S20 series that could be launching as early as January.

Recent rumors have quenched our thirst for specs, but the latest report is all about the accessories that the smartphone will include – or not – in the box on release.

Apple kicked things of with its controversial decision to scrap the in-box headphones and charger for the iPhone 12; something it usually includes with its handsets. Despite citing environmental reasons as the motivation behind the decision, it wasn't  well-received by everyone, and Samsung even got in on the action to poke fun at the brand.

But the tables have turned, as Samsung is allegedly considering doing the same.

The news comes from Korean outlet ChosunBiz (via TechRadar) which reports that Samsung is contemplating cutting the earphones and charging block, but will likely keep the charging cable. 

As it stands, Samsung ships its smartphones with a 25W charger, so anyone wanting to use the faster speeds supported by the devices has to go out and buy a 45W charger separately anyway. 

Meanwhile US customers didn't get the wired earphones with the Galaxy Note 20 series (although you can get a pair for free by contacting Samsung's customer care), so it won't be too big of a surprise if that rolls out to other regions with its newer smartphones.

Apple's decision didn't see any savings passed onto consumers, even though the smaller boxes cut its shipping costs, on top of any additional savings it made by not having to produce the accessories. In fact, if the cost of the missing headphones and charger are factored into the iPhone 12's pricing, customers are actually out of pocket.

We don't know to what extent Samsung will follow suit, perhaps starting out by eliminating the earphones only, but the company will definitely have egg on its face if it does follow Apple's lead after all. 

Source: TechRadar

Shabana Arif
Shabana Arif

Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.

Latest