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Your Next Samsung Phone May Not Come With a Charger in the Box (sammobile.com) 129

Posted by msmash from the no-shame-copycat dept.
Days after it was rumored that Apple might not ship a charger with its next iPhone, Samsung is copying that, too. According to a new report from South Korea, future Samsung phones may not ship with a charger. From a report: Samsung ships hundreds of millions of smartphones every single year. Dropping the charger from even half of its lineup is going to result in major cost reductions for the company. It may also enable the company to price its affordable devices even more aggressively. According to the report, Samsung is discussing plans to exclude the charger from the box components for some smartphones. If it decides to go ahead with this, we might see the first Samsung phones to ship without a charger starting next year.
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Your Next Samsung Phone May Not Come With a Charger in the Box More

Your Next Samsung Phone May Not Come With a Charger in the Box

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  • Not a bad idea. Most have enough charging devices by now. I just hope they will pass on the savings instead of pocketing them.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by leonbev ( 111395 )

      Nah. I'd imagine that the $5 cost savings from not needing to toss in a USB wall wart or having larger packaging to accommodate said wall wart will go straight to the profit margin on the higher end models.

      Sadly, it's the customers buying lower end phones who are going to get impacted by this the hardest. Odds are that they don't have fancy third party wireless chargers laying around the house like wealthier customers, so they'll actually have to pony up the $10 retail price for a charger in their local pho

      • Wall Warts cost $5 to us... but imagine trying to buy a million of them. Most users have a wall wart from a previous phone, so this is a cost savings.

        • Re:What are the chances they will pass on the savi (Score:4, Interesting)

          by leonbev ( 111395 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @01:48PM (#60279942) Journal

          The actual production cost of the wall wart isn't where all of the cost savings are. Without it in there, you can now have smaller smartphone packages (cutting down on cardboard costs by a few cents), and you can now fit more smartphones in a shipping container (lowering shipping and handling costs).

          Samsung can say that this was a "save the planet" measure, but I think that we all know that it was the bean counters in the accounting department who really pushed for this change.

      • It won't be $5. The savings are pointless except in volume. They likely cost Samsung less than $0.25. It's just that Samsung sold 296 million phones last year. You likely won't miss the charger (and there's not much savings to pass on to you that will make much difference), but if Samsung leaves them out even at 25 cents each that's $74 million.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Hadlock ( 143607 )

        I think the big win here is that no additional chargers are going into landfills each year. It's unlikely that your new phone has a different charging adapter than your old phone. We stopped changing phone charger connectors back in 2011.
         
        You either have lightning (iphone), micro usb (80% of all smartphones ever manufactured) or usb-c (10% of all smartphones & tablets ever manufactured + high end ipads)

      • Here's a 5-pack of chargers for $9.99 [amazon.com] with free shipping.

        To do this profitably, the wholesale price must be less than $1 each.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Z80a ( 971949 )

        I think the worst part is that third party chargers can be absolutely crap.
        They don't rectify the power correctly and this makes many touch screens just not work well at all.
        Also there's the whole safety thing that may get skimped/skipped

    • Not a bad idea. Most have enough charging devices by now. I just hope they will pass on the savings instead of pocketing them.

      This idea is rather delusional considering Samsung's cost to make a charger. Old generic chargers probably cost $3 to make. Fancier modern "smart" chargers probably cost $5.

      Oh, and when was the last time we actually found a mega-corp passing on the savings? These kinds of corporate moves practically scream executive bonus.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      They will just make the chargers 69.95 each, sold separately. They will charge 7% faster than generic ones.

    • The only reason why we have tons of chargers is because everyone used to included them.

      I have tons of floppy cables and never had to buy any because everyone included them. I had to buy virtually every HDMI cable separately.

  • Huh? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Freischutz ( 4776131 )
    Didn't a bunch of people get their panties in a twist and shriek bloody murder when Apple did this a while ago? It will be interesting to see those same people explain in great detail why this is a decision of pure business genius and and a big boost for the Android community.

    • Didn't a bunch of people get their panties in a twist and shriek bloody murder when Apple did this a while ago?

      No, there is just a rumour out that iPhone 12 (not on sale yet) will come without charger, and now another rumour that Samsung will copy this with devices not on sale yet. Of course all the Apple / Samsung fans will applaud it, while all the Samsung / Apple fans will shriek bloody murder :-)

    • Re:Huh? (Score:4, Informative)

      by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @12:40PM (#60279678)

      Didn't a bunch of people get their panties in a twist and shriek bloody murder when Apple did this a while ago?

      No. The consensus was that it made sense to exclude the charger.

      The few panty twisters were mostly just Apple haters that don't even use Apple products and just saw it as an opportunity to complain.

      • ..and now they are Samsung haters?

        See this is your problem. With a sweep of your hand, you declared all criticisms as the unhinged screeds of Apple haters....

        ...and then you dont see a problem with calling the people that have a problem with samsung doing it... as also apple hatrers?
        • Go read the comments in the old story. The vast majority of objectors include invectives against Apple, not consumer-oriented objections.

      • I didn't comment on the apple charger at all (TBH I have too many chargers sitting around, and I've got a preference for having them built into the wall outlet, as I've installed a few of those in my own house for this reason) I know that apple charges a ridiculous premium for their chargers even though there's nothing really special about them, and given their history, wouldn't surprise me if they require an official apple charger in order to retain your warranty.

        I also happen to know that aftermarket char

      • The few panty twisters were mostly just Apple haters that don't even use Apple products and just saw it as an opportunity to complain.

        Even then it was a subset. I as an Apple hater fully support Apple's idea at the time and hoped that other companies would follow through. Looks like that happened.

    • I think it makes sense for both camps.

      (Iâ(TM)m offering an opinion here so take it for what itâ(TM)s worth).

      The smartphone market is already saturated, with most sales being for upgrades, not new users. Those users are already going to have charging hardware already, so whatever is in the box is probably going to end up in a drawer (or in my house, a gallon ziplock bag with dozen other unused plugs and cables.

      Wireless charging options are aplenty; the only time I ever plug in my iPhone is in the

      • Not necessarily - for example, I have exactly 0 USB-C chargers. So if I bought one of these, I'll likely have to buy a charger too (or some adapter).

        Mind you, I do have a wireless one but I bought that myself.

        But it still makes sense, but Samsung (etc) should make getting a charger a really cheap option if you want one, like postage-cost only.

    • Didn't a bunch of people get their panties in a twist and shriek bloody murder when Apple did this a while ago? It will be interesting to see those same people explain in great detail why this is a decision of pure business genius and and a big boost for the Android community.

      I thought it was great then and I think it's great now. I'm an android user who until they change the standard is set for life wrt chargers. I hope the other manufacturers follow suit.

    • I can't speak for other people but I see this mainly as a good thing. So, I'm fine with both Apple and Samsung doing it.
      See? Not every Android user is an hypocrytical person that hates Apple.
      The only downside I see to this is that many newer phones support charging rates that are not common with older chargers. E.g.: My Xiaomi phone supports 30W charging. If they hadn't included a charger in the box I'd had to charge the phone with common USB chargers that usually top out at 10W or buy another charger.
    • Android devices use standard USB chargers (USB-A to microUSB or USB-C). By this point nearly everyone has got a dozen or more of such chargers and cables lying around their house since they're also used to charge/connect other things like cameras, mice, portable electronics, etc. Worst case you lose quick-charge functionality, but the device will still charge. So losing the bundled charger and cable is not that big a deal for 99.99% of people.

      iPhones use a proprietary cable specific to just your phone.

    • Didn't a bunch of people get their panties in a twist and shriek bloody murder when Apple did this a while ago?

      My iPhone 11 came with both a charger and a power cord. I guess all that shrieking and panty twisting, worked?

  • Here's a tiny device that costs over a grand, no power cord included....

    • "Here's a tiny device that costs over a grand, no power cord included..."

      We still have the 6 from the previous models, this avoids electronic garbage.

      Additionally we have an IKEA Lamp that charges our phones.

      • Additionally we have an IKEA Lamp that charges our phones.

        Hopefully that's not an Internet-connected lamp then - unless you've taken it apart and verified that the USB ports are power-only and don't have their data lines connected.

        There have been simply too many examples of stupidly designed (and sometimes maliciously designed) IoT devices for me to trust any of them which offer additional functions.

      • "Here's a tiny device that costs over a grand, no power cord included..."

        We still have the 6 from the previous models, this avoids electronic garbage.

        In the meantime, we simply accept design obsolescence, resulting in a couple billion humans throwing away a functioning smartphone every 2-3 years.

        We really can't get any more delusional with this "waste" argument here.

    • Re:Greedy assholes (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Dixie_Flatline ( 5077 ) <vincent@jan@goh.gmail@com> on Thursday July 09, 2020 @12:57PM (#60279754) Homepage

      Cable is in there, just not the brick. The wall plug is literally the least important part these days.

  • Just got a new phone in the mail from work. Came with a charger in the box. In reality, I needed only the charging cable, because I have a six port charging hub already. Would have reduced the amount of tech rubbish a little bit if that charger wasn't there.

  • Next year they'll announce the HUGE savings they're going to get by eliminating the screen!

  • I have a handful of usb chargers, I don't think I am ever more than 20ft from a usb port that provides power on my average day as they are at home, car, work. Don't need any more chargers...

  • Anti-corporate bullshit (Score:4, Informative)

    by Doub ( 784854 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @12:40PM (#60279674)
    I'm as anti-capitalist as the next commie, but ignoring the fact that this will save us from hundreds of millions of older perfectly usable chargers ending in landfills is just stupid. These companies should be praised for doing it. Governments should be ashamed for not making it mandatory (along with a standard charging connector).

    • I'm as anti-capitalist as the next commie, but ignoring the fact that this will save us from hundreds of millions of older perfectly usable chargers ending in landfills is just stupid. These companies should be praised for doing it. Governments should be ashamed for not making it mandatory (along with a standard charging connector).

      Companies are purposely designing obsolescence into a $500+ electronic device that billions of humans are addicted to, and you're worried about an extra power cord?

      The problem of waste, is a few million metric fucktons larger my friend. Smartphones should last 5 years minimum, and have replaceable batteries.

  • see that cell phones are about to become commodity electronics and commodities do not cost what they are asking. Bubbles go pop!

    Just my 2 cents ;)

  • How many people really need another charger? (Score:4, Informative)

    by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @12:43PM (#60279690)

    Far more valuable than a charger, is the cable, since cables wear out.

    At this point there are chargers everywhere, and from yers of getting various devices people already have plenty of extras - and for those that somehow have no USB plug in the house (unlikely) it's less than $10 to simply buy one....

    So why should Apple and Samsung, continue to dump millions of excess chargers into a world where only a handful of people need them? Even from just an environmental standpoint this is a good call.

    I don't see this as Samsung as copying Apple, but doing the same math and reaching the same conclusion.

    • I don't see this as Samsung as copying Apple, but doing the same math and reaching the same conclusion.

      People often claim Samsung is copying Apple, Apple is copying Motorola, etc. when they make similar announcements within a short timeframe. It's amazing how those folks apparently think these companies can implement changes that quickly - especially when it involves hardware changes (e.g. eliminating the headphone jack).

      • especially when it involves hardware changes (e.g. eliminating the headphone jack).

        Well to be fair Apple did this a generation before anyone else.

    • I bought my first USB-C phone, and it came with my first USB-C PD charger. If it didn't come with one, I'd have had to buy one from somewhere else.

      I think this move is premature. Not enough people have type C ports/chargers yet.

      • I bought my first USB-C phone, and it came with my first USB-C PD charger. If it didn't come with one, I'd have had to buy one from somewhere else.

        That is a good point (I only have one USB-C charger myself) but...

        Even there I would argue rather than a USB-C charger, it would be better to include a USB-A to USB-C cable, along with a USB-C to C cable rather than a whole USB-C charger.

        That would provide a lot more versatility, the stuff that ships with USB-C only chargers and cables kind of leaves you out in t

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        I bought my first USB-C phone, and it came with my first USB-C PD charger. If it didn't come with one, I'd have had to buy one from somewhere else.

        I think this move is premature. Not enough people have type C ports/chargers yet.

        You do realize the cable is the more important bit, right? Because I have had several USB-C phones. While they both came with chargers, I never used them - I just plugged them straight into my existing USB adapter and they worked!

        Given the PD adapters were 5 watt jobs (1A), they char

        • Motorola put a PD charger in the box with my X4. But the charger has an A socket, so the cable they gave me is A to C. The only 3.1 ports on my PCs are type C. The type A ports are 3.0 and don't support PD. Only the type C ports (my desktop and laptop have only one each) support it. So the cable is the more important part maybe, but odds are good that the cable they include won't work for people.

    • chargers are everywhere however older chargers often don't support the newer fast charge standards. My mother was bitching and complaining how slow her new phone was too charge, only realised when I went to visit her she was using her much older samsung charger.

    • Far more valuable than a charger, is the cable, since cables wear out.

      For more valuable than the cable is the consumer choice to buy their own cable since the ones delivered with phones are usually utter garbage.

  • Subsequent Apple and Samsung phones will come w/o screens and batteries, but include a tools to remove the ones from your old phone ...

  • ... if it comes free in a cereal box.

    Why on earth are these devices sold at $300+?

    They have the economy of scale now to sell them for $50 and still make crazy bank. The reason they don't now is because they don't get proportionally extra market for cheaper prices.

    But like PCs, phones are getting 'good enough' for most - and competition will be easier to enter once the technology is less sexy - so you'll be competing in terms of satisfaction soon anyway.

    Cheaping out on the basic utility items seems silly to

    • But they keep adding better processors, more RAM (some phones now have over 10 GB), more storage and ....more cameras. And while it's true that flagship phones are now more expensive than ever midrange phones now are better value than ever too.

  • I applaud Samsung (Score:3)

    by PPH ( 736903 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @01:08PM (#60279798)

    Apple ... not so much. In my experience, Apple products were notorious for not working with non-Apple peripherals.

  • probably already said somewhere.... I've no problem with not including a charger, but if the price doesn't come down then the real reason is to pad profits, not some other pr-friendly bullshit it'll be framed as; but again, I've no problem with a company making price cutting decisions, that's just good business

    the part that bothers me is the deception that they're doing it for some altruistic reason when in fact it's all business

    phukkin everthing needs a spin, say anything but the truth seems to be

  • Samsung's been using the same style of charger for years. Apple is probably planning a new charger port altogether, plus probably a new charging plug. The latter probably won't have a USB port, but will instead use a color eInk touchscreen.

  • What about warranty claims. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by tmorehen ( 2731547 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @02:10PM (#60280030)

    If you don't supply a charger, you can't deny warranty claims resulting for using a non-Samsung or Apple charger.

  • That's great, especially considering that they're going to pass the savings on to us, right?

  • Firstly, I'm glad they're doing this, most of us probably don't need another cable and charger, and it's good to reduce trash..

    But...does the math add up? How will these 'savings' benefit the consumer?

    Seriously, how much does a charger likely cost Samsung? $1?

    So you'll get $1 off your phone. That's massive savings?

    Maybe I'm off on the cost...but seems to me like the numbers don't really add up with this excuse.

    • How will these 'savings' benefit the consumer?

      It wont. The phone will be the same price, but not include the charger.

  • ...Samsung incurs from relatively new phones that are damaged from consumers using really crappy 3rd party DC supplies is a net saving to the company.

  • It is a Samsung, so it is delivered to the customer inside a cinerary urn.
  • For $1,000 phone it better come with a cable at the very least.

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