Rumor mill: Is Samsung about to repeat history by mocking an Apple move before doing exactly the same thing itself? According to a new report, the Korean firm might not ship a charger or earphones with the Galaxy S21, following Cupertino's decision to drop the accessories from the iPhone 12 lineup.
Months before the iPhone 12 arrived, analysts had predicted that Apple would no longer ship a charger or earphones with the handsets. The company confirmed the theories earlier this month, claiming that the move would cut over 2 million metric tons of carbon: the equivalent of 450,000 cars.
Even before the iPhone 12 reveal, reports claimed Samsung was also considering dropping the items from some handsets, possibly starting with its budget and mid-range offerings, but that started looking unlikely after the firm threw shade at its rival by noting in a Facebook post that highlights the Galaxy line's bundled charger.
??Your #Galaxy does give you what you are looking for. From the most basic as a charger, to the best camera, battery, performance, memory and even 120Hz screen ✌️ on a smartphone. ??
Posted by Samsung on Tuesday, October 13, 2020
According to the Korean media (via SamMobile), however, Samsung really could follow in Apple's footsteps by removing the charger and earphones from the Galaxy S21. That would likely be a controversial move, but some believe it may just drop the earphones and keep the power brick. SamMobile notes that the Galaxy Note 20 series doesn't come with AKG USB-B earphones in the US, though customers can get them free by contacting customer service.
While reducing e-waste is commendable, the iPhone 12 line's price doesn't reflect the saving Apple made by dropping the charger and earphones. If Samsung follows suit, expect the next Galaxy range to be just as expensive as usual, too.
Samsung has precedent with this sort of thing. It publicly mocked Apple after it dropped the 3.5mm jack from its phones, yet it didn't take long before the legacy port started disappearing from Sammy's lower-end handsets. Eventually, the Galaxy Note 10 became the first Samsung flagship to lack a headphone jack.
According to rumors, Samsung will release the Galaxy S21---possibly called the S30---earlier than usual next year, with the reveal date set for January and the launch taking place a month later. Alleged leaked specs suggest there'll be few differences from its S20 predecessor, apart from a missing charger and earphones, perhaps.