Samsung Won't Include Chargers In Some New Smartphones By 2021 To Reduce Costs

A new report indicates that Apple isn't the only tech giant said to be planning to stop shipping chargers alongside new devices.

Tech giant Samsung is planning on not shipping chargers alongside new smartphones in the near future, Korean news site ETNews reported (via The Verge). Although the exact date for when this is going to happen remains unclear at the moment, the report's sources claimed that the tech giant can be expected to exclude chargers for some smartphone models starting next year.

Samsung has several reasons as to why it planned to exclude chargers. First, as per the report, the company noted that for many years now, chargers have always been shipped with smartphones, which means consumers have “become saturated” with them already. Also, the number of chargers shipped through these years means consumers will have a sufficient supply of the accessory to go by.

Second, Samsung will be able to “offset the ever-increasing smartphone price” by ditching the traditional practice of shipping chargers with devices. This is particularly important as the new handsets are expected to feature newer technologies, such as those used for 5G.

The report noted that while chargers aren't as expensive as other smartphone components such as displays and processors, the company will be able to reduce production costs by excluding chargers from every unit sold. This is predicted to result in higher profits for the company and lower purchase price for the consumer.

Furthermore, the report claims that by excluding chargers, Samsung won't have to forego certain smartphone features that consumers can enjoy.

Not the first

Samsung is not the first smartphone giant to have been reported as planning on not shipping chargers with handsets. Recent reports state that Cupertino tech giant Apple is also planning on doing the same thing and more – the iPhone maker is said to be planning on not shipping wired EarPods with every iPhone 12 purchase as well.

Not shipping chargers with every smartphone sold can be a good thing for the environment. It might not be as good for those who supply Samsung with chargers, however. The report added that as of now, there are three companies that supply chargers to the Korean tech giant.

The decision to exclude chargers will force these companies to look for other sources of revenue – be it other companies looking for chargers for their devices, or by directly selling to consumers.