Samsung’s newest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S21, does not come with a charger or headphones in the box, and the company confirmed this week that the approach will apply to other devices going forward, too.
As noted by The Verge, Samsung mobile communications EVP and head of customer experience Patrick Chomet wrote in an FAQ that many Samsung device users already reuse their accessories from device to device, so a transition away from including them in the box makes sense. But a “gradual” approach to their removal will “address sustainable consumption issues and remove any pressure that consumers may feel towards continually receiving unnecessary charger accessories with new phones,” Chomet says.
“We’ve also been implementing standardized USB-C type charging ports since 2017, so older chargers can still be compatible with our newest Galaxy models,” he adds.
Chomet did not elaborate on which devices might drop or include the accessories.
The move is an about-face for Samsung. Though rumors suggested last summer that Samsung’s 2021 phones would ditch the in-box chargers, Samsung mocked Apple last fall when Cupertino said its iPhone 12 lineup would ship with a charger. By December, however, Samsung was caught scrubbing its social media accounts of those critical posts.
