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Your Next Samsung Phone May Not Come With a Charger in the Box (sammobile.com) 91
only if you have a bunch of compatible steering wheels just laying around
but you don’t, no one does, so your comparison is what’s dumb
Tires then?
I had just switched from an iPhone to a Galaxy. This is my first device that needed USB C I have a lot of iPhone Chargers but none will will work with my new phone.
Now honestly I was using wireless charging so that still works. But for wired charging I use what came in the box.- by unami ( 1042872 )You’ll still get a cable you can plug into your old adapters.
- by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @01:35PM (#60279646)
That’s like selling a car without a steering wheel.
It is more like selling a car without jumper cables.
I already have jumper cables, and prefer not to pay for another pair that I don’t need.
I also have a crate of USB chargers. I don’t need more.
- by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @01:52PM (#60279730)
You don’t think that the phone gets half a cent cheaper just ’cause you get less, do you?
Did the phones get cheaper when they removed the phone jack?
You don’t think that the phone gets half a cent cheaper just ’cause you get less, do you?
It means less crap in landfills. It is just one less thing to toss in the trash.
Did the phones get cheaper when they removed the phone jack?
No, but the profit went up. As an Apple shareholder, I appreciate that.
You don’t think that the phone gets half a cent cheaper just ’cause you get less, do you?
Did the phones get cheaper when they removed the phone jack?
Unless it’s packaged in two different versions it’s just one of those things we’ll probably never know. Until now you where forced to pay for the bundle although you didn’t need the charger and as I’m sure you’ll agree wasn’t “free” in any meaningful sense of the word. I welcome the change ymmv.
- Depends on the phone, cheapest ones yes, flagships no. But future designs can probably afford few extra features or better quality components on account of not having to accommodate for the charger in the budget.
I don’t think you really understand the cost/price dynamics here, it’s not a case of building a phone and then figuring what you can sell it for. It’s a case of deciding a market segment you are selling to, figuring out what kind of price range you can get from them and then figuring out the most
I also have a crate of USB chargers. I don’t need more.
This was my first thought upon reading TFS. I have plenty of USB chargers and cables. I really don’t need another one – hell, for all that I have a drawer full of the silly things, I use three – one on my nightstand, one in my car, one by my computer. And the last two aren’t even chargers, they’re just the USB-to-micro-USB cables….
- I”m of the thought that you cannot have too many of the USB wall chargers….
They’re constantly getting lost, and I often find myself with something new that needs charging and might not have a charger with IT…and so I can dig into my pile of them for that.
Most car analogies won’t really work well.
Because for the most part cars are very standardized. I go to the Gas Station nearly every pump (Lets not talk about diesel) will work for my car.
The jumpers will work across different cars.So the new Samsungs use USB-C, older ones used Mini-USB, Apple uses it Thunder Bolt. So I may not have a compatible charger hanging around.
You’re referring to charging cables, not chargers.
For the chargers themselves, I don’t need another. Anywhere I’ll charge a phone at home I’ve literally put in outlets with USB built in, and the last few power strips I bought had a few USB’s on them too. My car has a USB port built-in (and even if it didn’t they’ve never included car chargers). I’ve also got USB ports on my computers too. And the game consoles if I wanted to charge them there.
Really, even discounting dedicated plug in phone chargers, I’v
It is more like selling a car without jumper cables.
I already have jumper cables, and prefer not to pay for another pair that I don’t need.
I also have a crate of USB chargers. I don’t need more.
Actually, it’s more like selling a car without tires. Sure, maybe you already have some that you can use, but do they fit? Did you plan on selling your last set with the old car? What condition are they in?
Cell phone chargers come in a variety of amp ratings. Is your existing one “enough” to enable the awesome fast-charging you expect? Is it “enough” period? Including the basic item required to operate the device in the box is a good idea, even if many or most of us already have chargers. Those of
Actually, it’s more like selling a car without tires. Sure, maybe you already have some that you can use, but do they fit? Did you plan on selling your last set with the old car? What condition are they in?
There’s a lot more tire sizes than there are USB variations. This would be more along the lines of all the chargers around before the standardization on USB. Back when you had like 12 plugs at 5 different voltages.
We’re at around 3 USB charger specifications, they’re largely all* backwards compatible where the worst you have to worry about is not charging as fast as you could. With LiIon battery tech, slow charging can even be a good thing.
Now, there’s a changeup with USB-C, but most of the chargers I’ve
I also have a crate of USB chargers. I don’t need more.
I don’t know what the percentages are, but some people are getting their first smartphone. They might not have a crate of USB chargers.
I’d tend to say that most such types these days are probably kids with their parents. They can get a charger out of their parent’s crate.
every day to start your car? Your analogy is nonsense.
That’s like selling a car without a steering wheel.
Just use the one from your previous car.
- by Dorianny ( 1847922 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @01:27PM (#60279600) JournalNot a bad idea. Most have enough charging devices by now. I just hope they will pass on the savings instead of pocketing them.
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.
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.
No, not quite. Just from a quick search I saw 18w chargers on alibaba for under a $1 in quantities of a few hundred. I found 45w chargers under $5, also in relatively small quantities (website stopped working for me so I can’t double check exact quantities). So Samsung is paying WAY less than that ordering in the millions.
But now I’m going to ask…if our goalposts just moved to 45 watt chargers….how many people have spare 45w chargers sitting around the house? It seems to me that from a marketing and PR
Why give the 45 watt fast charger away for free with the phone, when you can sell it as a $25 add-on item? That’s how the commissioned cell phone sales guy I mentioned before makes their commission.
- Does Apple/Samsung even need to continue manufacturing the chargers? If they can drop the entire product chain while retaining the price of phone to consumer, thatâ(TM)s HUGE savings.
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.
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)
Yep. On my desk at work I still have my old Blackberrry Charger, that I use to charge my current Samsung tablet. As long as it’s some sort of standard-usb-thingy connection not a problem. Even when they don’t pass on the savings, it still means less eWaste.
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.
- by Freischutz ( 4776131 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @01:30PM (#60279610)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
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….
- Go read the comments in the old story. The vast majority of objectors include invectives against Apple, not consumer-oriented objections.
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.
True, it became the consensus the instant a major Android manufacturer did it too.
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.
I’ll instead say that just ’cause Apple gets away with that bullshit doesn’t mean that anyone who doesn’t have a devout cult following will.
I don’t particularly like Samsung, but they should absolutely copy this move. It’s terrible for the environment to ship so many little plastic cubes with electronics inside that nobody really uses. The number of people that have literally nothing to plug their phones into—no laptop, no desktop, no USB charger of any kind—is vanishingly small in most of the markets they’re in, and certainly among the people that might buy this phone.
No USB chargers in the box from anyone anymore. A 5W charger is
Plugging in your phone into your laptop, or desktop especially if you aren’t using it is insanely inefficient having to keep a whole computer running just to charge a phone is silly. I don’t have a top of the line phone and charge it every 2 weeks, however my daughter who has an iPhone keeps damaging here charging cable and has to replace it much more often than her phone. Sure I have plenty of usb cables (not so many usb-c or thunderbolt), but not so many that plug directly into a power plug. Also I am not
Cable is still theoretically in the box; we’re only talking about the plug. I’ve bought new cables too, but I’ve literally never bought a new wall plug, unless you count the multi-plug power brick that I have plugged into my kitchen wall that has 2 USB-A ports built in.
The worry I keep hearing is that you might get a phone and have ‘no way to charge it’, and I honestly can’t fathom that that’s true for anyone.
- What if this is just a trap by Apple? They spread rumors that there be no charger so Samsung will do the same. When the new iPhone gets in a customer’s hands do they realize there is a charger. At that point Samsung would have to make major changes to get a charger in the box. It would kinda prove a point that Samsung just copies.
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….
- by nospam007 ( 722110 ) *
“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.
Cable is in there, just not the brick. The wall plug is literally the least important part these days.
- Are they at going to give 10 – 15% discount on the phone to cover the missing charger?
Are they at going to give 10 – 15% discount on the phone to cover the missing charger?
You can always buy another brand if you feel it’s too expensive, until now you couldn’t opt to not buy the included charger for any mobile.
- It is $5 to buy one. Hardly something that warrants a major phone discount when the phones are hundreds of dollars.
- 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!
- by bn-7bc ( 909819 )Ok I’ll take you seriosly for a moment, how would a phone work without its primary I/O device, it’s not exactly easy to take the screen from your old phone an put it on a new one, and then you are still left with a phone without a screen. Why is that well a screen on a phone/tablet is usually tigtly integrated with the device so when you transfer overship of the device the screen follows automatically . A charger on the other hand is an accessory which usually last longer then the device, and allso a lot
- by guygo ( 894298 )
Screens are SO 2019. Implants baby… that’s where it’s at.
Ok I’ll take you seriosly for a moment, how would a phone work without its primary I/O device
Phones having screens is quite recent. We had 100 years of phones without 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 @01:40PM (#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
- Really? Can you name me the hoards of companies that are onboarding into cell phone manufacturing? I see more small vendors going under than coming up.
How many people really need another charger? (Score:5, Informative)
by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @01:43PM (#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).
- by bn-7bc ( 909819 )exactly
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
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
- No headphone jack, no charger, next there will be no phone.
No headphone jack, no charger, next there will be no phone.
Greed will ensure addiction is wired directly to your hand and brain.
Be careful what you ask for.
Subsequent Apple and Samsung phones will come w/o screens and batteries, but include a tools to remove the ones from your old phone
Well. When the screen and battery are still good, why would you want to chuck them in a landfill, when you could get the same performance like a new phone with a RAM and Processor upgrade? And once that technology is in place, you could also more easily replace your screen when it is cracked after you dropped your still otherwise working phone. So that basic idea might well be a good way into a more sustainable future, than the trash-everything-after-two-years that is going on right now…
… 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
- by PPH ( 736903 ) on Thursday July 09, 2020 @02:08PM (#60279798)
Apple
- 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.
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.
- by Glasswire ( 302197 ) <glasswire@@@gmail…com> on Thursday July 09, 2020 @03:41PM (#60280180) Homepage
…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.
- As long as the a-holes don’t keep on changing the ports, most folks have chargers from the previous version laying around the house that work. I have chargers in drawers from new phones that are just taking up space.
When I buy a device that requires charging, I expect it to include the charger.
Or I’m not buying it.
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