Phone without charger: are Apple and Samsung saving on the upcoming flagships?
9.7.2020
Translation: Eva Francis
Following Apple, Samsung is said to be the next manufacturer to deliver your new phone without a charger. This may make sense from an economic point of view, but it's not exactly great customer service. However, Apple and Samsung don’t only care about the environment, but also about the reality in your home.
For once, the rumours aren’t all about «better camera at a horrendous price» or «screen with higher resolution». This time, the world's most accurate leaker, Ming-Chi Kuo, claims that Apple will not include earbuds or a charger when you buy a new iPhone 12. Will there be a cable? We don’t know. As the South Korean news site ETNews reports, Samsung is following suit.
Apparently, chargers will only be available separately in the future. At an additional cost, of course.
Moneymaking or environmental protection?
Moneymaking, critics say. Economy and environment, say Samsung and Apple. On the Apple portal 9to5Mac, Ming-Chi Kuo writes that Apple is removing the accessories from the box because the 5G components are expensive. For Apple to keep the price of an iPhone 12 as low as possible – it’s supposed to cost about the same as the iPhone 11 – the company has decided not to add the charger. If you want a new charger, you have to buy one. In the worst case, the same goes for the cable.
In other words, that’s about 55 francs extra for your iPhone just so you can recharge it.
The headphones are said to disappear in order to boost the sales of AirPods. That’s another 150 francs on top. At least.
The same goes for Samsung:
Although the charger even comes with a cable, earbuds and charger will still set you back by 180 francs. Don’t forget, that’s on top of your phone and only to allows you to use the basic features.
Samsung shrugs and is right
Smartphones have been part of our everyday lives for over ten years. If you change your phone every two years, like the Swiss average, you’ve had five smartphones so far. Samsung has recognised this and states in the ET News article that one of the reasons they’re not including a charger is that we all already have one anyway. The same applies to cables and headphones. Or how do you listen to music when you’re on your daily commute to work?
One thing is often ignored when I’m asked about an «iPhone charger» or a «Samsung cable»: the USB standard. USB stands for «Universal Serial Bus». For chargers, this means any phone can be charged with any charger. In other words, you can charge a Samsung phone with a Nokia charger. The USB cable that comes with your Oppo Phone can also charge your Macbook if you connect it to the Apple Powerbrick. iPhones are the exception, but if you have a Lightning cable, any USB charger will work.
Of course, there’s a snag. Charging is possible, but the question is how fast. Apple's fastest charger that’s available separately gives you speeds of up to 20 watts. I know that watt isn’t a measurement for speed, but in the context of smartphone chargers, the maximum speed at which a device can be charged is given in watts. Oppo currently leads the field with 65 watts.
What happens if you attach an iPhone that is charged by the manufacturer with up to 20 watts to a 65-watt charger? Does it explode? Do you have free-running electricity in your apartment? Don’t worry: the System-on-a-Chip (SoC) blocks the 45 watts that aren’t used. The iPhone charges normally. If you charge a cell phone with a 5-watt charger that can be charged up to 65 watts, it will just take longer. Laptops that can be charged via USB-C are exceptions. They need a little more power and therefore a different charger.
Anyway, I recommend to leave the smartphone charger in the box and to buy an extra charger, just to enjoy more charging speed. This can be a travel charger or a 40-watt charger by Huawei.
The reason for this advice is that manufacturers usually don’t include an expensive fast charger with your new phone. Apple's iPhone 11 Pro Max can take up to 20 watts, but the charger in the box delivers a maximum of 5 watts. Apple isn’t the only manufacturer who does this.
The business with the chargers, by the way, is profitable. Manufacturers are likely to make more money on a charger than on a smartphone. Why? The smartphone market is highly competitive and you only buy a new device every few years. This means, prices have to be more attractive, especially if they’re above 1,000 francs. With this in mind, spending 40 francs once a year if you lose your charger doesn’t hurt. Or what’s even more convenient: having one charger by the bed, one in the living room and one in the office.
As you see, removing the charger from the box is sensible, as the one that’s included is often weaker than what you can buy anyway. On top of this, you most likely have a handful of chargers somewhere in your home anyway. And if you don’t, you’re better off buying a good charger. The same applies to headphones: those you buy separately are usually better than the ones that are included with the phone. Or let’s say, were included.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
