Regulatory Filing Confirms Samsung Will Copy Apple and Ditch Power Adapters

Shortly after the new iPhone 12 models launched without power adapters, Samsung shared an ad mocking Apple for not including a charging accessory. That commentary hasn’t aged well, however, as there’s more proof that Samsung too is planning to ditch power adapters for its next-generation smartphones.

Rumors in June and October suggested the upcoming Galaxy S21 devices would not include a power adapter or headphones in the box, which has apparently been confirmed through regulatory information.

A filing with Brazilian regulatory agency ANATEL that was discovered by Tecnoblog (via 9to5Mac) approves the new Galaxy smartphone models for sale. The documentation has few details about the new devices, but it apparently confirms that none of the three new smartphones that are coming will be sold with charger or headphones.

By removing the power adapter and headphones, Samsung will be following in the footsteps of Apple. None of the ‌iPhone 12‌ models come with a power adapter or EarPods in the box, instead shipping with just a USB-C to Lightning cable. Apple said that the accessories were eliminated for environmental reasons, but there has been speculation suggesting Apple removed the power adapter and EarPods to cut costs due to the expense of the 5G chips used in the new iPhones.

Samsung too may be planning to stop selling headphones and power adapters alongside new Galaxy smartphones in order to save some cash, offering the accessories as a standalone purchase like Apple does.

In the past, Samsung has mocked Apple’s design and product decisions before doing the exact same thing. When Apple removed the headphone jack from the ‌iPhone‌ 7 in 2016, for example, Samsung made fun of the iPhone before eliminating the headphone jack from the Galaxy S8.

Samsung’s new smartphones are expected to debut in January with new camera modules with up to four rear cameras, higher capacity batteries, faster chips, and more.