Samsung and Xiaomi Plan to Ship Upcoming Smartphones Without Charger After Mocking Apple Over Same Move

Despite mocking Apple for no longer including a charger with the iPhone, Samsung and Xiaomi are now expected to follow suit and remove the charging adapter from their upcoming smartphones.

samsung charger post

Alongside the announcement of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, Apple announced that it would no longer include the charging adapter with all new iPhones, citing environmental concerns. The move was publicly criticized by rival smartphone makers Samsung and Xiaomi.

The day after the announcement of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, Xiaomi posted a video promoting the Mi 10T Pro on social media showing the unboxing of a charger accompanied by the comment "Don't worry, we didn't leave anything out of the box."

Samsung similarly posted an image of a charger with the text "Included with your Galaxy," and the message:

Your #Galaxy does give you what you are looking for. From the most basic as a charger, to the best camera, battery, performance, memory and even 120Hz screen.

In spite of these social media posts clearly poking fun at Apple's decision, Samsung is now believed, based on regulatory filings, to be removing the charger from the Galaxy S21, which is set to be unveiled on January 14. This may now be more likely considering that Samsung has deleted its "the most basic as a charger" post from social media entirely, as spotted by HTTech.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has also now confirmed on Weibo that the company's upcoming Mi 11 phone will not come with a charger due to environmental concerns. Jun said that smartphone users already have many chargers, so including another with the Mi 11 would contribute to an unnecessary environmental burden:

Xiaomi Mi 11 is officially unveiled with brand new packaging, so light and thin.

Behind the thinness, we made an important decision: in response to the call of technology and environmental protection, Xiaomi 11 canceled the included charger.

Today everyone has a lot of idle chargers, which is both a burden to you and on the environment. We are well aware that this decision may not be understood or even be complained about. Is there a better solution between industry practice and environmental protection?

iPhones now ship without wired EarPods or a power adapter in the box, with only a Lightning to USB-C charging cable included. With these accessories removed, all new iPhones now ship in a thinner box. Apple touts the environmental benefits of no longer bundling these accessories, noting that the move reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of rare-earth elements.

With a major competitor no longer offering accessories like the power adapter and EarPods, Samsung and Xiaomi may now believe consumers are prepared to purchase accessories separately. Samsung and Xiaomi have been known to follow similar trends set by Apple in the past. For example, Samsung made fun of Apple for removing the headphone jack from the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 7 in 2016 before mirroring the decision and releasing the 2018 Galaxy A8 without a headphone jack.

Top Rated Comments

sdiori Avatar
39 months ago
Right on time, per normal.

Even in 2020, Samsung’s annual u-turn feels like home.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GregJohn Avatar
39 months ago
Amount of people surprised?



0
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Seoras Avatar
39 months ago
I'd rather purchase from the "brave" than the hypocrites
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DinkThifferent Avatar
39 months ago
Another day another hypocrite in the smartphone universe.

Once again, Apple set the example and the copy cats gonna copy
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Naraxus Avatar
39 months ago
This is laughably pathetic.

And predictable. They always do it. They always will.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Psychicbob Avatar
39 months ago
Once one company cottons on to a cost saving measure (forget about the environmental argument) the others follow suit quickly. No matter how hypocritical they come across.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
best buy snowflakes

Best Buy's New Weekend Sale Has Record Low Prices on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Friday December 8, 2023 7:37 am PST by
Best Buy's month-long holiday sale continues this weekend with multiple all-time low prices on Apple's line of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers. In addition to Apple notebooks, Best Buy's event has discounts sitewide on home appliances, TVs, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive...
beeper mini

Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

Friday December 8, 2023 2:24 pm PST by
Apple appears to have closed the loophole that Beeper Mini used to bring iMessage to Android, putting a stop to blue bubbles from Android devices. Beeper Mini quit working earlier today, with users receiving "failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out" error messages. Beeper said on Twitter that it is investigating the issue, but Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all ...
maxresdefault

Review: Two Months With the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Thursday December 7, 2023 12:04 pm PST by
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and while most reviews are done shortly after a new device launches, we like to follow up with a longer term review that gives us an opportunity to provide a deeper dive into what it's like using these phones on a day to day basis for months. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been...
12

Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year

Wednesday December 6, 2023 9:53 am PST by
To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes. The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version...
anker new gold

Anker Begins Countdown to Christmas Sale With Up to 50% Off Popular Charging Accessories

Thursday December 7, 2023 7:55 am PST by
Anker has launched its newest holiday sale, this one offering a special deal every day in the lead-up to Christmas. These sales offer up to 50 percent off select products, and include discounts on USB-C chargers, portable batteries, and much more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which ...