Samsung and Apple BOTH set to bin chargers from boxes for next phone releases – you’ll need to buy your own
SAMSUNG is reportedly planning to ditch giving out free chargers next year.
These rumours come after the same thing was hinted for Apple and the iPhone 12.
It's not unprecedented for manufacturers to stop giving out free accessories with new phones.
Korean publication has reported that Samsung is considering abandoning free chargers by next year.
The report says that leaving chargers out of the box of new phones could help save the company money in light of rising costs due to 5G tech.
Long time Samsung and Apple fans are likely to already have multiple chargers lying around from previous phone purchases.
These tech giants could therefore also argue that they'd be cutting back on excess products and packaging that people might not want or need.
However, if the rumours are true then it's not good news for those who don't already own a suitable charger and would then have to buy one.
A Samsung Fast Charger can cost around £19.99.
Buying an Apple power adapter and USB cable can set you back around £40/$40 or more.
Last month, trusted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who regularly leaks the California firm's plans long before they're public, revealed that Apple could be abandoning the free charger concept.
Kuo suggested Apple is ditching the accessories so it can keep the price of the iPhone 12 down.
It's thought the California company wants to ship the mobile at a similar price to the iPhone 11, which sold for £729 / $699.
Rumours suggest free headphones could also be ditched.
We'll need to wait for official word from both Samsung and Apple before any of this can be confirmed.
We have reached out to both tech giants for comment.
Samsung – a brief history
Here's what you need to know...
- Samsung is a major South Korean company made up of many businesses that operate globally
- It's known locally as a "chaebol", which means "business conglomerate"
- It was founded by Lee Byung-chul in 1938 as a trading company
- But over several decades, it branched out into food processing, insurance, textiles and retail
- It wasn't until the late 1960s when Samsung entered the electronics industry – for which it's best known in the west today
- It also launched businesses in construction and shipbuilding in the 1970s
- Today, Samsung's most important sources of income are its smartphones and computer chips
- The firm accounts for around a fifth of South Korea's total exports, and roughly 17% of the country's GDP
- More than 320,000 staff are employed by Samsung globally
- And in 2017, Samsung turned over the equivalent of £174billion today in revenue
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