The Samsung Galaxy S21 is scheduled to launch in just a few weeks, but the pent-up excitement may have hit a speed bump: It looks like there won't be a charger or headphones in the box. The iPhone 12 series was famous for being the first smartphone to come without a charger or headphones in the box, in a move believed to reduce Apple's environmental impact. Apparently, new tests confirm that Samsung will do the same with the upcoming S21 series, which is expected to include three phones; Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. As the phones prepare to go on sale, an authorization from Brazil's Anatel (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações) explicitly mentions that the Samsung Galaxy S21 trio will be sold without a charger or headphones in the box, at least in Brazil. Two different 25W adapters are also mentioned, which could be an indication of the charging specification of the chargers that will be sold separately.
![Certificación Samsung Galaxy S21]()
Samsung Galaxy S21 certification document mentioning the exclusion of the charger and headphones (in Portuguese) (Image credit: Anatel (via Tecnoblog)) This is not the first time we have heard that Samsung has taken an environmental leap and has reduced the contents of the box. Shortly after the launch of the iPhone 12, reports from Korea said that Samsung was also planning to follow suit with its next big release. With this development, it seems that Samsung has made a decision. It's still unclear if the Type-C cable will make the cut. Steps like these will also allow Samsung to better position its wireless charging and audio products, such as the recently discovered Galaxy Buds Pro. Reducing the size of the boxes also makes logistics efficient, since many more boxes can be shipped per pallet. Without getting into the debate about the impact of this omission, Samsung almost certainly won't be the last smartphone maker to do so. For what it's worth, Android smartphones started migrating to USB Type-C ports as early as 2015, making the transition much easier for customers. However, fragmentation and ineffectiveness of fast charging standards will continue to be a stumbling block for the foreseeable future. Source: Tecnoblog (in Portuguese), Via GSMArena