Guide
Why I even added Magsafe to my Android
by Lorenz Keller
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.
Apparently, chargers will only be available separately in the future. At an additional cost, of course.
Moneymaking or environmental protection?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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