Samsung Galaxy S21 might come with a charging block – unlike the iPhone 12

Samsung Galaxy S20 series
Samsung Galaxy S20 series (Image credit: TechRadar)

The new iPhone 12 doesn't come with a wall charger, confirming months of leaks and rumors on the subject, and there were suggestions that Samsung phones could ditch the tech from the box too – but we now have reason to believe the Galaxy S21 might still come with one.

We say this as Samsung recently posted a Facebook image mocking Apple's decision to ship phones without a wall charger – it's a white-background image of a US-style wall charger with the text 'included with your Galaxy'.

While mocking Apple's attempts to reduce e-waste will be seen by many as a bad look, this does indicate one thing – it's pretty likely that the brand's upcoming phones will still come with wall chargers.

Samsung has a track record of mocking Apple, then later copying it – see also the dropping of the 3.5mm headphone jack from phones, which Samsung poked fun at before following suit. However, we're expecting the Galaxy S21 in just a few months, and Samsung likely wouldn't be mocking Apple's charger policy if the company was planning to do the same thing soon after. 

Other evidence

There's also another piece of information that could indicate that Samsung plans to ship the Galaxy S21 with a charger, though we're taking it with a pinch of salt.

As spotted by MySmartPrice, a certification suggests the Galaxy S21 is set to ship with a 25W fast-charger, making it seem pretty certain the upcoming phone will land you with more tech that you may already have.

The reason we're hesitant to believe this is that, if true, it would mean the Galaxy S21 has exactly the same charging speed as the Galaxy S20, and given that charging speed is a competitive area of smartphone specs right now, it seems unlikely the company would stick with a relatively low 25W instead of improving on it.

We'll have to wait until the Samsung Galaxy S21 launch to find out for sure what the company plans to do regarding in-box chargers and charging speeds, and that's not expected until February 2021. Before then, though, further leaks and rumors should give us some idea of what to expect, so stay tuned.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.