Samsung's Galaxy S21, coming in 2021, may not include a power adapter or headphones in the box, according to reports from Korean media sites highlighted by SamMobile.
Rumors earlier this year also said that Samsung was considering removing these accessories from future smartphone models, but that didn't stop Samsung from mocking Apple for selling the iPhone 12 models without a power adapter or EarPods.
Apple's iPhone 12 models ship with just a USB-C to Lightning cable. When announcing the change, Apple said that the accessories were eliminated for environmental reasons, but there has been speculation that Apple removed the power adapter and EarPods to cut costs due to the expense of the 5G modems used in the new iPhone lineup.
With a major competitor no longer offering accessories like power adapters and EarPods, Samsung too may want to save some cash by selling accessories on the side rather than including them with smartphones. Korean sources suggest that the power adapter and headphones could be removed across the entire S21 lineup, though there is a chance that Samsung will offer the power adapter while removing the headphones.
Samsung has in the past mocked Apple's design and product decisions before doing the exact same thing. When Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, for example, Samsung made fun of the iPhone before turning around and removing the headphone jack from the 2018 Galaxy S8.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
I wonder how long until the first lawsuit because someone bought a crappy no-brand charger from a mall kiosk and it caught fire, burning down their house.
At least by including a charger with every phone, Apple and Samsung ensure that most people are using a high quality charger. Now everyone who buys a new phone will have to buy a charger if they don't have one, and you know people will go for the cheapest garbage that does the job.
Samsung's marketing strategy is just embarrassing. Since it's so predictable, how is it actually effective? You think they would've given up the "mock, then copy" formula. Surely anyone can see through it by this point.
Predictions: Sep. 2021 - Apple removes all ports from the iPhone. Oct. 2021 - Samsung mocks their decision. 2022 - Samsung removes all ports in the new Galaxy phone.
