Samsung slashes price of the strictly optional Galaxy S21 charger
What's the story
Almost immediately following the announcement of the new Galaxy S21 5G series of smartphones, Samsung announced a $15 price cut on the 25W fast charger that is sold separately. This is the first instance of Samsung releasing an entire smartphone series without a charger in the box. The move aping Apple received mixed reactions and seems to be the reason for the price cut.
Monkey see, Monkey do
Samsung Galaxy S21 series launched without a bundled charger
Three variants of the Galaxy S21 were launched in India starting at Rs. 70,000. The phone is capable of 25W fast charging but doesn't come with a bundled charging brick. Samsung ditching the wall wart can be seen as a push for environmental sustainability, as most smartphone owners already have a usable charger at home. This move could, however, deter some first-time buyers.
Pre-emptive moves
Samsung's charger price cut: Bracing for the worst
Samsung's India website still lists the 25W charger at Rs. 2000, just like the global site's unchanged price of $34.99. The price cut of $15 hasn't been implemented yet. However, that would drop the charger's price to just around Rs. 1,100 in India. This underscores the high-profit margins Samsung makes on these products, thereby making the more capable aftermarket options seem like better choices.
'Savings'
Permanent price cuts on charger and last-gen S20 series
The price cuts on the charger are permanent, claims Samsung, as are the discounts across the Galaxy S20 series of smartphones. The prices of the last generation Galaxy S20 series phones have been slashed by a maximum of Rs. 16,000. Following the price cut, the S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra will set you back anywhere between Rs. 49,999 and Rs. 76,999.
More competition
Third-party chargers now make more sense, offer better features
Since the Samsung 25W USB-C charger is now an optional accessory, customers can also choose third-party chargers sporting better technology and features at competitive prices. For example, the Xiaomi 27W fast charger costs just Rs. 699 on Amazon and advertises up to 380V surge protection and ten-layer circuit protection. That's nearly a third of Samsung's asking price for its 25W charger in India.