When Apple announced that the latest iPhone 12 series will not come with charging adapters and free earphones, Samsung was among the first to make fun of Apple. Now, just months after the iPhone 12 launch, Samsung is simply following Apple. This is not the first time for Samsung. Samsung had earlier mocked Apple for removing the headphone jack and opting for a new notch display design. It’s easy to guess that Samsung did travel the same path.

Now, with the Galaxy S21 launch, Samsung has announced that there will be no free earphones or charging adapter inside the box of any of the Galaxy S21 series phones. So, if you don’t have a Samsung fast charger, you would need to buy one. Inside the box, Samsung will only offer a USB-C to USB-C cable for free.

While both Apple and Samsung claim this to be an ‘environment friendly’ decision, we really can’t ignore the direct cost savings for the brands.

Another noteworthy development is that Samsung has eliminated the microSD card slot from the Galaxy S21 series. That’s right, you will not be able to use your old microSD card with a new Samsung Galaxy S21 series phone any longer.

Samsung in a statement said, “We discovered that more and more Galaxy users are reusing accessories they already have and making sustainable choices in their daily lives to promote better recycling habits. To support our Galaxy community in this journey, we are transitioning to removal of the charger plug and earphones in our latest line of Galaxy smartphones.”

Interestingly, Samsung may even remove the earphones and wall adapter for more devices as well. As per the statement, “We believe that the gradual removal of charger plugs and earphones from our in-box device packaging can help address sustainable consumption issues and remove any pressure that consumers may feel towards continually receiving unnecessary charger accessories with new phones.”

Samsung, however, has promised to stick to USB Type-C charging ports for future phones, at least for now.