When Apple removed the charger from the iPhone 12 box in 2020, the tech world took notice. Samsung followed months later with the Galaxy S21. Both companies called it an environmental initiative. Critics called it something else entirely. So which is it — a genuine step toward sustainability, or a clever way to cut costs and sell more accessories? The answer, as it turns out, is probably both.

Apple's Case: Smaller Box, Bigger Environmental Claims

Apple framed the charger removal as a cornerstone of its 2030 carbon neutrality pledge. The logic was straightforward: most iPhone buyers already own a Lightning or USB-C charger, so including another one just adds to the pile of e-waste sitting in kitchen drawers worldwide.

The environmental math does hold up — to a point. Removing the charger and EarPods allowed Apple to shrink the iPhone box by 70%, meaning significantly more units per shipping pallet. Apple reported that this change alone would eliminate the need for 70 additional cargo ships per year. That's not nothing.

But Apple didn't lower the price of the iPhone 12. And the company's own 5W charger — the one it had been bundling for years — was quietly discontinued, nudging users toward the $19–$29 USB-C power adapters sold separately.

Samsung's Follow-Through: Eco Messaging, Same Playbook

Samsung's move with the Galaxy S21 mirrored Apple's almost exactly — same environmental talking points, same outcome for consumers. The company emphasized reduced e-waste and its own sustainability roadmap, which includes carbon neutrality targets and expanded use of recycled materials in packaging.

What Samsung didn't emphasize: the Galaxy S21 launched at the same price as its predecessor, and Samsung's accessory lineup — including its 25W and 45W fast chargers — remained available for separate purchase at a premium.

The Financial Reality

Let's be direct about the numbers. A charger costs a manufacturer roughly $3–$6 to produce. Multiply that across 200+ million devices sold annually between Apple and Samsung, and you're looking at hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings — before accounting for the accessories those same customers now need to buy separately.

Key financial dynamics at play:

• Manufacturing cost savings: Eliminating chargers reduces per-unit production costs significantly at scale.
• Accessory revenue uplift: Consumers without compatible chargers are pushed toward first-party accessories with high margins.
• Price integrity: Device prices didn't drop — meaning the "savings" weren't passed on to buyers.
• Brand positioning: "Eco-friendly" messaging resonates with a growing segment of environmentally conscious consumers, supporting premium pricing.

Does It Actually Help the Environment?

The honest answer: it depends on what consumers do next. If buyers use an existing charger they already own, the environmental benefit is real — less production, less waste. But if millions of people go out and buy a new charger separately (which many do), the net environmental impact may be neutral or even negative when you factor in the additional packaging and shipping for those individual purchases.

There's also a broader tension here. Apple and Samsung release new flagship devices every 12 months, each with incremental upgrades designed to encourage upgrading. A culture of annual device replacement is fundamentally at odds with sustainability — and removing a $5 charger from the box doesn't resolve that contradiction.

The Industry Ripple Effect

Apple and Samsung's moves set a precedent. Xiaomi, OnePlus, and other manufacturers have since followed suit with select models. The EU has also stepped in, mandating USB-C as a universal standard across devices — a regulation that, ironically, makes charger reuse more practical and lends some legitimacy to the original environmental argument.

Bottom Line

The no-charger policy is neither purely green nor purely greedy — it's both, packaged together. The environmental benefits are real but conditional. The financial benefits are real and unconditional. For consumers, the takeaway is simple: check what you already own before buying a new charger, and when you do need one, invest in a quality, certified fast charger that will last across multiple devices.

Looking for a reliable charger that works across all your devices? Our 25W USB-C Wall Charger Super Fast Charging Block delivers certified fast charging with full safety protection — built to replace the charger that never came in the box.