Ngl, the cringiest article by “no-free-chargers evangelist”
After four years, let's move on from our outraged entitlement to terrible chargers at no cost in every new phone's box
A gigantic wall of text just to say we don’t have free chargers for whatever reason. IMHO they totally miss the point of the controversy…
Consumers partly killed replaceable batteries by demanding things they couldn't deliver. Waterproofing
Ehhhh...no, not buying it. We had water-resistant phones before the switch to non-removable batteries. For example, the Galaxy S5 (the last Samsung flagship with a removable battery) had an IP67 rating. The current Galaxy S24 has an IP68 rating. Go ahead, ask your average consumer what the difference is between IP67 and IP68, and how much they care.
Oh yeah, and the S5 also had a headphone jack and SD slot. You can do all these things and still have water resistance, so let's all please stop perpetuating these myths. If you're not on Apple's or Samsung's payroll, you do not need to lie for them.
Yeah, consumers didn't kill it the companies did. Same with audio jacks and SD slots. All things to push towards buying accessories, storage upgrades, and pushing people towards buying new phones as battery related issues pop up by making battery swaps an extra hassle needing servicing.
Yeah, I've replaced phones in the past that were perfectly fine except the battery was terribly degraded. With an iFixIt repairability rating of 2 stars and a new battery costing more than the phone was worth, it just didn't make sense to fix it.
My current phone is only two years old and while it's still "fine", the battery life is noticeably lower than it used to be. I doubt it'll remain useful for another two years.
Many brands now provide software support for longer than the hardware will remain useful (thanks to non-removable batteries). Strange times!
Look at Samsung Galaxy XCover FieldPro: https://news.samsung.com/us/samsung-introduces-galaxy-xcover-fieldpro-rugged-smartphone-thats-built-tough-field-ready/
It was basically Samsung Galaxy S9 but in a rugged body, targeted for first responders and alike. Highlight:
Powered to last the day. With a replaceable 4500mAh battery and POGO pin charging, running low on charge is never a concern. XCover FieldPro ships with an extra battery and is field replaceable, meaning staff can easily swap out batteries while at work.
MIL-STD-810G, Anti-shock, IP68 Water and Dust Resistance
You can't really make an excuse for "waterproofing" after making device like this.
I'd really love something like this honestly. Physical navigation buttons and dock charging. Mmmmm. It makes so much sense on rugged phones.
Thanks for the higher sensitivity "glove mode", but give me buttons instead, damn it!
That's actually a couple versions behind. I've got an XCover 6 Pro for work and I absolutely love it. The notification light and customizable buttons are my favorite.
On the other hand, it needs to be made clear to the less tech savvy consumers, and that is sometimes far from easy.
My mother-in-law received a rechargeable electric lighter as a gift. The instructions included told her to use the 5 inch long USB C cable to plug the lighter into her computer to charge.
She doesn't have a computer.
She does have a smart phone that came with a USB C charging cable and power adapter. It took us almost 20 minutes to get her to understand that she could take the cable she uses to charge her phone and use it to charge the lighter. She was incredibly confused by the concept that a phone could share the same charging hardware as an electronic lighter.
I think this is a pretty typical scenario for advancements. The old way was simple and easy to understand, and the new way is better, cheaper, more "green", etc. People around them will help them through the situation and it'll be fine. If it had been this way from the start, it would all be fine already.
Some pro-bundling arguments look nice but break down under critical examination.
Oh how interesting, I'm sure this will be followed up by a well thought out argument against it.
In reality, manufacturers shouldn't provide free chargers with new phones. Consumer outcry won't change the reality or manufacturers' minds. Four years of hearing these faulty arguments proves it.
Fuckin nope, sure didn't!
This guy is a moron.
I have a charging station I use. I don't want or need another charger.
Also, please stop selling me micro-SD to Full-SD adapters. I have a box of them I already don't need.
Maybe once all devices just settle on PD rather than a billion different proprietary protocols for fast charging some of which even require non-standard cables (e.g.: Xiaomi TurboCharge).
This guys a fucking idiot. And in my opinion, his whole own your accessory game is about collecting affiliate revenue from recommending third-party chargers.
He has written multiple "articles with promoted picks" recommending phone cases and screen protectors for $800 USD or above phone, just looking to add third party chargers to that list.
I glossed over it. I'm not really sure what their position, but I don't think any devices should come with USB-C chargers.
They're not going to throw in nice ones, they're going to throw in cheap junk.
When I got my Steam Deck I was super disappointed that it came with a USBC charger with the cable that was fixed to the power brick and only 3 feet long. So it's basically useless. I already have a dozen 45W+ chargers with multiple charging ports and A/C. I already have some really nice 10 foot braided cables that actually reach where I need them to. That charging brick is still sitting in it's box.
I think I must be you, but from an alternate, worse reality, since I'm in the exact opposite scenario.
I recently purchased a Steam Deck and a little while after that, a new phone, and currently the Steam Deck charger is only fast charger I have in my home (since I didn't really have any devices that required them before). This sucks, since now I need to purchase at least two USB-C PD adapters since I need two different chargers for the phone. Obviously this isn't an insurmountable obstacle, but it definitely would've been nice to have at least one included with the phone.
This sucks...since I need two different chargers for the phone.
...why do you need 2 chargers?
Have you never owned a laptop before? Have you never owned a PD charging phone before? Will you never own them again?
it definitely would've been nice to have at least one included with the phone.
If they included one with the phone, it would have been cheap crap that only served to charge the phone. Buy a nicer, more universal one, and then never buy one again. Or be like me and buy a handful of them to leave all over the house.
It's my only charger other than my iPad that delivers a high wattage, so I use it and happy for it.