An Era of Buying and Using Phone Chargers... 10,000 Won Coupon Discount as a 'Carrot Strategy'

From Apple to Samsung Electronics
Basic Charger Excluded
Samsung Electronics Pre-order Customers
10,000 Won Discount Coupon Giveaway Event
Older Models and Apple Users 'Somewhat Frustrated'

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] As the era arrives where consumers must pay to purchase even phone chargers and earphones, frustration is mounting among consumers. Samsung Electronics has excluded chargers and earphones from the new smartphone 'Galaxy S21' series accessories. Thanks to the loyal customers of the Galaxy S series, pre-order enthusiasm is high, but the direction of public opinion remains uncertain. Samsung Electronics' move to offer a '10,000 KRW discount coupon for chargers' to Galaxy S21 pre-order customers is also interpreted as a policy to soothe the angry public sentiment.

Customer Appreciation? ... Seems to Be Conscious of Critical Public Opinion

A Samsung Electronics official stated on the 21st, "To repay the interest and support of customers for the 'Galaxy S21' pre-orders, we have expanded the pre-order benefits." Customers who pre-order by this day will receive a discount coupon via text message that allows them to get 10,000 KRW off when purchasing an official charger product priced at 25,000 KRW on the official website upon activation.

However, in reality, this is also interpreted as an attempt to calm the cold domestic public opinion. In fact, users who still use older chargers prior to the C-type charger introduced in 2017 or Apple iPhone users must purchase new chargers as a necessity rather than an option. On a digital device specialist community, a user named Kim Hye-young (pseudonym) criticized, "Following Apple, I don't understand why Samsung and others are trying so hard not to provide basic products," adding, "From a corporate or environmental protection perspective, it only sounds like telling consumers to pay more." On other large communities, dozens of questions were posted such as, "Can I use the LG Electronics charger I used before or the charger from the Galaxy Note with the Galaxy S21 Ultra?" and "Is it okay not to use the official charger?" However, some loyal customers defend Samsung Electronics' decision.

In particular, Samsung Electronics had previously conducted marketing mocking competitor Apple’s decision to exclude chargers, which sparked even more controversy worldwide. Foreign media criticized, saying, "They benchmarked Apple, whom they mocked." Samsung Electronics Latin America’s official Twitter account 'Samsung Latin' posted in October last year, "Galaxy gives you everything you want," along with a photo of a charging adapter, stating, "From the most basic charger to the best camera, battery, performance, memory, and even a 120Hz screen." This post has since been deleted.

Samsung Electronics, Apple, Xiaomi, and Others Join In

Going forward, not only Samsung Electronics but also global smartphone manufacturers such as Apple and China’s Xiaomi are expected to continue adopting the removal of basic built-in accessory products. The common justification is environmental protection. Like Apple, which removed chargers from the iPhone 12 series packaging last year, Samsung Electronics also announced on the 15th of this month at 'Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021' that chargers and earphones are excluded from the basic accessories, explaining that the purpose is "to prevent unnecessary packaging waste, protect the environment, and conserve resources."

The market offers a completely opposite interpretation of this move. It is said to emphasize promoting sales of their own wireless earphones and charger products. IT specialist media CNET noted, "Samsung has gone a step further than Apple did with the iPhone 12 by also removing wired headphones (earphones)," adding, "This is understood to mean that consumers are expected to buy the wireless (Galaxy) Buds." It further added, "If you want to reduce e-waste, the effort should be on developing more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient chargers rather than removing accessories."

Meanwhile, Galaxy S21 series pre-order customers will receive coupons via text message after activation. Customers who do not receive the coupon can get the same discount benefit at Samsung Digital Plaza nationwide. Using the coupon, customers can purchase the '25W PD Charger' priced at 25,000 KRW on Samsung Electronics’ website for 15,000 KRW. The usage period is from January 22 to February 28, and the charger is available in two colors: black and white.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.