Samsung's new A-series phones in the U.S. come without a charger, and it's a trend
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Samsung released its new 2022 A-series phones in the U.S. without any fanfare on Friday, as the Galaxy A13 5G and the Galaxy A03s just popped up in its web store for the budget prices of $249.99 and $159.99, respectively.
The new A-series phones have pretty respectable specs for those price tags, even before the $75 trade-in credit Samsung gives in exchange for your bottom-feeding clunker.
The Galaxy A13 comes with a 50MP main camera and a giant 5000mAh battery to power its 6.5" 1080p 90Hz refresh rate display, while the lowly A03 keeps the 5000mAh pack but makes do with a 13MP main shooter and an HD+ screen resolution.
No charger in the Samsung's 2022 A-series box
What those two new phones from Samsung's budget-to-midrange A-line don't have compared to their predecessors, however, is a charger in the box. We've heard rumors that Samsung is planning to stop shipping chargers with all new phones going forward, even the ones in the A-series, and the rumor has materialized.
Spot the Galaxy A13 vs Galaxy A12 differences
The new Galaxy A13 and A03s have giant 5000mAh batteries and Samsung advises that you need to use a 15W charger to (slowly) top them up, but the language of the small print battery section writeup has changed drastically.
For the Galaxy A12 that Samsung still sells at a reduced price now, it waxes poetic about its long battery life and says that "when you don’t have time to waste, FastCharging can power you up in minutes" with the "Fast Charging capability through provided charger" clarification added for a good measure.
For the Galaxy A13 5G, however, Samsung warns that you'd have to bring your own charger to the mix: "Wall charger sold separately; use only Samsung-approved chargers and cables. To avoid injury or damage to your device, do not use incompatible, worn or damaged batteries, chargers or cables. Supports up to 15W Fast Charging."
It seems that the new Galaxy A23 as well as the budget phones from the M-series that Samsung releases in certain markets, are also shipping without a charger in the box, marking a new era of environmentally friendly/cost saving charging realities for the world's largest phone maker.
Things that are NOT allowed: