I have mixed feelings about this. I get the reasoning. Nobody needs a dozen chargers laying around that eventually will end up in landfills. And the idea of having just one-type connector for all our devices is great. And for the manufacturers, they will save money too by not having to buy, inventory and package chargers with their devices. But when these manufacturers stop including chargers in the packaging, are they going to pass those savings on to us consumers. Or are we going to be charged the same price and get less?
I suspect that manufacturig a charger is relatively cheap compared to the final price of flagship smartphone. Let's say it is 5$. Let's say that consumer is faced with decision to buy smartphone from brands X Y. X is at 899$ while Y is 894$, because latter vendor subtracted charger price. Does the consumer really mind 5$ discount and go for brand Y? I believe it won't affect decision or even for some weird psychological reason have opposite effect. Thus I believe money will no go to consumers, though it may also not go to manufacturer: there is a room for vendor/shop, distributor to earn extra $$$
Well, first, it really makes no sense to single out "flagship smartphones" here. Most users don't buy "flagship" models and, if you read the article, you would have seen this mandate applies to "tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld videogame consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, and earbuds" as well as mobile phones. More importantly, the cost for manufacturers to include a charger with these devices is MUCH MORE than simply manufacturing the charger. You are right, manufacturing a charger (especially when manufacturing 100s of 1000s at a time) is cheap. In fact, that is probably the easiest and cheapest part. I don't think you understand the cost of the "logistics" involved in getting that charger from factory to customer. It is highly unlikely any phone, tablet, GPS, etc. maker manufacturers their own power supplies/charges. They most likely outsource that production to another company. Even if they do make their own, odds are it is at a different factory, perhaps even in a different country. So after manufacturing, there sits pallets of chargers on the factory outgoing dock. Then what? The pallets need to be trucked to the phone factory or perhaps a seaport to be shipped across oceans, then trucked from ocean port to another factory. Then what? These chargers have to be inventoried, warehoused, inventoried some more to ensure each charger is paired with a device. Then what? The packaging must be designed to house both the phone and the charger inside the box. Procedures must be created to ensure a charger is included in the box. Documentation must be written and printed. Then what? These now packaged items must be distributed out to the retail outlets. And guess what? Because the packages include chargers, the packages weigh more than just a phone alone. And that adds to even higher shipping costs. Then of course, the packaging will be larger as it has to accommodate both the phone and the charger. This takes up more space on the trucks and the store shelves. This all adds to the logistical costs of producing and selling these products. So for sure, if it costs $5 to make, it costs significantly more than that to get that charger to the consumer. Again, I think you are missing the point. If the consumer needs or wants a new phone, they are going to buy one, regardless if it comes with a charger or not. And frankly, for most users, $5 is not going to matter if already spending $100s. But it sure might with a cheaper phone, or a $50 portable speaker. But I think more significantly, from a consumer's standpoint, is not the amount that matters but that thought that these companies are ripping us off - again, selling us less for more. Nah! Assuming the shop is not an Apple owned shop, for example, the shop is likely to get ripped off too. I just don't see the manufacturers passing even a penny's worth of savings on to the retailers or us consumers. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it. I mean seriously, do you see Apple selling the iPhone 16 at a lower cost just because it does not come with a charger, as compared to one that does?
For the record USB-C is not both sided, it is fast charging one way, slow charging the other way. It is yet another fake presented by EU, you can not beat the technology (cables), but idiots will present it as such. Plug it either way.
Umm, be careful who you call an idiot or you risk looking like one yourself. A USB-C cable does indeed support either orientation for power delivery (charging) - something you could have determined in about 30 seconds with Google. It is with signal integrity and data transfer speeds where orientation may (but may not) matter. If the cable is USB-C on one end, but USB-B on the other, orientation may matter for data transfer. But if the cable is USB-C on both ends, then orientation does not matter. Plugging in the Right Way: Does USB-C Cable Orientation Matter? - Easy Tech Solver
I know this without reading that article. I have at hand a package of a beard trimmer that was bough probably a year or two ago in Rossmann GmbH. Vendor printed on packaging 9,99 € as suggested retail price. Depending on time 10 € is between 9.8 to 12.2 USD. Package includes a charger, beard trimmer, an small bottle with oil and papier instruction manual. Not a USB charger, so there was no license cost and only 0,9 Watts, but the logistical costs should be roughly similar I guess.
It does, I have Samsung phone, Samsung adapter and it it fast charging one way, slow charging the other way. It does not matter what idiots say, facts do not lie. But if you believe fake fact checkers, it is your problem, not mine.
I very much doubt that this is true. I have never experienced it, never seen it reported in the specialized sites like sammobile or gsmarena.
I have a Samsung phone too - a Z Flip. It does not matter how I orient the cable for data transfer or fast charging. So if you believe your anecdotal example applies to all, that's your problem, not mine. Now if you would like to show some supporting evidence to support your claim that you are right and the rest of the world is wrong, I would be interested in seeing that. Otherwise, I might suggest you try a different cable. I agree. @TairikuOkami Wouldn't it make sense if what you said was true that this would be widely published on tech forums? Its not. Or that Samsung would mention that in their user guides. Its not in mine. Or the major cable makers like Anker or JSAUX would mention that in their FAQs or support articles? They don't.
I have the s23 ultra, and it does not matter which way I plug my usb-charging cable in. Both "sides" result in the same charging speeds and the same data transfer speeds. Isn't that the point of usb-c, so that whichever way you plug in the cable is the correct way?
I charge my phones using 2 fast chargers at different occasions: 1) Xiaomi 10 Watt charger via USB A to USB C cable 2) Kalax 20 Watt Grateq via USB C to USB C I never observed signifantly different charging "speed" using same power adapter regardless how USB C was plugged.
This should be simple for most people to easily verify, one way or another. I cannot speak for Apple products, but I have two Android cell phones (a Samsung and a Motorola), two Samsung tablets and one MSI notebook, all support USB-C fast charging. On each of these devices, when I plug the charging cable in, it shows on the display the current percent of charge and how long until fully charged. As a quick test, I plugged in my Samsung phone and it said 54% and 53 minutes to full charge. I flipped the connector over, plugged it back in and it again said 54% and 53 minutes. I tried a tablet which was at 23% charge - 2hr and 1 minute to a full charge with the cable either way. My notebook is already at 100% and the Motorola will be checked when it gets home but I have every reason to believe both of those will show similar results. Conclusion: with a full USB-C (USB-C connector on both ends) fast charging cable, orientation does not matter - just as the USB-C specs require.
I checked Xiaomi 10 W + USB A to USB C cable: from 95% to 100% in 9 minutes regardless of USB C position. @TairikuOkami you may have broken cable
Maybe if your cable gets intercepted by the NSA and gets an implant inside the cable, it looses fast charging in one direction
