Apple, Samsung face more fines for not shipping a power adapter with their pricey flagship phones

Starting with the 2020 iPhone 12 series, Apple started to ship its phones minus a power adapter and the wired EarPods. When pressed for a reason, Apple used the "Hulk" defense. In other words, it turned green and explained that with the smaller boxes it would be able to fit 70% more boxes on a shipping pallet. Apple says that this will reduce yearly carbon emissions by 2 million metric tons, equivalent to taking 500,000 cars off the roads.

But Apple is also going to profit from this decision on two fronts. It saves money by not including the power adapter and EarPods in the box and also generates revenue when customers decide to buy the latest and fastest power bricks for their new iPhones. And certainly, many of these iPhone buyers end up purchasing a pair of AirPods. It's a win-win for Apple.

Samsung responded like Samsung always does when Apple makes a seismic change to its high-profile devices. First, it ridicules Apple and then eventually copies the move Apple made while it deletes any social media posts it disseminated that make fun of Apple. Samsung followed the same script when Apple removed the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7.

Last month, a judge in Brazil ruled that Apple must reimburse a consumer the equivalent of $1,081 after the iPhone he purchased did not come with a power brick which violates consumer laws in the country. Specifically, Article 39 of the Consumer Code (CDC) in Brazil prohibits what is known as a "tie sale." The law prevents Apple from selling an iPhone and the phone's charger in separate transactions.

Samsung is following Apple's footprints in this regard as well. First, the company paid a fine in Brazil for not including a charger in the boxes that its Galaxy phones were shipped in. SamMobile says that thus far, the consumer protection agency (known as Procon) in Sao Paulo fined Apple the equivalent of $2.1 million. The Procon in Fortaleza hit Apple and Samsung with fines equivalent to $5.2 million although it isn't clear whether this fine was for both manufacturers combined or individually.

But both Samsung and Apple could be facing many more fines ahead. There are still more than 900 Procons across Brazil that could open administrative proceedings against the two tech giants according to Agencia Brasil (via telecompaper). Both firms will have the chance to state their cases and suggest solutions before any fines are announced.

Samsung has already made a change in Brazil seeking to ward off more administrative action against it. In the country, the non-flagship Samsung Galaxy A53 ships with a charger while in most other countries, it ships without a charger.

Still, even with the fines it has already paid and fines it might be forced to pay in the future, Apple could still come out ahead-in Brazil anyway. According to a newspaper report published earlier this year, by leaving out the power adapter and the wired earbuds in the boxes for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, Apple has saved $6.5 billion to date. A similar figure for Samsung has not been calculated.

If you need to purchase a power adapter for your new phone, Samsung charges $49.99 from its online store for a 45W power brick with a cable. For those with an iPhone that need to buy a power adapter, a 20W USB-C brick can be purchased for $19. Note that Apple does not include a cable with this purchase which will add another $19 for a 1 meter cable (3 feet 3.4 inches). A longer 2 meter cable will cost $29.