Even though we are a day away from the Samsung Galaxy S21 reveal, leaks keep coming and fresh marketing images continue to confirm that the pretty flagship phone will not come with a bundled charger or microSD card slot

The images, courtesy of German site WinFuture, suggest that Samsung is following in Apple's footsteps after Cupertino removed the charger from the iPhone 12 series box

Apple first started the charger-less trend with the release of the iPhone 12 Samsung mocked Apple on Facebook and poked fun at Cupertino for removing the accessory But of course, as with the elimination of the headphone jack, Samsung later deleted the post to avoid online ridicule

Looking forward to seeing how they turn it around? Check out our guide on how to watch Samsung's Galaxy S21 event

Samsung will likely make the decision to remove the charger for environmental reasons Considering that 300,000 tons of e-waste is generated from the included chargers, the Korean company has a valid point Currently, most smartphone users keep a few chargers tucked away in a drawer

Chinese phone maker Xiaomi also decided to follow Apple's lead and not include a charger with the Mi 11 However, it has prepared a novel solution for potentially affected buyers It is unclear whether Samsung will offer similar measures to its fans

Even in that case, as with the Galaxy S20 FE, the charger was included, but it was not the company's 45W super-fast charger That was to be purchased separately And now that Samsung is about to release a 65W charger this year, those who want the best will have to open their wallets

Curiously, Samsung is removing a feature fans have long been accustomed to, the microSD card slot However, this is not the first time Samsung has eliminated the microSD card slot Samsung first eliminated the microSD card slot with the Galaxy S6, and again with the S7

Kyle Brown, Samsung's head of content, technology, and launch management, attributed the decision to performance, as the company was concerned that some cards could slow down the device microSD card speed and data throughput have improved so dramatically that this is not really the case

Companies like OnePlus have long not included microSD card support in their devices and have instead included large storage capacities in the devices themselves This has generally satisfied customers

OnePlus may start users off with 256GB of storage, but Samsung does not appear to be following a less generous strategy everything we know about the Galaxy S21 suggests that Samsung will only offer 128GB of storage on the base model, with 256GB at a premium and that 256GB is available at a premium The Galaxy S21 Ultra can be equipped with 512GB or more of onboard storage

Considering that this year's Galaxy S21 will see a massive price reduction to the $700-750 range (from $999 for the Galaxy S20), the new storage strategy is a way for consumers to select the more expensive 256GB storage option, potentially could be a scheme to help Samsung's bottom line