Samsung never really got sucked into the charging speed rat race that Chinese OEMs did. It gradually brought us faster wired charging speeds, maxing it out at 45W. So while others demonstrated 100W charging Samsung was fine with not taking the bait.
Has it now decided that it's just not worth it to get the extra brownie points for even 45W charging? That was certainly the question in our minds when the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was launched. It only supported 25W fast charging. Samsung has taken a similar decision for the Galaxy S21 lineup.
Which Galaxy S21 models support 45W charging?
Some might have expected the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ to get 45W fast charging. Their predecessors maxed out at 25W. If Samsung were to ensure continuous improvement of their features, perhaps it would offer higher charging speeds. It doesn't. Both of the new flagships can charge your phone at a maximum of 25W.
Surely the Galaxy S21 Ultra would support 45W charging because the Galaxy S20 Ultra does. You'll be surprised to know that it doesn't. The maximum charging speed for the Galaxy S21 Ultra is also 25W. Samsung clearly knows something that has made it decide against offering the faster charging speed.
It's not like all Galaxy S20 Ultra owners took advantage of 45W charging. The company only shipped the 25W charger in the box. So if you wanted the extra speed, you had to buy the 45W charger separately.
Perhaps fewer people bought the charger than it had hoped, leading Samsung to realize that the lure of 45W speed wasn't enticing customers. Then again, the 45W charger didn't offer much over the 25W anyway.
Speaking of having to buy chargers, the entire Galaxy S21 series doesn't come with a charger in the box. So if you're switching from an older device that came with a 15W charger, you'll even need to buy the 25W charger separately.
