Don't expect your Galaxy S8 to have the same battery life

Samsung's new phone might drain a teensy bit quicker...but last longer, too.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews

When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.

See full bio

Sean Hollister

March 29, 2017 10:54 a.m. PT

2 min read

A gorgeous curved display. A new smart assistant. Facial recognition. What do those things do to the just-announced Samsung Galaxy S8's battery life?

On stage, in front of the world, Samsung didn't say.

But based on the company's official spec sheets -- where companies typically trot out their most optimistic numbers -- it seems likely that battery life won't quite stay the same.

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. Galaxy S7: Quoted battery life

	Galaxy S8	Galaxy S7	Galaxy S8 Plus	Galaxy S7 Edge
Screen size	5.8-inch	5.1-inch	6.2-inch	5.5-inch
Battery Capacity	3,000mAh	3,000mAh	3,500mAh	3,600mAh
Internet use (Wi-Fi)	14 hours	14 hours	15 hours	15 hours
Internet use (3G)	11 hours	11 hours	13 hours	13 hours
Internet use (4G)	12 hours	13 hours	15 hours	15 hours
Video playback	16 hours	16 hours	18 hours	19 hours
Talk time	20 hours	28 hours	24 hours	36 hours
Music playback (AOD on)	44 hours	N/A	50 hours	N/A
Music playback (AOD off)	67 hours	N/A	78 hours	N/A
Music playback (unspecified)	N/A	55 hours	N/A	66 hours

The differences aren't huge: an hour of 4G internet here, an hour of video there. Many numbers stay the same. You'll want to note that the talk time numbers are comparing CDMA talk time for the S7 and S7 Edge, with "global" numbers (we don't know what that means) for the S8 and S8 Plus. And as you can see, Samsung didn't give us an apples-to-apples comparison for music playback. We'll need to do our own testing to be sure.

But taken as a whole, Samsung's numbers suggest battery life might not be totally on par with last year's phones.

The Galaxy S8 and S8 have taller, larger screens than their predecesors.
Joshua Goldman/CNET

On paper, the Galaxy S8 has the same battery capacity as the Galaxy S7, and the larger Galaxy S8 Plus only has a slightly smaller battery than the Galaxy S7 Edge -- but the new phones have much larger screens, which can increase drain.

However, both phones also have a more efficient 10nm processor: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, or -- depending on your country and carrier -- a new Samsung Exynos. Qualcomm claims its chip will use up to 25 percent less power than last gen, which may offset the battery life impact of Samsung's screens.

There could be a huge silver lining even if battery life dips: Samsung claims the Galaxy S8's battery won't wear out as quickly as the Galaxy S7. After two years of use, Samsung R&D boss Oh Boo-keun told us the Galaxy S8 should still hold 95 percent of its charge.

It sure sounds like Samsung might fix the biggest reason I decided to ditch the brand: when my personal Galaxy S7's battery life dropped like a stone after the first year. Personally, I'd rather have 12 hours of web browsing today and 11 hours tomorrow, instead of 13 and 10.

Lynn La contributed to this story.

Samsung Galaxy S8 launch

Mobile Guides

Phones

Foldable Phones

Headphones

Mobile Accessories

Smartwatches

Wireless Plans