Various reports said recently that Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones will have bigger batteries than their predecessors. But it looks like Samsung will play it safe, to the detriment of anyone who wanted a longer-lasting device.
Even if we’d expect bigger batteries in brand new phones, Samsung is on the rebound following the Galaxy Note 7 battery fires, which forced the company to cancel the phones two months after it launched.
The Galaxy Note 7 also featured a bigger battery than its predecessor, which may be one reason why the battery exploded. Samsung blamed the batteries inside the phablet for the explosions, but it also admitted its design and manufacturing requirements may have lead to explosions.
Korean site The Investor says the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will have smaller batteries than initially expected. The Galaxy S8 will pack a 3,000 mAh battery, while the phablet version will have a 3,500 mAh battery — these are almost the same capacities used last year for the Galaxy S7 (3,000 mAh) and Galaxy S7 edge (3,600 mAh). Previous reports said the Galaxy S8 versions will have 3,250 and 3,750 mAh batteries.
“After completing a range of tests, Samsung made a final decision to deploy the battery capacity for the two S8 variants,” a Samsung official told News1.
Samsung has apparently started receiving smartphone components in large volumes, as it prepares for mass-producing the Galaxy S8.
The report notes that Samsung made some changes to its battery supplies following the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, by adding Japanese company Murata to its supply line.
Samsung SDI and ATL, the makers of Galaxy Note 7 batteries, should also provide batteries for the Galaxy S8 series.
