With everything smartphones can do, it’s no surprise that they can burn through a full battery fairly quickly, particularly when under heavy use. Modern smartphones have to power high-resolution displays, run multiple apps at once, and support a wide range of battery-draining features. So they need a battery that can keep up; after all, the most advanced phone won’t be of any use if its battery is always running out when you can least afford it.
Samsung has released a new video comparing their flagship phones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, with other popular flagship smartphones to determine once and for all which one offers the best battery performance. The results were not surprising, with Samsung taking the top two slots, the Galaxy S7 in first place and the Galaxy S7 Edge in second, each with over 10 hours of battery life. Next were the iPhone 6S and HTC 10, with the iPhone coming out ahead by ten minutes. The Sony Xperia X came in at seven hours and fifteen minutes, and the Huawei P9 and LG G5 showed the worst performance, with the G5 in last place. Samsung states that the devices were tested under similar conditions, with comparable brightness settings, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC turned off, and no SIM card, starting from 100 percent battery life. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that these kinds of tests often do not reflect real-world usage; on a daily basis most smartphone owners will use their devices in a way that demands more battery usage. And when performing these kinds of tests, it is, of course, in the best interest of the company performing them to calculate the best scenario for their own models to present the best image. Still, nearly eleven hours is quite impressive, even with minimized usage, when you consider everything the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are capable of doing.
While controlled tests will often show better than typical battery life, real-world tests can often give users a better idea of what to expect with average usage. Some real-world tests seen so far have left quite a bit to be desired from Samsung’s current flagship handsets. Fortunately, however, they have included a Power Saving mode that will extend battery life when you need it, and even an Ultra Power Saving mode that reduces the screen to grayscale and eliminates all but the most essential apps – not ideal for everyday use, but great when in a situation where your battery is low and communication is critical. When all is said and done, while the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge may not give you ten hours of battery life every day, they will certainly provide excellent battery life by today’s standards, and the option to extend it further when necessary.