The Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will feature a 3,000mAh and a 3,500mAh battery, respectively, a recent report from South Korea suggests. Following a series of tests, the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer allegedly finalized its decision on the battery capacity of its upcoming flagship duo and the Galaxy S8 Plus will feature the same capacity as the Galaxy Note 7, The Investor claims.
This rumor contradicts another report from late January when a different South Korean source claimed that the Galaxy S8 will be fueled by a 3,250mAh battery, while the Galaxy S8 Plus will sport a 3,750mAh one. However, seeing how Samsung’s upcoming flagship duo will likely be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and Samsung’s own Exynos 8895 system-on-chip (SoC) in select territories, it’s possible that the Seoul-based tech giant won’t have to drastically increase the battery size of its upcoming devices despite the fact that both will feature larger screens than their predecessors. Namely, this pair of SoCs is manufactured using the 10nm process, meaning both the Snapdragon 835 and the Exynos 8895 will be significantly more power efficient than their predecessors. For reference, the Galaxy S7 was also powered by a 3,000mAh battery like the Galaxy S8 is now rumored to be, while the Galaxy S7 Edge was actually equipped with a 3,600mAh battery.
Regardless of whether this report is true or not, it remains to be seen who will manufacture the batteries powering the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. Samsung Group’s battery-making division Samsung SDI already invested approximately $120 million into improving its quality assurance and manufacturing practices following the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, but it isn’t clear whether the company is done with the process of improving its operations. This uncertainty was recently followed by a rumor that Samsung may actually turn to Japanese manufacturers to procure batteries for the Galaxy S8, and Apple’s supplier Murata Manufacturing was specifically named by industry insiders in this context. Regardless of which company ends up manufacturing batteries for the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, more details on both devices will likely be available shortly. The largest phone maker in the world is expected to reveal its upcoming smartphones in late March, while both are said to be hitting the market by April.