A new report seems to reveal more information about the battery capacities of two upcoming smartphones from Samsung, the 5G variant of the Samsung Galaxy S10 and the bendable Galaxy Fold, suggesting the company will be going kind of crazy with mobile battery tech in 2019. According to the source, the 5G model of the Galaxy S10 will feature a 5,000mAh battery, a notable improvement over the Galaxy Note 9’s 4,000mAh cell and a 1,900mAh upgrade compared to the battery capacity included of the rumored Galaxy S10 Lite, now expected to be called the S10 E. The battery capacity of the device is also comparable with the rumored sizes of the cells included in the two upcoming entry-level products from the company, the Galaxy M20 and Galaxy M30. On the other hand, the report also claims the Galaxy Fold features two 3,100mAh batteries, which add up to a total capacity of 6,200mAh.
Background: It is necessary for Samsung to include a large battery with the 5G model of the Galaxy S10 given the increased power requirements of the networking components of 5G handsets. Experts agree that the more complex communications supported by 5G devices need greater processing power, which in turn increases smartphone energy demands. In fact, early estimates show that communicating over 5G networks will consume some 2.5 times more power compared to using existing LTE networks. A higher-capacity battery should allow Samsung to compensate for that issue. Meanwhile, a recent patent already showed how Samsung will incorporate two battery packs into the Galaxy Fold using a novel multi-battery management system. Each half of the device houses one battery pack and the smartphone will switch between the two, depending on which power pack has a higher charge. Switching between batteries also occurs during charging, with the handset first topping up the power pack that’s more depleted.
Earlier leaks already supplied information about the specifications of the two handsets. The 5G model of the Galaxy S10 will sport the Snapdragon 855 chipset and Snapdragon X50 modem. Earlier rumors also claim that the phablet will have up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of flash storage. The handset will reportedly include a total of six cameras, four on the back and two on the front. The device will also reportedly feature time-of-flight sensors for more accurate depth measuring associated with selfie portraits and face unlocking mechanisms. Meanwhile, less information is available about the internal specifications of the Galaxy Fold, although earlier rumors mention that the handset will feature 512GB of storage space.
Impact: The introduction of new form factors and communications technologies require Samsung to adjust how it powers its handsets. The inclusion of a higher-capacity battery into the 5G variant of the Galaxy S10 could mean that the handset is bulkier compared to the other variants of the device, especially since smartphone components needed to connect to 5G networks take up to three times more space than conventional chipsets. The more generous battery of the 5G model of the Galaxy S10 could also allow the handset to offer similar battery life compared to the LTE-only variants of the Galaxy S10. Meanwhile, the inclusion of two separate battery packs within its foldable smartphone could allow Samsung to distribute the handset’s internal electronics throughout the device more evenly, thus streamlining development.