Power Up: Samsung Galaxy S5 Battery Could Be Huge and Quick-Charging

Just yesterday, we learned a whole hell of a lot about the forthcoming Galaxy S5, arguably the most popular smartphone next to Apple’s iPhone, and certainly tech-giant Samsung’s flagship device. Tentatively scheduled for a Spring 2014 release, the Galaxy S5 is rumored to pack a lot more visual power in a relatively small package, which means that the drain on the battery is likely to be huge. But thanks to a post on PhoneArena, it seems that a new type of lithium-ion battery might be crammed into the Galaxy S5, paving the way for a new era of powerful gadgets.

The post reports that the Galaxy S5’s battery will offer a “nice bump in capacity” over the Galaxy S4—going from 2600 mAh to 2900 mAh. Usually, however, higher-capacity batteries are bigger—but the post reports that the battery may end up using “a silicon anode instead of the typical graphite one, which allows a significant increase in capacity.”

That means that the battery will stay relatively svelte, and will allow for the phone to keep a slim profile rather than look all bulgy. Moreover, the post says that the battery will also be equipped with the fast-charging tech that Samsung has been including with its previous Galaxy handsets, meaning that the beefed up battery will be able to get a full charge in just two hours.

So what’s the upshot here? The Galaxy S5 seems poised to suck up a lot more power than its predecessors, but it’ll also have a higher capacity battery to account for the increased power drain—so the end result is something of a wash. But that also means that the new type of battery will be put through its paces in the Galaxy S5, and could find its way into even more devices, hopefully some that don’t eat as much power quite as quickly. That could mean longer battery life for gadgets across the board, and that’s always good news.