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Galaxy S25 series battery and charging explained

By Aleksandar Anastasov

Updated: Jan 28, 2025, 8:01 AM

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Man centered in the image and facing the camera, holding and using a phone.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series has officially been unveiled, and while it doesn’t bring bigger batteries or faster charging speeds, several enhancements aim to improve its efficiency and usability.

The main standout upgrade of the S25 series is the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which showcases a boost in power efficiency. We witnessed the improvements from the new 3nm processor ourselves during our battery life tests on the S25 Ultra, which comes with slightly better battery life than its predecessor.

Rumored AI battery optimization and magnetic wireless charging didn't appear. Wireless charging also remains unchanged.

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Galaxy S25 battery and charging upgrades

While these capacities are identical to the Galaxy S24 models, the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip’s power efficiency promises to stretch battery life further. The GPU’s 40% efficiency boost is expected to significantly reduce power drain during intensive tasks such as gaming or video editing.

Something that might be even more important, however, is the battery health.

Addressing past battery degradation issues, the Galaxy S25 series introduces improved heat management and chipset optimizations designed to preserve battery health. Long-term results will tell the full story, but it's a promising start.

Galaxy S25 Ultra PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results: How does it compare?

Battery Life

Charging

Phone	Battery Life estimate	Browsing	Video	Gaming
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 4685 mAh	8h 30min	22h 39min	10h 24min	12h 4min
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5000 mAh	8h 0min	20h 49min	8h 54min	14h 21min
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5000 mAh	7h 39min	20h 6min	8h 18min	13h 53min
OnePlus 13 6000 mAh	7h 30min	21h 34min	9h 12min	8h 12min
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 5060 mAh	7h 18min	18h 52min	9h 24min	10h 4min

Phone	Full Charging		30 min Charge
	Wired	Wireless	Wired	Wireless
OnePlus 13 6000 mAh	0h 43min	1h 29min	86%	41%
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5000 mAh	1h 9min	1h 58min	68%	33%
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5000 mAh	1h 9min	1h 58min	68%	33%
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 5060 mAh	1h 23min	Untested	63%	Untested
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 4685 mAh	1h 42min	1h 58min	57%	42%

Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page

The S25 Ultra got around 20 minutes more of estimated battery life compared to its predecessor during our battery life testing. That aslo places it in second place among the most popular flagship phones currently on the market, with only the iPhone 16 Pro Max beating it by 30 minutes.

An interesting detail here is that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is much better at preserving battery life during gaming compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That is probably thanks to the 40% higher GPU efficiency that we spoke of earlier. As for our Browsing and Video battery tests, they are not too different from those of the S24 Ultra.

When it comes to charging, the Galaxy S25 Ultra secures the second spot with its 45W wired and 25W wireless speeds. These figures comfortably outpace the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 27W wired and 15W wireless charging, as well as the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 37W wired and 23W wireless capabilities. However, OnePlus remains the undisputed leader, offering a blazing-fast 80W wired and 50W wireless charging setup.

How much battery capacity does the Galaxy S25 have?

The Galaxy S25 lineup features the same battery sizes as the S24 lineup:

Galaxy S25 Ultra: 5,000 mAh
Galaxy S25 Plus: 4,900 mAh
Galaxy S25: 4,000 mAh

How fast does the Galaxy S25 charge?

The Galaxy S25 series also sticks with the same charging speeds as its predecessor:

Galaxy S25 Ultra and S25 Plus: 45W wired charging
Galaxy S25: 25W wired charging

Charging speeds are about the same as last year's S24 series, which for the Ultra means around 68% in 30 minutes and a full charge in just over an hour in our tests.

We'll be putting the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus through their paces too, so make sure to come back and check those results too.

Does the Galaxy S25 have wireless and reverse-wireless charging?

Wireless charging on all Galaxy S25 models remains at 15W, with 4.5W reverse wireless charging also available. Unfortunately, the rumored addition of Qi2 charging did not materialize the way we wanted to, with no magnetic charging on any of the three models.

What charger does the Galaxy S25 use?

The S25 Ultra and S25 Plus still need a 45W power adapter with a 5A USB-C cable to achieve maximum charging speeds. The regular Galaxy S25 does not need the special 5A USB-C cable, so you don't need to worry about that if you decide to go for it. As for the charger, anything that supports 25W should do the job, just make sure you trust the manufacturer.

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Aleksandar is a tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests, from smartphones to space exploration. His curiosity extends to hands-on DIY experiments with his gadgets, and he enjoys switching between different brands to experience the latest innovations. Prior to joining PhoneArena, Aleksandar worked on the Google Art Project, digitizing valuable artworks and gaining diverse perspectives on technology. When he's not immersed in tech, Aleksandar is an outdoorsman who enjoys mountain hikes, wildlife photography, and nature conservation. His interests also extend to martial arts, running, and snowboarding, reflecting his dynamic approach to life and technology.