Galaxy S25 upcoming battery and charging changes explained
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is shaping up to be only somewhat exciting as far as battery and charging upgrades go.
Rumors suggest the battery capacity might stay the same as the Galaxy S24 lineup. That said, the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is rumored to improve the power efficiency—its GPU could be up to 40% more efficient, which sounds promising.
Samsung might also utilize a new Battery AI feature that learns your habits and adjusts power usage accordingly, helping stretch battery life in ways we haven’t seen before. There’s also talk about MagSafe-style wireless charging, possibly supported through Spigen cases. Wired charging speeds are expected to be the same as last year though.
Galaxy S25 battery and charging upgrades
Snapdragon 8 Elite efficiency
Despite the rumors claiming that there will be no increase in battery capacity, we still expect to see increased battery life with the Galaxy S25 lineup. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip said to power the whole lineup is rumored comes with higher power efficiency compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that's in the S24 series.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite has a 40% more power efficient GPU, which we assume would result in less battery drain during gaming sessions or when editing video content. This should also mean less heat, which would help preserve the battery's health for longer.
Samsung's Battery AI feature
Another rumor hints at a new Battery AI functionality that can help extend the battery life by limiting the processor and the 5G modem. We suppose that this will be a way for Samsung to be more aggressive with limiting background app and system activities.
Given that AI usually learns from user input, it also wouldn't be surprising if Galaxy AI learned your specific way of using and charging the Galaxy S25 to prolong its battery life. For example, it could limit the phone's processing power for the morning if, during those hours, you usually only read the news. Then, the AI can unlock the full processing power in the evening when you like to play games.
Relying on the phone's AI to optimize your battery sounds like it could have major benefits, but it could also be a double-edged sword. That said, Samsung is known for allowing higher levels of control and customization over its phone's AI features, so we expect there to be some kind of adjustable setting for the rumored Battery AI feature on the S25 series.
Battery longevity
Samsung is a bit notorious when it comes to battery degradation, with many examples of batteries inside Samsung phones inflating. Hopefully, either through Battery AI or some other improvement, the company takes care of this problem once and for all.
Magnetic wireless charging?
The Samsung Galaxy S25 series was initially expected to introduce Qi2 wireless charging technology, featuring Magnetic Power Profile (MPP) for improved coil alignment, efficiency, and reduced heat. More recent leaks, however, revealed that this won't be the case.
Instead, the Galaxy S25 series will use Spigen cases providing MagSafe-style charging support. Wireless charging speeds have been rumored to reach 25W this year, but that rumor should be taken with a grain of salt.
On a side note, adding magnetic wireless charging via cases is the same strategy that OnePlus took with the recently announced OnePlus 13.
How much battery capacity will the Galaxy S25 have?
For now, the rumors are all pointing to one answer — the Galaxy S25 series will have the same battery capacity as the Galaxy S24 lineup. Here's what that means:
*Expected/rumored
| Samsung Galaxy phone | Battery capacity |
|---|---|
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | 5,000 mAh* |
| Galaxy S25 Plus | 4,900 mAh* |
| Galaxy S25 | 4,000 mAh* |
How fast will the Galaxy S25 charge?
As long as the battery sizes don't change, we can expect the same charging times for all three models. Here's how long it took us to charge the S24 lineup from 0-100% during our testing:
| Phone Model | 30 MINS (%) | FULL CHARGE (hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S24 | 56% | 1h 12 min |
| Galaxy S24 Plus | 61% | 1h 9 min |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra | 68% | 1h 9 min |
A little peculiarity about the Galaxy S Plus and Ultra is that they need a 45W - 45W TA + 5A cable (E-marked) in order to charge at maximum speeds. We suspect this will be the same for the Galaxy S25 series.
Will the Galaxy S25 have wireless charging?
Yes, all Galaxy S25 models will have wireless charging, just like the generations during the past few years. At the very least we expect the same 15W wireless charging we got with last year's models.
Will the Galaxy S25 have reverse-wireless charging?
Yes, we expect to see the same 4.5W reverse-wireless charging that the latest Samsung flagships have. That said, other manufacturers have produced handsets with higher wireless reverse-charging speeds, so there is room for Samsung to improve on this end.
What charger will the Galaxy S25 use?
This is a dumb question, but it's part of the template, so:
1. Mention the charger that the manufacturer has used when measuring the phone's charging speed.
2. Make sure to also mention if other chargers work too and if we expect it to come with a charger.
Samsung does not include a charger in the box anymore, so you will need to buy one yourself. To make the most out of the 45W on the Plus and Ultra, the best charger would be Samsung's own 45W PD Power Adapter with 5A USB C Cable. For the S25 the most appropriate would be the company's 25W PD Power Adapter.
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