Samsung Galaxy S8 Battery Degrades Less Quickly Than the Galaxy S7's, Company Reveals

While the tech world is abuzz with the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ that incorporate some latest innovation in a regular smartphone display, there are also some concerns being expressed regarding the battery used in the smartphones. The debacle of Galaxy Note 7 was entirely blamed on the faulty batteries by the company, which made Samsung once bitten, twice shy, and earnestly endeavour to perfect the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ batteries. That said, Samsung seems quite confident to say that the batteries found in the latest Galaxy S8 smartphones will maintain their effective battery capacity longer than their previous generation smartphones.

Samsung on the sidelines of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ launch told Android Police that the batteries found in the new smartphones will "lose substantially less of their effective capacity over the same amount of time," compared to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. It explained that in the course of a year, the batteries used in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge would degrade to 80 percent of their effective battery capacity, whereas the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ batteries would maintain 95 percent of their effective battery capacity over the same time span. The company is basing this statistic over typical charges and discharges done in a year along with the typical usage of the smartphones. Notably, Samsung Galaxy S8 packs a 3000mAh battery (same as the Galaxy S7) and Galaxy S8+ has a 3500mAh battery (slightly less than the 3600mAh battery on the Galaxy S7 Edge) under the hood.

Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ Hands-On

The South Korean mobile giant however did not reveal the details behind the technology used to achieve the lower battery capacity degradation, and it could be anything from the battery tech itself to charging and power management systems.

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With Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, the company is attempting to step away from its tainted image. In January, the company had concluded that batteries were the culprits behind the Galaxy Note 7 explosion and then it announced a comprehensive safety plan. According to a Reuters report, Samsung now employs an eight-point safety check protocol that includes X-Raying the batteries. And, at the design level, phones have more room to properly house the battery. "The additional measures Samsung has taken should certainly improve battery safety and durability," said Lewis Larsen, president of Chicago-based battery technology consultancy Lattice Energy LLC.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ in Pictures

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are slated to go on sale starting April 21, however the company did not officially reveal the price. As per The Verge, the Verizon Wireless has the lowest rates, at $720 (roughly Rs. 46,700) for the Galaxy S8 and $840 (roughly Rs. 54,500) for the Galaxy S8+. Prices go up to $750 (roughly Rs. 48,700) and $850 (roughly Rs. 55,200) respectively.

In this week's episode of Orbital, we talk about whether the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ can be the smash hits Samsung needs. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS, or just hit the play button below.