The battery sizes on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ don't inspire much confidence, with the Galaxy S8 having a particularly small battery for a device with a 5.8-inch display. While the real world endurance will only be revealed once we have used the device for a couple of weeks, we can take a look at Samsung's official battery stats for its new flagships to get an idea of what to expect.
First, let's talk about the Galaxy S8+. Samsung's data for the S8 and S8+ battery life is based on devices tested in Europe. Comparing the S8+ to the S7 edge based on stats for the latter in the Netherlands, it turns out Samsung has managed to eke out impressively similar battery endurance despite the S8+' 100 mAh smaller battery. MP3 playback time with Always On Display enabled has gone down by 5 hours on the S8+ but is up by 4 hours if you disable AOD. Internet usage time on 3G, meanwhile, has gone up by an hour.
Here's a comparison table for the battery stats on the S7 edge and S8+:
| Galaxy S7 edge | Galaxy S8+ | |
| MP3 playback (AOD on) | up to 55 hours | up to 50 hours |
| MP3 playback (AOD off) | up to 74 hours | up to 78 hours |
| Video playback | up to 18 hours | up to 18 hours |
| Talk time | up to 27 hours | up to 24 hours |
| Internet use (Wi-Fi) | up to 16 hours | up to 15 hours |
| Internet use (3G) | up to 12 hours | up to 13 hours |
| Internet use (LTE) | up to 15 hours | up to 15 hours |
Now, about the Galaxy S8. It looks like the S8 will also offer endurance similar to the S7, which is to say that it will need to be connected to the charger every night. The only gains seen on the S8 are in areas of MP3 playback with AOD off and video playback. Video playback will allow for an hour more of entertainment on a single charge, while listening to music without AOD will go up by 5 hours. The latter's notable improvement is likely because of the more efficient processor inside the S8 duo, something we also see on the S8+. The S8 is worse off than the S7 when it comes to talk time and internet usage over Wi-Fi and LTE by an hour.
Here are the Galaxy S7 and S8 battery life figures side by side:
| Galaxy S7 | Galaxy S8 | |
| MP3 playback (AOD on) | up to 45 hours | up to 44 hours |
| MP3 playback (AOD off) | up to 62 hours | up to 67 hours |
| Video playback | up to 15 hours | up to 16 hours |
| Talk time | up to 22 hours | up to 20 hours |
| Internet use (Wi-Fi) | up to 15 hours | up to 14 hours |
| Internet use (3G) | up to 11 hours | up to 11 hours |
| Internet use (LTE) | Up to 13 hours | up to 12 hours |
While Samsung's official stats are theoretical and your battery life figures will vary based on your usage patterns and the network quality in your country, the Galaxy S8 might just end up turning people into the infamous wall huggers that Samsung has so often made fun of in recent years. It's especially disappointing because the Galaxy S8 is likely to be the choice of many, as the S8+ will simply be too large for some. But those who do buy the S8+ might not have anything to worry about, as it seems the 3,500 mAh battery inside the 6.2 incher will be able to hold its own.
What do you think of these battery life figures? Will they sway your decision against the Galaxy S8, or do you think portable chargers and fast charging make small batteries a worry of the past? Let us know in the comments!
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ hands-on
