Samsung's Galaxy S23 lineup offers cutting-edge hardware, but how big are the batteries in the new phones, and how fast do they charge? Battery capacity and charging speeds have been improving at a rapid rate in recent years, with most smartphones offering larger batteries and faster charging speeds. While a larger battery capacity offers better battery life, faster charging helps juice up devices quickly, so they're available to use when needed. It's not surprising that battery life and charging speeds play such a crucial role in people's smartphone buying decisions.
Knowing the growing importance of battery life in modern smartphones, Samsung has bumped up the battery capacity on the S23 and S23+ by 200mAh. The Galaxy S23 comes with a 3,900mAh Li-ion battery as opposed to the 3,700mAh unit in the S22, while the S23+ sports a larger 4,700mAh battery compared to the 4,500mAh in the S22+. As for the flagship S23 Ultra, it retains the 5,000mAh battery of its predecessor. According to Samsung's official estimates, the Galaxy S23 can play back up to 22 hours of video on a single charge, while the S23+ has an estimated video playback time of up to 27 hours. The S23 Ultra falls just short, with a rated video playback capability of 26 hours. If Samsung's claims are accurate, that would mean all three devices should last more than a day on a single charge for most users.
Galaxy S23 Charging Speeds
While battery capacity in smartphones has always been important, charging speeds are also increasingly becoming a topic of conversation. Unfortunately for Samsung fans, the company did not increase the charging speeds in this year's models. Like last year's lineup, the new phones come with different charging speeds, with the vanilla Galaxy S23 being the slowest. It supports only 25W wired fast charging, while the S23+ and S23 Ultra charge faster, with 45W wired charging.
As far as charging speeds go, Samsung claims that with a 25W charger, the base Galaxy S23 can be charged to 50 percent in around 30 minutes, while the S23+ and S23 Ultra are both said to go from 0-65 percent in the same time with a supported 45W charger. While those numbers are nothing to scoff at, some of the fastest-charging phones these days can be fully charged in a matter of minutes. Xiaomi is one of the leaders in this space, having recently introduced a smartphone that can fully charge in just 9 minutes. Called the Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition, it is the first phone to support 210W fast charging.
The Galaxy S23 models also support wireless charging, although at a much slower 15W. Unlike wired charging speeds, there's no difference between the three models here. They also support the Wireless Powershare feature that allows users to reverse wireless charge other phones, watches, and earbuds using their Galaxy S23.
It’s worth keeping in mind that none of the Galaxy S23 devices come with a charging block included in the box. For users still hanging onto an old charger, that may mean an upgrade is necessary to make use of the faster charging speeds. Chargers vary in price, with Samsung’s own 45W power adapter currently selling for $50 while similar offerings from Anker and Belkin sit in the $30-40 range. While it can be frustrating to shell out the additional money, it’s well worth it to invest in a high-quality power adapter. Thankfully, they should last buyers several years before needing to be replaced.
Source: Samsung