Samsung Galaxy S8+ Kills The iPhone 7 In Battery Tests, Here’s How To Make It Last Even Longer
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ are two of the best smartphones that have recently been released so far. With powerhouse specs and a visually-stunning design, the two flagships are every bit as revolutionary as they are evolutionary. A recent test, however, has concluded that the larger one of the two, the Galaxy S8+, has yet another feature that it could boast over its rivals in the same category of devices.
According to a Phone Arena report, the Galaxy S8+’s 3500mAh battery managed to perform excellently in the website’s endurance tests. The massive smartphone held so much juice that it effectively killed the iPhone 7 during the test, though it’s battery fell short compared to Apple’s larger flagship, the iPhone 7 Plus.
The Phone Arena test compared the Galaxy S8+ with other flagship-grade devices such as the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the Google Pixel XL, the OnePlus 3T, the Huawei P10 and Samsung’s own 2016 flagships, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Overall, the Galaxy S8+ managed to score the second highest endurance result among the devices with exactly 8 hours of battery life, significantly longer than the iPhone 7’s 7 hours 46 minutes but shorter than the iPhone 7 Plus’ 9 hours 5 minutes.
The Galaxy S8+ completely wiped the floor with the Google Pixel XL, which lasted a mere 7 hours 19 minutes, and far above the OnePlus 3T’s 5 hours 41 minutes. Interestingly, the Galaxy S8+ lasted significantly longer than the 7 hours 18 minutes achieved by its direct predecessor, the Galaxy S7 Edge. This means that while the Galaxy S8+’s battery is powering a larger 6.2-inch display compared to the S7 Edge’s 5.5-inch screen, the device is capable of managing its energy consumption better.
Samsung Galaxy S8+ beats other Android flagships in battery-life test, falls short of iPhone 7 Plus https://t.co/xbVjdkLdLT pic.twitter.com/DvBKGEw00X
— 9to5Mac (@9to5mac) April 5, 2017
While the Galaxy S8+ is already a great battery performer overall, the endurance of the device could still be significantly improved. Here are a few tips to further extend the Galaxy S8+’s already stellar battery life.
Tip #1: Shift to 3G
The Galaxy S8+ is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, which has an X16 Gigabit-Class LTE Modem built-in. This enables the device to achieve ridiculously fast download speeds. This insane speed, however, comes at a high price, as LTE consumes an enormous amount of power. If users are in a location without good LTE signal, it would be best to shift the Galaxy S8+’s cellular settings to 3G, which consumes far less battery power. 3G is still capable of streaming SD videos and music online, so the downgrade in mobile speed would not come at a huge price.
Tip #2: Turn Smart Stay Off
Smart Stay, the ability of the smartphone to detect if users are looking at the display, calibrating the device’s screen settings as needed, according to a RecomHub report. While the feature is a neat trick overall, it does drain some precious minutes from the Galaxy S8+’s battery life. If users are nearing the last 25 percent of their Galaxy S8+’s power, it would be best to simply disable Smart Stay from the Options Menu. Disabling this feature would enable the Galaxy S8+ to gain some extra minutes of runtime, which is invaluable when users are away from a power outlet or a portable power bank.
https://twitter.com/sherifhanna/status/849405012761563137
Tip #3: Disable the Always On Display
The Galaxy S8+ has an Always On display, and just like Smart Stay, the feature in itself is a neat trick. While the feature is pretty cool, however, it also consumes extra juice from the Galaxy S8+’s 3500mAh power supply. To extend the battery life of the Galaxy S8+, users are advised to disable the device’s Always On Display feature.
Tip #4: Disable the LED Indicator
Also included in the Galaxy S8+’s nifty yet power-consuming features is the smartphone’s LED Indicator. While it does not actually consume a lot of power on its own, users who are already nearing the redline of their Galaxy S8+’s battery levels are advised to disable this feature as well. Doing so saves power that could ultimately give the Galaxy S8+ a few more minutes of runtime, which is invaluable in tight situations.
Tip #5: Embrace Black Themes and Wallpapers
At the end of the day, one of the Galaxy S8+’s most power-hungry components is its stunning 6.2-inch QHD+ display. Since OLED screens are essentially turned off when displaying blacks, users who would like to get the best out of their Galaxy S8+’s battery is advised to simply utilize black, or at least dark wallpapers and themes. Since fewer pixels are turned on due to the dark wallpapers, the battery life of the Galaxy S8+ would significantly improve.
Apart from great overall battery life, Phone Arena‘s tests also concluded that the Galaxy S8+ managed to charge from zero to 100 percent in just 1 hour and 40 minutes. The device also supports fast wireless charging, which takes slightly longer, though without the use of a charging cable.
[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
