In the smartphone market, battery capacity is emerging as a new focal point. While Chinese manufacturers are racing to increase battery "absolute capacity" to extend usage time, Samsung Electronics and Apple appear to be putting more weight on boosting perceived battery life through software (SW) optimization rather than drastically increasing capacity. As strategies diverge, the rules of battery competition themselves are shifting.
Chinese smartphone maker Honor officially launched its new smartphone "Power 2" on the 9th. The core of the Power 2 is its 10,080mAh battery. With most smartphone batteries typically in the 4,000–5,000mAh range, it has effectively pushed capacity into the "10,000mAh class" in one move. Honor highlighted that, on a single charge, continuous use is possible for 14.2 hours of gaming, 17.3 hours of navigation, and 26.3 hours of video viewing. The message is to cement an advantage in the "actual usage time" that users are most sensitive to.
An interesting point is the "thickness and weight." Despite housing a 10,000mAh-class battery, the Power 2 achieves a thickness of 7.98 mm and a weight of 216 g. Large-capacity batteries usually translate directly into more thickness and weight, but this model is even thinner than Samsung Electronics' flagship smartphone Galaxy S25 Ultra (8.2 mm). To achieve this, Honor applied a silicon-carbon battery to the product. Silicon stores energy more efficiently than conventional lithium and allows for capacity expansion relative to volume, enabling an increase in battery capacity without enlarging the smartphone's size.
Other Chinese companies are also releasing smartphones with large-capacity batteries, using silicon-carbon batteries to increase energy density. Chinese smartphone company OnePlus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. put a 7,300mAh battery in the flagship smartphone "OnePlus 15" released last year, and Xiaomi also raised usage time by applying a 6,800mAh battery to the "Xiaomi 17 Ultra" launched last year. Oppo likewise equipped last year's "Find X9 Pro" with a 7,500mAh battery, and Huawei applied a 6,500mAh battery to the "Mate 70 Air" released last year.
By contrast, Samsung Electronics and Apple are relatively conservative about increasing battery capacity itself. Both companies' maximum capacities remain near 5,000mAh. Among Samsung Electronics smartphones, the model with the largest capacity is the "Galaxy Z Trifold (5,600mAh)," while Apple's largest is the "iPhone 17 Pro Max (4,823mAh).
Instead of sharply raising battery capacity, both companies are focusing on the operating system (OS), power management algorithms, and app operation optimization. They are confident they can secure sufficient usage time without dramatically increasing capacity. According to Samsung Electronics, the Galaxy S25 Ultra with a 5,000mAh battery has a maximum video playback time of up to 31 hours on a single charge. According to Apple, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a maximum video playback time of up to 33 hours. Kim Yong-seok, a distinguished professor at Gachon University, said, "Chinese midrange and budget products may have raised battery capacity to 10,000mAh, but with lower performance-per-watt and chipset efficiency, the usage time could not have increased dramatically," adding, "It is more important to reduce unnecessary power consumption on actual devices to extend usage time."
There is also a perception that the large-capacity battery approach adopted by Chinese companies has not been sufficiently verified in terms of long-term safety and durability, which is cited as a reason Samsung Electronics and Apple are not aggressive about expanding battery capacity. An industry source said, "In the industry, there is still a view that silicon-based batteries require sufficient verification in terms of durability and safety," adding, "Samsung, in particular, appears to take a more cautious stance on battery stability, given its past experience with the Galaxy Note 7 fire incident."
However, there is a view that Samsung Electronics is not in a stance of "complete stagnation" on expanding capacity. According to foreign media including PhoneArena, the trend of the Galaxy S Ultra model staying around 5,000mAh for years could change this year, and there are projections that the battery capacity of the next model, cited as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, could rise to the 5,100–5,400mAh range.
The key is where consumer expectations shift. As power consumption increases with expanded artificial intelligence (AI) features, if the 10,000mAh battery era from China becomes full-fledged, battery capacity could once again take center stage in marketing. If global top-tier smartphone manufacturers face a phase where software efficiency alone is not enough, they are likely to find common ground with a "hardware-software combined strategy," such as gradual increases in capacity, adoption of high-density battery materials, and advanced heat, charging, and lifespan management (BMS).