What makes the smartphone world so great is innovation. There’s hardly a single revolutionary feature that’s popped up in the Android market that hasn’t eventually been adopted (or you might opt for “copied”) by other OEMs. But that’s the good thing. The competition is what makes our phones get better and better.
Over in China, OEMs aren’t playing around, almost universally introducing IP69 water-resistant phones, super-thin bezels, and batteries that leap over the 6,000mAh mark. Now, it seems that some manufacturers are planning to cross the 7,000mAh threshold next year. It begs the question: are companies like Samsung lagging behind?
OnePlus and Redmi Are Both Planning Smartphones With 7,000 mAh Batteries For 2025
Very recently, we saw the popularization of silicon-based battery technology (as opposed to lithium-based) in the smartphone world. That has made a major difference for a lot of this year’s major flagship releases, particularly those coming out of China. Silicon-based batteries allow for more capacity in the same volume as lithium batteries, which has allowed for “bigger” batteries without a change in your phone’s thickness.
This year, we’ve seen the 7,050mAh battery of the Redmagic 10 Pro+. We’ve also seen other Android flagships add as much as 1,000mAh to their battery capacities compared to predecessors, though this adoption has been almost exclusive to manufacturers that call China home.
Unsurprisingly, it is two Chinese OEMs that seem set to push the boundaries just a little further in 2025. According to Digital Chat Station, Redmi and OnePlus already have plans for 2025 smartphones with battery capacities that are at the 7,000mAh mark. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you if you said that’d be the fate of regular flagships and not gaming phones, but here we are. I like this timeline a lot.
Samsung, Google Likely Won’t Be Following Suit In 2025; Could That Be A Grave Mistake?
Neither Samsung nor Google has ever released a flagship smartphone with a battery over 6,000mAh. Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series is launching next month, and by all indications, the biggest model won’t see a substantial (if any) battery increase over its predecessor. The Google Pixel 10 series is still far away, but it’s not a gamble to say Pixel batteries won’t be having a growth spurt either.
These companies are some of the biggest in the Android space, most especially Samsung. However, the South Korean manufacturer really struggles to keep up with what its Chinese colleagues are doing on the spec sheets. The S25 Ultra will still be stuck with a ~5,000mAh battery and 45W fast charging for 2025, while OnePlus is planning 7,000mAh and will likely have 80W or 100W charging. Samsung is trailing behind by a lot.
If Samsung makes the mistake of sticking to its current rhythm for its 2026 releases, things might not look so good anymore. Chinese OEMs offer better charging and batteries, and the likes of Vivo and Oppo are equipping their smartphones with arguably better cameras. 2026 will mark the perfect chance for me to upgrade my S22 Ultra, and by the looks of things, a brand like Vivo or Honor might end up getting my money.
