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Summary
- Smartphone makers face a trade-off between powerful features and battery life, exemplified by Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge sacrificing a telephoto lens and battery size for a thinner design.
- To combat similar trade offs, Samsung is reportedly considering ‘SUS CAN’ (Steel Use Stainless) battery technology for future devices, which could offer higher energy density, faster charging, and reduced swelling compared to current batteries.
- While the adoption and timeline of this new battery technology remain unclear, it represents a potential shift for Samsung, with conflicting reports also suggesting interest in silicon carbon technology for upcoming models like the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Achieving the perfect balance between powerful features and a long-lasting battery life is the holy grail for smartphone OEMs. There’s only so much space in a smartphone’s chassis, forcing manufacturers to compromise somewhere or other.
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge is the prime example of this balancing act. In a bid to make the new device ultra-thin and sleek, Samsung had to forgo a dedicated telephoto lens, paired with a battery that’s smaller than what users have come to expect from Samsung flagships.
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The S25 Edge is an extreme example, but battery anxiety affects users of most other smartphones too. The South Korean tech giant, however, could alleviate some concerns in the near future with a potential shift in its battery technology.
According to a report from South Korean publication TheElec (via SamMobile), Samsung could adopt a battery tech that it hasn’t utilized in the past, and it’s not the Silicon Carbon tech utilized by OnePlus to offer fast charging speeds and low battery drain.
Following Apple’s lead
Samsung might reportedly go with ‘SUS CAN’ battery technology for one of its next-gen devices, following in the footsteps of Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max. SUS (Steel Use Stainless) CAN technology, not to be confused with what a cop would look for after pulling you over, utilizes stainless steel for the battery’s outer casing or ‘can’ — a design choice that reportedly offers an increase in overall energy density, while also improving charging speeds — an upgrade Samsung desperately needs to escape the 45W max charging speeds it has been stuck on for years now.
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Said batteries are also less prone to swelling, which, up until recently, was a significant issue in older lithium-ion batteries — especially for Samsung. A stainless steel enclosure for the battery could also make it easier to be replaced should the need arise.
It’s not entirely clear if the new battery tech has been given the green light, and even if it has, the timeline for its integration remains uncertain. Previous leaks have indicated that next year’s Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will feature a bigger battery than its predecessor, but similar leaks have also indicated that the tech giant is looking at OnePlus-like silicon carbon tech, leading to confusion about the South Korean tech giant’s definitive strategy.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
Samsung’s latest smartphone combines the best elements of the mainline Galaxy S25 trio with an all new slim chassis. But will the smaller battery and reduced sensor count be enough to win over enthusiasts?
