Samsung Galaxy S23 wish list: Longer battery life and a few more things

Samsung Galaxy S22 It has a new design and an improved camera that is better for seeing in the dark. But there’s plenty of room for samsung to further improve with the Galaxy S23, expected to arrive in February.

In particular, I’d like to see longer-lasting batteries, more photography features that take advantage of the Galaxy S family’s impressive cameras, and faster charging that doesn’t require an expensive adapter.

Samsung typically releases new Galaxy S devices in the early months of the year and will likely stick to that schedule into 2023. The next Samsung Unpacked is scheduled for February 1with the Galaxy S23 most likely on the agenda.

Samsung leads the smartphone industry, with 21% of the global market in the second quarter of 2022, according to Counterpoint Research. Updating core features like the camera and battery could help you keep that top spot, especially when you’re facing increased competition from Apple Y Google.

Longer battery life for the regular Galaxy S23

Battery life can never be long enough, but the standard Galaxy S device needs a particular boost. The 6.1-inch Galaxy S22 It generally lived up to Samsung’s claims for all-day battery life, but barely at times. after using it for a month straight, I noticed that the battery level dropped to about 30-40% at 9pm, even with the always-on display turned off and the screen refresh rate set to standard. That’s enough to get you through a day at work, but you’ll probably want to pack a charger if you have plans for after work or a long drive home.

The Galaxy S22 has the smallest battery (3700mAh capacity) of the three phones in the Galaxy S22 lineup, and it shows. For example, I was pleasantly surprised when the 6.6-inch screen galaxy s22 plus, which has a larger capacity of 4500 mAh, lasted about a day and a half when I reviewed it in February. I also had the refresh rate set to high, which normally drains the battery faster. He galaxy s22 ultra, which has a 6.8-inch screen and a 5000 mAh battery, had a similar battery life.

It makes sense that the smallest phone in the Galaxy S22 lineup would also have the smallest battery. But I hope Samsung finds a way to improve battery life in next year’s 6.1-inch Galaxy phone, either through better power efficiency or a larger physical battery. After all, Apple made updates to the iPhone 13 Mini that gave it an extra two to three hours of battery life compared to the iPhone 12 Mini. Battery life is the main complaint I had about the Galaxy S22, and addressing that would make the Galaxy S23 an even more compelling option for Android fans who prefer smaller phones.

Korean news outlet The Elec indicates that might be the case, as it reports that Samsung is aiming to increase the Galaxy S23’s battery capacity by roughly 5%.

Smarter camera features

The Galaxy S22’s 50-megapixel camera and Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 108-megapixel camera capture stunning, colorful and detailed photos. I just wish you could do more with those cameras as far as software and editing features go.

The Galaxy S22 lineup has shooting options like panorama, night mode, portrait mode, slow motion, super slow motion, and Director’s View, which allows you to record video using two different lenses simultaneously. Then there’s Single Take, which creates multiple stylized shots with a single press of the shutter button. You can also download the Expert Raw app for more granular control over photo settings.

But not much has changed between the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S22 when it comes to camera features and shooting modes. I’d love to see Samsung follow Google’s page, which regularly adds nifty camera tricks that feel practical rather than gimmicky. For example, Google introduced a new feature in the pixel 7 Y 7 professionals called Photo Unblur, which improves the sharpness of low-quality photos, even those taken with an older camera. Photo Unblur builds on Face Unblur, a previous feature on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro camera that I also appreciate. As its name suggests, Face Unblur freezes moving subjects that might otherwise look blurry.

Features like these show that Google isn’t just thinking about camera quality, but also about ways to take the day-to-day hassles out of mobile photography. Many of Samsung’s updates, on the other hand, feel aimed at giving content creators more tools to capture different types of shots and video clips.

While the Galaxy S23 probably won’t launch for several weeks, Samsung is already making improvements to the cameras in its current Galaxy phones. Added a new feature to the Expert Raw app that helps stargazers take better constellation photos, similar to Google’s astrophotography feature for Pixel phones. There’s also a new Camera Assistant app that lets you enable or disable certain features, like a faster shutter or automatic lens switching.

Faster charging that doesn’t cost as much

The Galaxy S22 line supports fast charging up to 25 watts for the Galaxy S22 and 45 watts for the Galaxy S22 Plus and Ultra. But you have to buy a separate charger to do it. Samsung charges $50 for the 45 watt charger and $35 for the 25 watt charger, though you can often find them for less through retailers like Amazon and Walmart. In some scenarios, I also didn’t notice much of a difference between the more expensive 45-watt charger and Samsung’s less-expensive 25-watt charger when powering up the Galaxy S22 Plus, which you can read more about here.

With the Galaxy S23, I’d like to see a more noticeable improvement in charging speeds, as well as more affordable charger options. He OnePlus 10 ProFor example, it offers 65 or 80 watt fast charging depending on your region, both of which are faster than what Samsung has to offer on paper. OnePlus also includes a compatible power adapter in the box.

Samsung and Apple stopped including power adapters in their product packaging to reduce waste, which is an admirable cause. But I at least wish Samsung would let you choose to include a fast-charging compatible adapter as an option for a discounted price when ordering a new phone, similar to how it allows you to select a storage option or add Samsung Care Plus.

If the rumors turn out to be true, the base model Galaxy S23 could have the same 25-watt charging speed as the Galaxy S22. That is according to ice universea Twitter account with a history of posting details about unreleased Samsung products.

Samsung is already doing a lot right with the Galaxy S22, particularly when it comes to software support and display quality. But as year-over-year smartphone upgrades have become more incremental than revolutionary, focusing on core elements like the camera and battery is as important as ever.