Samsung Galaxy S23 wish list: Longer battery life and a few other goodies

Samsung Galaxy S22 it has a fresh design and an improved camera that can see better in the dark. But there is plenty of room Samsung further upgrade with The Galaxy S23 should 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 launches new Galaxy S devices in the first few months of the year, and is likely to maintain that schedule in 2023. Samsung Unpacked is set for February 1stwith the Galaxy S23 very likely on the agenda.

According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung leads the smartphone industry with 21% of the global market in the second quarter of 2022. Improving core features like the camera and battery could help it maintain that top spot, especially as it faces increased competition Apple and Google.

Longer battery life for the regular Galaxy S23

Battery life can never be long enough, but the standard Galaxy S especially needs a boost. 6.1 inches Galaxy S22 it generally matched Samsung’s all-day battery life claim, but sometimes just barely. After using it for a period of one monthI noticed the battery level dropped to around 30% or 40% by 9pm, even with the always-on display off and the screen refresh rate set to standard. That’s enough to get you through a work day, but you’ll probably want to pack a charger if you have plans after work or a long drive home.

The Galaxy S22 has the smallest battery (3,700 mAh capacity) of the three phones in the Galaxy S22 line, and it shows. For example, I was pleasantly surprised when the 6.6-in Galaxy S22 Plus, which has a larger capacity of 4,500 mAh, lasted me about a day and a half when I reviewed it in February. I also had the refresh rate set to high, which usually drains the battery faster. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, which has a 6.8-inch display and a 5,000mAh battery, had similar battery life.

It makes sense that the smallest phone in the Galaxy S22 series would also have the smallest battery. But I hope Samsung finds a way to improve battery life on next year’s 6.1-inch Galaxy phone, either through better power efficiency or a bigger physical battery. After all, Apple has made upgrades to the iPhone 13 Mini which 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 with the Galaxy S22, and a solution that would make the Galaxy S23 an even more compelling choice for Android fans who prefer smaller phones.

Korean news outlet The Elec suggests that this could indeed be the case, as Samsung aims to increase the Galaxy S23’s battery capacity by around 5%.

More smart camera features

The Galaxy S22’s 50-megapixel camera and Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 108-megapixel camera capture impressively colorful and detailed photos. I wish there was more that could be done with those cameras in terms of editing and software features.

The Galaxy S22 series offers shooting options such as panorama, night mode, portrait mode, slow motion, super slow motion and Director’s View, which allows you to record video using two different lenses at the same time. Then there’s Single Take, which creates multiple stylized shots with just one press of the shutter. You can also download the Expert Raw app for more detailed control over photo settings.

But not much has changed in the meantime Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S22 in terms of camera features and shooting modes. I’d love to see Samsung take a page from Google, which regularly adds nifty camera tricks that feel more practical than gimmicky. For example, Google introduced a new feature on Pixel 7 and 7 For called Photo Unblur, which sharpens poor-quality photos, even those taken with an older camera. Photo Unblur builds on Face Unblur, the previous Pixel 6 and 6 Pro camera feature, which I also appreciate. As the name suggests, Face Unblur freezes moving objects that might otherwise appear blurry.

Features like these show that Google isn’t just thinking about camera quality, but also ways to eliminate the everyday annoyances of mobile photography. Many of Samsung’s updates, on the other hand, seem aimed at giving content creators more tools for capturing different types of footage and video clips.

While the Galaxy S23 likely won’t launch for a few more weeks, Samsung is already making improvements to the cameras on its current Galaxy phones. It has added a new feature to the Expert Raw app that helps stargazers take better pictures of the constellations, 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 series 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 for that. Samsung charges $50 for it 45W charger and $35 per 25W charger, though you can often find them cheaper through retailers like Amazon and Walmart. I also didn’t notice much of a difference between the more expensive 45W charger and Samsung’s cheaper 25W charger in some scenarios when powering up the Galaxy S22 Plus, which you can read more about here.

For the Galaxy S23, I’d like to see more significant improvements in charging speed, as well as more affordable charger options. The OnePlus 10 Pro, for example, offers either 65- or 80-watt fast charging depending on your region, both of which are faster than what Samsung offers on paper. OnePlus also includes a compatible power adapter in the box.

Samsung and Apple have stopped including power adapters in their product packaging to reduce waste, which is an admirable reason. But at least I wish Samsung would let you choose a fast charge compatible adapter as a discounted option when you order a new phone, much like they let you choose a storage option or add Samsung Care Plus.

If the rumors turn out to be accurate, the base model of the Galaxy S23 could have the same 25W charging speed as the Galaxy S22. That’s according to Ice universea Twitter account with a history of posting details about yet-to-be-released Samsung products.

Samsung is already doing very well with the Galaxy S22, especially when it comes to software support and display quality. But as smartphone upgrades have become more incremental than revolutionary year after year, focusing on essentials like the camera and battery is as important as ever.