The Galaxy S26 may get a surprising battery upgrade, but not the one you were hoping for

Samsung could be targeting its 'spicy pillow' problem with a metal-encased battery.

May 15, 2025 - 14:24

The Galaxy S26 may get a surprising battery upgrade, but not the one you were hoping for

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus in all four colors fanned in hand

Standard Colors

Credit: C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

Samsung may introduce stainless steel “SUS CAN” batteries in its upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup to improve energy density and charging.
“SUS CAN” batteries are said to mitigate swelling issues and help comply with future EU regulations requiring user-replaceable batteries by 2027.
Although this isn’t silicon-carbon technology, it marks a significant shift from traditional Lithium-ion pouch cells used by current major brands.

One of the more disappointing themes about recent Galaxy flagships is their mediocre battery capacity. While several other Android flagships have moved to higher-density silicon-carbon batteries, phones from Samsung, Apple, and Google have stuck with traditional Lithium-ion batteries with relatively smaller capacity. Samsung could finally be looking to upgrade the battery with the Galaxy S26 series, but it isn’t the silicon-carbon upgrade you would be hoping for.

According to a report from South Korea’s The Elec (via Jukanlosreve on X), Samsung is planning to introduce a battery technology that can “dramatically increase” battery capacity in its “next model.” Before you get too excited about a silicon-carbon battery, the report mentions that this battery uses a stainless steel material that Samsung SDI (Samsung’s battery manufacturing arm) is developing.