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Samsung Explains: Why It’s Sticking with Lithium-Ion Batteries
While other smartphone manufacturers are adopting silicon-carbon batteries to boost capacity, Samsung is continuing to rely on lithium-ion technology for its latest devices, including the new Galaxy S26 series. The company has now explained its reasoning.
Samsung stated that the Galaxy S26 did not receive a silicon-carbon battery upgrade because the technology has yet to meet the company’s stringent validation requirements. According to Sung-Hoon Moon, Executive VP and head of smartphone R&D, a new battery must not only perform well in theory but also deliver clear improvements in real-world usage. Currently, silicon-carbon batteries aren’t proving stable enough to meet those standards.
The company emphasized that silicon-carbon batteries degrade more quickly and exhibit greater expansion compared to traditional lithium-ion cells, potentially posing risks in slim phone designs. Samsung is prioritizing avoiding such issues, particularly given past experiences with battery-related incidents. This cautious approach reflects a broader industry focus on battery safety as energy density increases.
Yet, Samsung is actively working to advance the technology and indicated that silicon-carbon batteries could be considered for future models once they are more mature. Competitors like OnePlus and Xiaomi have already launched phones featuring silicon-carbon batteries, but Samsung maintains that long-term safety data at scale is still lacking. The company opted to stick with traditional lithium-ion batteries in the S26 series, even while acknowledging that development in the field has been gradual.
