Samsung has been launching multiple models in each year's new Galaxy S flagship lineup for years, and the smallest one has always had the misfortune of suffering from undependable battery life owing to the compact design that necessitates a lower battery capacity.
But 2023 is when that finally changed. Thanks to the powerful yet super-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, one of Qualcom's best chips ever, the base Galaxy S23 can last a day without a lot of effort or requiring measures such as turning on power-saving modes or disabling some features, which wasn't the case for any of its predecessors.
Will that carry forward to the base Galaxy S24, or will the sequel to the Galaxy S23 crash and burn, so to speak? We will have to wait and see, though with Samsung planning to use the Exynos 2400 in most markets for the regular and Plus models, it's a little doubtful because of how things have gone for Samsung's in-house processor these last few years.
The Exynos 2400 might end up being an absolute banger of a chip because of the time Samsung spent on its development. But, again, the recent history of Exynos chips doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. With its powerful new AMD RDNA 3-based GPU and a whopping 10 processor cores, the Exynos 2400 could end up being a power hog if it isn't optimized properly.
The Galaxy S24+ could brute force its way to good battery life because of the larger battery capacity, and so will the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which will have the advantage of being powered exclusively by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a massive battery. The Galaxy S24 is expected to have an additional 100 mAh capacity over the Galaxy S23, but it may not be enough if the Exynos 2400 isn't up to the mark.
That will mean we will have to depend on software optimization to save the day. And Samsung certainly has what it takes in that respect. All of its 2023 flagships rock a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in every market, and they manage to last longer than some competing devices with the same chip.
For example, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 holds its own in endurance tests against the OnePlus Open and its bigger battery and even surpasses it in some areas, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the longest-lasting non-folding flagship Android smartphones ever.
But here's hoping the Exynos 2400 does its part instead of leaving us at the mercy of Samsung's software optimization skills. With the Galaxy S23, we finally have a compact Galaxy flagship that doesn't stress you out if you leave your charger at home or don't charge the phone enough before leaving the house, and it would be a shame if that ends up being a one-time thing.
