There's a reason your Galaxy phone battery capacity isn't bigger

It has been more than five years since Samsung last bumped up the battery capacity on its Ultra phones. Even though most Chinese rivals are now pushing smartphone batteries to their limits, the South Korean firm hasn't increased the battery capacity of its Galaxy phones to more than 5,000mAh. And there is a good reason why most Samsung phones don't come with bigger batteries.

If you have been wondering why Samsung isn't matching its Chinese rivals in equipping its phones with 6,000mAh or bigger batteries, tipster @UniverseIce has a good explanation. They explained how US federal regulations (49 CFR 173.185) related to transporting lithium ion batteries are the reason why batteries inside phones are limited to a capacity of 20Wh.

While most of us are used to seeing battery capacities in mAh terms, the US government agencies measure their capacities in watt-hour. A 5,000mAh battery inside a Galaxy phone typically has a voltage of 3.88V, resulting in a watt-hour rating of arouind 19.4Wh. The exact calculation is listed below.

Most other brands that sell smartphones in the USA have limited the battery capacities of their phones to around 5,000mAh. Apple (17.87Wh), Google (19.68Wh), Motorola (20Wh), and Sony (19.25Wh) phones have similar capacities. OnePlus is the only exception there and has a phone with a 6,000mAh (23.22Wh) battery. However, the Chinese brand uses a dual-cell battery structure in which each cell doesn't exceed the 20Wh limit.

And keeping up with these regulations gets harder when you factor in similar rules in the European Union (EU) region. Hence, Samsung and other brands sell smartphones with battery capacities around 5,000mAh. If Samsung switches to a dual-cell design, it might have some issues related to USB PD fast charging compatibility.

Most other Chinese brands, including Honor, Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo, don't sell their phones in the USA, and they very few phones in European countries. And their phones usually have trimmed-down batteries in Europe compared to the same models in China and other Asian markets. Since Samsung sells its phones worldwide, it has to keep all the regulations of all the regions in mind before choosing the battery capacity for Galaxy phones.

So, before you start blaming Samsung the next time for not using a bigger than 5,000mAh battery in its smartphones, it would be a better idea to think about all the regulations the South Korean firm has to comply with worldwide.