Galaxy S5 battery life actually is amazingly good.
Most tests and benchmarks indicated Galaxy S5 battery life actually is really in the top tier among the flagship smartphones. For example, PhoneArena reported a far better battery life of Galaxy S5 than other flagship smartphones: HTC One (M8), LG G2, Nexus 5.
In our daily normal usage, most Galaxy S5 owners can get 4+ hour screen time. So, the Galaxy S5 battery life is sufficient for all-day usage for most S5 owners.
Samsung in recent years apparently invested a lot on technologies of saving battery on Android phones. In addition to normal battery saving options, you may also turn on ultra power saving mode when you are not able to connect to a charger for a prolonged period.
Why I have Galaxy S5 battery life problems?
However, some Galaxy S5 owners reported battery drain problems on Galaxy S5.
There are many possible reasons of Galaxy S5 battery life problems. Here are some of the commonly-encountered ones:
- Some poorly written apps are running in the background and refuse to sleep. You can go to Settings–Battery to find out such apps easily.
- Some system processes are in weird state. Normally, the system processes can manage themselves properly. But in certain situations, a few may fail to do so. If you find most of the battery is consumed by Android System, it means it is time to reboot the phone.
- Mobile network signal is poor.
- WiFi is always on. You may check Settings–WiFi–Menu key (3 vertical dots, or hardware menu button)–Advanced -Keep WiFi on during sleep. You probably should set it to never (and turn off mobile data as well) or only when plugged in.
- Frequent use of hotspot (sharing mobile data connection with other devices) or WiFi Direct. These two are battery killers.
- Your Galaxy S5 is running some third-party task manager or battery juice defender or similar apps. Most of these apps will only do the opposite: they will cause Galaxy S5 battery life problem, instead of solving the battery life problem.
- Your Galaxy S5 is running some anti-virus apps. Such apps are not necessary if you get apps only from reliable sources, e.g. Google Play store or Amazon appstore for Android.
- You didn’t maintain and charge your Galaxy S5 battery properly.
How to save Galaxy S5 battery?
You can save Galaxy S5 battery juice so that it gives longer screen time. Here are some tips:
- Turn on power saving mode (Settings – Power saving mode). It is a sad fact that Galaxy S5 is overpowered for 99% Galaxy S5 owners. You don’t need the shear raw processing powers Galaxy S5 provides. Samsung has a very good battery saving mode, which avoids wastage of your battery juice without affecting the performance for 99.9% of the apps.
- Turn off WiFi and mobile data when sleeping or not using the phone for a few hours.
- Turn off My Magazine if you don’t use it. Here is the guide on how to turn off My Magazine on Galaxy S5.
- Uninstall any third-party task manager apps, battery juice defender apps and antivirus apps. You really don’t need them (arguable).
- Install Greenify app. It is free and it can discipline third-party apps. Greenify is NOT a task manager. It forces the inactive apps into deep sleep…….
- Turn on automatic brightness at Settings–Display — brightness. You can further reduce the automatic brightness levels on Galaxy s5.
How to properly maintain and charge Galaxy S5 battery?
Most of Lithium-ion battery has a life span of 2-5 years. After about 300 charging-discharging cycles, the battery will lose 20-40% of the original capacity.
This is the limitation of current battery technology.
But if you maintain and charge Galaxy S5 battery in a proper way, you may not only extend the battery life span, but also keep the Galaxy S5 battery in the optimum state.
Here are some tips of maintaining and charging Galaxy S5 battery:
- If you charge Galaxy S5 battery, charge it until it is fully charged. 100% does not mean fully charged. Wait until your S5 shows it is fully charged.
- Each month, you should fully discharge (less than 5%) the battery at least once. This will make sure the battery level is calibrated accurately.
- Connecting your Galaxy S5 to the charger only when you need charge it.
- Minimize the phone usage when your Galaxy S5 is being charged.
- Try NOT to charge your Galaxy S5 battery through USB 2.0 ports on the PC.
- Use the official Samsung charger.
- Use official Samsung battery if you change or replace Galaxy S5 battery.
How to replace and change galaxy S5 battery?
Galaxy S5 comes with a removable battery. So, you can replace the Galaxy S5 battery by yourself.
Normally, for most galaxy S5 owners, it is not necessary to replace or change the battery for the first 12-24 months.
But for heavy users, if you have to charge the battery twice a day, you probably have to change battery after a few months.
It is very simple to change battery on Galaxy S5. You don’t have to visit the service center.
You need shutdown the phone (press and hold the power button and follow the on-screen instructions) first. Remove the back cover, take out the battery, put a new one, put the cover back. That’s all.
Top 5 misunderstandings on Galaxy S5 battery life
There are many non-sense tips circulating around. Here are the top 5 misunderstandings on Galaxy S5 battery life.
- If I always connect my galaxy S5 to the charge, my battery will be always brand-new. All batteries are counting down once leaving factory. Keeping the phone on the charger all the time actually may cause more wear and tear when using the phone heavily.
- If I charge my battery before it drops to 50%, it will not be counted as one charging cycle. There is no charging cycle counter inside the battery. The charging cycle is used by some researchers and the results only valid when the conditions are met. There are no reports on that charging at 50% or higher can prolong battery life span. But it is certain, Galaxy S5 will have problems to get accurate reading on real battery level if you always charge Galaxy S5 battery in this way. You should drain your battery at least once a month.
- Leaving the phone on the charger overnight is bad for Galaxy S5 battery. If you don’t use the phone when it is on the charger, it will not damage or cause more wear and tear on the battery.
- Leaving the phone on the charger overnight is good for Galaxy S5 battery. No evidence or research supports this claim either.
- I must charge the Galaxy S5 battery for 8+ hours first time. Most sales boys/girls will tell you this. Actually, when you get the new Galaxy S5, the battery is about 50% full. You can use it immediately. It is also not necessary to charge it for 8 hours. Once the Galaxy S5 tells you it is fully charged, you can disconnect the charger.
Do you have any questions or any tips on Galaxy S5 battery life?
Please let us know your questions or share your tips on how to maximize Galaxy S5 battery life in the comments box below.
More how-to guides, tips and tricks for using Samsung Galaxy S5 are available at Samsung Galaxy S5 how-to guides page.
Barbara C says
October 7, 2014 at 2:14 amIs there a way to turn off the email notification and still keep the email what i am talking about is in the notification screen where it shows all of the notifications.
simon says
October 7, 2014 at 12:40 pmWhat exactly do you want to show your email notifications?
Galaxy S5 manual: Galaxy S5 user guide/manuals (PDF)|| Galaxy S5 Guide: Galaxy S5 How-to guides || Galaxy S6 Guides || Galaxy S7 Guides || Android Oreo Guides || Galaxy S8 Guides || Galaxy S9 Guides || Google Home Guides .Poeticcases says
October 10, 2014 at 9:34 amBattery lifeline of Galaxy S5 are fabulous. It’s battery power is better than other smart phone in new generation. Poeticcases is all set to launch new Galaxy S5 phone cases to protect this smart phone.
Kevin C says
October 29, 2014 at 11:07 amIs it fine if i charge my samsung Galaxy s5 even if it’s not in low battery status? And is it safe if i unplug the charger even if it’s not fully charged?
simon says
October 29, 2014 at 12:55 pmYou can charge the phone at any time. But it is not a good practice to charge it too often. Also, each month, you’d better use the phone till the battery level is lower than 10% once or twice at least.
Unplug the charger until it is fully charged. It is safe to unplug the charger at any time (before it is fully charged), but it is not good for the life span of the battery if you do this frequently.
Please note, 100% does not necessary means fully charged. The phone will notify you when it is fully charged (led turns from red to green).
Galaxy S5 manual: Galaxy S5 user guide/manuals (PDF)|| Galaxy S5 Guide: Galaxy S5 How-to guides || Galaxy S6 Guides || Galaxy S7 Guides || Android Oreo Guides || Galaxy S8 Guides || Galaxy S9 Guides || Google Home Guides .bazz says
December 5, 2014 at 4:16 pmHi. I would like to ask, are you sure we don’t need to charge our s5 for the first time a minimum of 8 hours? Is there any proof for you to say so?
simon says
December 6, 2014 at 1:48 amThis is always arguable. You can always find contradictory answers for this problem.
So, use you own brain to make judgement.
For a new phone, the battery has about 50% battery level. Li-ion battery does not require charging before using if the battery has more than about 15-20% battery left.
Charging 8 hours before using is usually copied from old user manual when Ni-MH battery dominated (many, many years back).
Galaxy S5 manual: Galaxy S5 user guide/manuals (PDF)|| Galaxy S5 Guide: Galaxy S5 How-to guides || Galaxy S6 Guides || Galaxy S7 Guides || Android Oreo Guides || Galaxy S8 Guides || Galaxy S9 Guides || Google Home Guides .bazz says
December 6, 2014 at 11:09 amWere nokia phones which dominated the market back then use Li-ion batteries?
simon says
December 6, 2014 at 12:05 pmWhen motorola dominated, mainly NiMH batteries were used.
Galaxy S5 manual: Galaxy S5 user guide/manuals (PDF)|| Galaxy S5 Guide: Galaxy S5 How-to guides || Galaxy S6 Guides || Galaxy S7 Guides || Android Oreo Guides || Galaxy S8 Guides || Galaxy S9 Guides || Google Home Guides .Sanju Vijay says
January 21, 2015 at 9:32 amDear Samsung,
I purchased this phone Samsung S5 4G from LULU Hypermarket in Qatar. I was thinking I could use this when I go on vacation. I spent 5 days to fully customise all the settings and loaded all my data onto this phone including Google authenticator. After reaching India, I inserted my new SIM in India hoping I could enjoy the vacation with my S5, but to my surprise It is asking for SIM Network Unlock pin. I paid the full amount in cash hoping the phone is not locked to a provider and I can use any SIM or Network As I Like. SIM or Network Lock was not mentioned anywhere on the package. A quick google search revealed that you will be tied to the Network of the First SIM card you insert till you change your phone. Some people in US managed to unlock it with help of their network provider. Frustrated, I gave this phone to Samsung authorized service center at Changanacherry, KERALA, INDIA. They demanded 2500 rupees to unlock. Since it is very important, I agreed to it. They reset my phone to factory settings. and tried many things. Even after wasting my full day and losing all my settings and data, they could not unlock it. So even after spending 2400 riyals, this thing is essentially a paper weight. I never expected a Microsoft like attitude from you. Please fire that crap head who advised you to install such a lock on the Phone.
The Samsung India online customer care is also crap. They are saying it is a 4G phone and India’s 3G network is not compatible. When they escalated the issue to the next level, they are saying they cannot help me because this phone is not made in india. Its Hardware and software are from some alien country so they cannot fix it.
I will not again repeat this mistake of buying a samsung phone. but
please send me the network unlock pin .
simon says
January 21, 2015 at 10:01 amPlease note, this is a community site for Galaxy S5 owners. We are NOT affiliated to Samsung. You may keep all receipts and communicate with local Samsung office or local consumer rights protection organization.
Normally, you should test the phone in your home country with your local SIM card.
As I know, Samsung only provides “local” warranty.
Galaxy S5 manual: Galaxy S5 user guide/manuals (PDF)|| Galaxy S5 Guide: Galaxy S5 How-to guides || Galaxy S6 Guides || Galaxy S7 Guides || Android Oreo Guides || Galaxy S8 Guides || Galaxy S9 Guides || Google Home Guides .