Galaxy S5 battery guide

Battery life is important for all smartphones. This guide shows you how to maintain your Galaxy S5 battery so that you can maximize the battery life and keep the battery in perfect condition.

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 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 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 battery life problems?

However, some Galaxy S5 owners reported battery drain problems on Galaxy S5.

There are many possible reasons for 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 a 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 the 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 the battery life problem on the phone, 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 battery?

You can save 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 sheer 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 (arguably).
• Install Greenify app. It is free and it can discipline third-party apps.  Greenify is NOT a task manager. It forces inactive apps into a 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 the 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 battery in the optimum state.

Here are some tips of maintaining and charging Galaxy S5 battery:

• If you charge the 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 to 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 the Galaxy S5 battery?

Galaxy S5 comes with a removable battery. So, you can replace the 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 the battery after a few months.

It is very simple to change the battery on Galaxy S5. You don’t have to visit the service center.

You need to shut down 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, then 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.

1. If I always connect my galaxy S5 to the charge, my battery will be always brand-new. All batteries are counting down once leaving the factory.  Keeping the phone on the charger all the time actually may cause more wear and tear when using the phone heavily.
2. 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 an accurate reading on real battery level if you always charge the battery in this way. You should drain your battery at least once a month.
3. Leaving the phone on the charger overnight is bad for the 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.
4. Leaving the phone on the charger overnight is good for S5 battery. No evidence or research supports this claim either.
5. I  must charge the Galaxy S5 battery for 8+ hours the first time. Most sales boys/girls will tell you this. Actually, when you get the new phone, 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.