If OnePlus can have a 7,000 mAh battery, are Samsung and Apple scamming us with tech from 2020?

If you look at the dominant smartphone brands in the US, you can’t escape the feeling that you’re stuck in the past. The last time we had a battery upgrade on an Ultra flagship by Samsung was in 2020, and the Galaxy S26 Ultramay not change anything. That means we’re about to have been getting the same thing for seven years in a row:

• Galaxy S20 Ultra – 5,000 mAh, 45W wired charging
• Galaxy S21 Ultra – 5,000 mAh, 25W wired charging
• Galaxy S22 Ultra – 5,000 mAh, 45W wired charging
• Galaxy S23 Ultra – 5,000 mAh, 45W wired charging
• Galaxy S24 Ultra – 5,000 mAh, 45W wired charging
• Galaxy S25 Ultra – 5,000 mAh, 45W wired charging
• Galaxy S26 Ultra – 5,000 mAh, 45W wired charging (expected)

Things don’t look much different with Google and Apple’s flagship devices. The Pixel 6 Pro was released in 2021 with a 5,000 mAh battery and 30W charging, and by this year, the Pixel 10 Pro XL battery numbers have grown to 5,200 mAh and 45W charging. 

The 2021 iPhone 13 Pro Max had a 4,352 mAh battery, and by the 16 Pro Max, it has only grown to 4,685 mAh. Apple’s wired charging is notoriously slow and has been stuck at around 25W for years.

None of this would’ve been an issue if we weren’t talking about the most expensive smartphones from the most respected smartphone manufacturers in the world. Those are supposed to be cutting-edge devices that make everyone gasp in awe because of every little detail. And in the early 2020s, that would’ve been the case, because a 5,000 mAh battery was impressive back then.

Are they ripping us off?

In 2025, a slim and pretty flagship smartphone with a 7,000 mAh battery sounds like a dream for iPhone 16, Galaxy S25, and Pixel 10 Pro users. In China, that’s becoming the norm, not only for flagship devices, but also for mid-range handsets. 

Proof in point, Xiaomi has already released a $200 phone with a 7,000 mAh battery. That device is just 7.8 mm thick, which is slimmer than both Apple’s and Samsung’s flagships, which are five times more expensive and about 8.2 mm thick.

Earlier this year, Honor launched the Honor Power with an 8,000 mAh battery. That device is 7.98 mm thick. OnePlus already has a 7,000mAh battery inside the recently released 7.7 mm thick Ace 6 Max. I won’t even think about the 15,000 mAh battery Realme is experimenting with.

None of this means that your iPhone, Pixel, or Galaxy will suddenly stop working. The problem is that Apple, Google, and Samsung are blatantly cutting corners with one of the most important aspects of a smartphone.

I’m not mad, I’m disappointed 

I’m sure some people would start explaining that the silicon-carbon technology is not mature enough, and those batteries may not last as long. Others will mention the individual cell capacity limitations for flying with big batteries. Trust me, I know about all this.

I also know that Apple, Google, and Samsung are companies with unlimited resources that are supposed to use them to move the whole industry forward through innovation. Instead, they’re sitting on their laurels while the Chinese brands have limited access to some of their main markets.

That doesn’t make me angry, because I understand the business logic behind it. But it makes me disappointed, because I expected much more.

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