Samsung's One UI 5.1 sharply reduces the battery life of Galaxy handsets

The latest version of Samsung's One UI interface, One UI 5.1, is draining the battery on some devices that it has recently been installed on. On an Italian Samsung support page, one Galaxy S22 Ultra user wrote that if he could rollback the update he would do it without hesitation. His screen-on time (SOT) was greatly reduced from seven hours to four hours after installing One UI 5.1 on his phone.

On Reddit (via SamMobile) a Galaxy S22+ user with the Exynos model complained about a similar decline in SOT from 7 hours before downloading One UI 5.1 on his phone, to a SOT of 4.5 hours. Other users with a Galaxy S22 series handset chime in to report lower battery life after installing One UI 5.1. Ironically, the update has reportedly improved the overnight standby drain which has been sharply reduced to 1 percentage point from 3 percentage points according to multiple users.

Besides a faster-draining battery, there are some reports about the phone feeling hot to the touch. But as one Reddit user posts, there is a pattern, and those who recently installed One UI 5.1 need to be patient. "RoboWarrior44" wrote, "Here's what I've observed after almost every update, the SOT gets worse for a while and gets back up to normal after a few days. Hopefully the trend continues." Another Redditor said that users need to let the phone optimize after One UI 5.1 is installed.

Speaking about the battery life of the Galaxy S22 series, we just put several handsets through a battery test. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the Pixel 7 Pro square off and you can view the video right here.

As for the battery draining issue with One UI 5.1, a post on Reddit noted that the battery usage for the Samsung Keyboard seems to be running sharply higher. Samsung's live chat support suggests clearing the cache and data for the Samsung Keyboard app and restarting the phone. However, this will erase any special language additions or custom layouts. Another option is to switch to another QWERTY app.

To clear the Samsung Keyboard cache go to Settings > Apps > Storage and tap the Clear Cache icon. To clear Data, repeat the steps and tap the Clear Data icon.

Samsung has yet to issue a statement about this problem. If waiting for your phone to optimize following the installation of One UI 5.1 is not the answer, a software update might be pushed out to correct whatever is draining the battery on these devices.

The One UI interface is designed to make it easier for those with small hands to use large-screened touchscreen smartphones. It moves most tappable elements to the bottom of the phone where they are within easy reach of the user.