‘We are getting it ready': Samsung explains why the Galaxy S26 didn't get a silicon carbon battery upgrade

Silicon carbon still isn't quite ready for Samsung prime-time

25 Feb 2026, 18:45 · TechRadar

News By James Rogerson published 25 February 2026

The Samsung Galaxy S26 family (Image credit: Samsung)

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter

Get the TechRadar Newsletter

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

Samsung explains why the S26 series hasn't got silicon carbon batteries
The tech hasn't yet passed its "very rigorous validation standards"
But Samsung added that "we are getting it ready" for future phones

While Samsung’s flagship phones are still among the best around, their batteries are increasingly leaving something to be desired – and that hasn’t changed with the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, with Samsung making minimal changes to their capacities or technologies.

While some rivals like OnePlus and Xiaomi have switched over to silicon carbon batteries, which have higher energy densities, Samsung has again stuck with traditional lithium-ion cells for its new S26 lineup. However, it sounds like Samsung is working on making the switch in the not-too-distant future.

Speaking at a roundtable before its Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event, Sung-Hoon Moon (Executive VP and Head of Smartphone R&D team) acknowledged in response to a question that, when it comes to batteries, the company may have been “a bit un-innovative on that front.”

There are solid reasons for this, though. It seems that silicon carbon batteries aren't quite ready for prime-time on a flagship phone at Samsung's scale, with Sung-Hoon Moon stating that they have to pass the company's “very rigorous validation standards”. In other words, silicon carbon batteries can't quite do that yet.

Samsung added that the batteries would also need to produce significant real-world gains. Sung-Hoon Moon said that customer experience is still king and that “once we believe that the silicon battery would also end up improving the customer experience, then we will take that option into consideration as well.”

The Samsung Galaxy S26 (Image credit: Future)

While Samsung is dubious that these batteries would make a big enough difference to our smartphone experience right now, it also certainly isn't ruling them out.

“So for the silicon battery, we are getting it ready,” Sung-Hoon Moon added. That means Samsung is working on joining the likes of OnePlus and Xiaomi with silicon carbon battery tech, but that it still came too soon for the S26 series. And to be fair, there are a few reasons why that's understandable.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors