Understanding galaxy S27 Ultra may sacrifice battery size to keep the S Pen
Samsung may have decided against giving its Galaxy S27 Ultra a significantly larger battery – but the reason behind it makes perfect sense.
For several years now, Samsung’s underwhelming battery capacities have been the cause of much scorn and criticism – especially with rival manufacturers pulling off into the sunset with their dense silicon-carbon (Si-C) cells.
However, with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra finally shifting to Si-C batteries, it looks like the Galaxy S27 series will follow suit.
As for a specific capacity, rumours have suggested that the Galaxy S27 Ultra will pack a 5,700mAh battery – up from 5,000mAh on the current Galaxy S26 Ultra.
It’s hardly the 7,500mAh cell of the Oppo Find X9 Pro, though there may be a good reason for that.
According to X user Kro, Samsung has been working with a Galaxy S27 Ultra test unit containing a 7,000mAh battery. In order to fit such a large battery into its slinky new design, however, Samsung seemingly had to remove the integrated S Pen.
Personally, I don’t find Samsung’s stylus to be remotely useful, but I know that others do. It’s also a vital point of differentiation, with none of Samsung’s main rivals offering something similar.
The leaker also claims that silicon-carbon batteries can suffer from a lower lifespan than conventional lithium-ion technology – and you can bet your bottom dollar Samsung doesn’t want any more stories about iffy battery performance.
Samsung Galaxy S27 revealed
Over in the non-Ultra corner, renders of the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S27 have emerged online.
You might think this should be the lead story here, given how many units this phone is likely to shift. But one glance at the images from OnLeaks and Android Headlines should tell you why it’s of secondary interest.
Android Headlines
The Galaxy S27 looks… just like the Galaxy S26. That is all.
Oh, alright then, I’ll elaborate. The Galaxy S27 lacks the new iPhone 17 Pro-style camera island of the Galaxy S27 Ultra, meaning it could miss out on built-in Qi2 magnets. It’s also a fraction larger than its predecessor in all directions.
It’s looking to be a fairly dull update, barring some major internal component upgrade. We’re hearing there’ll be a new main camera sensor (at last) and a bigger 4,900mAh battery, both of which would be most welcome.
But if this is anything to go by, the 2026 trend for underwhelming minor upgrades looks set to continue into 2027.
