Galaxy S26 FE leak points to longer battery life, but with a notable trade-off

Samsung’s final device in the Galaxy S26 series — the S26 FE — is expected to arrive soon. Samsung hasn’t officially spoken about the device yet, but with plenty of leaks already out, it wouldn’t be surprising if Samsung follows the same launch schedule as the Galaxy S25 FE last year.

Ahead of its launch, we’ve come across the European Union’s Energy Ratings for the Galaxy S26 FE (via YTECHB). A massive Galaxy S26 FE leak from earlier this week suggests the phone might come equipped with the same battery. Despite that, the European Product Registry for Energy Labeling (EPREL) rates the device higher than before, highlighting some improvements in how the device consumes its battery juice.

The European agency rates the Galaxy S26 FE, identified by its model number SM-S741B, for 50 hours of usage. This is a noticeable increase from the 42.5 hours that the older Galaxy S25 FE was rated for. The increased battery backup gives the upcoming S26 FE an A rating, up from B previously. It’s unclear what leads to this improvement in battery backup. We can’t fully rule out the possibility that the phone features a Si-C battery pack, especially since Samsung already made the shift on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series launched last month.

The longer battery backup could also be attributed to the more efficient 3nm Exynos 2500 rumored to drive the Galaxy S26 FE, compared to the 4nm Exynos 2400.

Another aspect worth noting on the EU’s Energy Label is the reduced number of charging cycles the battery supports. Compared to the Galaxy S25 FE’s rating of 2,000 charging cycles, the Galaxy S26 FE falls to 1,200 cycles. Effectively, this is how many times the Galaxy S26 FE can be fully charged (0–100% counts as one full charging cycle) before the battery’s capacity to hold electrical charge drops below 80%.

While the decline is drastic and might concern those planning to buy the Galaxy S26 FE, 1,200 charging cycles should cover several years of real-world use and shouldn’t be something to fret over. It’s worth noting that these are assumptions, and actual battery life may depend entirely on how you use your device. Nonetheless, we can’t dismiss the optics of fewer charging cycles, which is worth noting if you plan to use the phone throughout (or longer than) Samsung’s promised seven years of device support.