Summary
Seeing your phone’s battery drop below 10% can make anyone panic, especially when you’re not sure where you’ll charge it and your power bank is at home. But your Galaxy’s built-in Power saving feature can help the remaining charge last longer. You might dismiss it as all-or-nothing, just like I used to. But limiting some of your phone’s features can be better than not being able to use it at all. You can also choose between different power-saving options and customize which features to limit, depending on what you need your phone to do. Standard power saving lets me choose what to give up I hardly notice the restrictions in everyday use Standard power saving is worth trying if you want to conserve battery throughout the day without committing to major restrictions. It can lower your screen brightness by 10%, drop the refresh rate from 120Hz to 60Hz, turn on Dark mode, and turn off Always On Display. That’s exactly how I use it on my Galaxy A34: it’s on most of the day, with five of the six restrictions active. I can choose which features to limit and turn them on or off with a simple toggle. The only one I leave off is the one that turns off my screen after 30 seconds, since I usually need to look at my phone longer than that. To turn it on:
- Go to Settings > Battery and turn on Power saving
- Tap Power saving, then tap the gear icon next to Standard to customize the restrictions Even with those restrictions, I don’t notice much difference in performance. I usually only need to charge my phone at the end of the day. Maximum power saving is for when every percentage counts I have fewer features to use, but I can still use the ones I need Maximum power saving stretches your battery further by turning off more features than Standard. It limits background activity and notifications for nonessential apps you haven’t allowed. By default, only essential apps, such as Messages and Phone, will continue to work. All other apps are grayed out, so you can’t use them unless you allow them. Even so, the less you use your phone, the better. Since fewer apps are running in the background, your battery drains more slowly. I’ve made it to a charger with just 1% left. If you need certain apps:
- Go to Settings > Battery > Power saving
- Tap the gear icon next to Maximum
- Scroll to All apps to toggle them on WhatsApp is the only additional app I leave on because, at that point, I mainly want to communicate. You can switch between Standard and Maximum whenever you need to. Turn off Maximum power saving once you’ve started charging your phone so you can use your apps and get notifications again. Adaptive power saving does the work, so I don’t have to It goes by how I use my phone, not a battery percentage Adaptive power saving is worth trying if you want to save battery without remembering to turn Power saving on yourself. Your Galaxy looks at how you use your phone and decides when to turn it on or off. This comes in handy if your routine changes day to day. Some days you use your phone a lot, while on others you barely touch it. On days you can’t put your phone down, it’s less likely to die on you. I leave Adaptive on, so I don’t have to think about it. Keep in mind that Adaptive doesn’t follow a set battery percentage. If your battery is below 10% and you can’t charge your phone, switch to Maximum. When Adaptive kicks in, you’ll notice restrictions such as a 10% dimmer screen or a drop to 60Hz. The restrictions depend on the options you turn on in Standard. To set it up:
- Go to Settings > Battery > Power saving
- Tap the three-dot menu, then Adaptive power saving
- Turn it on If you don’t see the option, Samsung says availability depends on your Galaxy model, software version, and carrier . Cutting back on the features isn’t worth it You might need AI to save an idea before you forget it Cutting back on features isn’t an option for many. Maybe you’re on a deadline and need your flagship phone’s AI tools to jot down an idea before you forget it, then format your notes. Plus, you can always use a portable power bank to keep your phone charged when the battery runs low. So if you have one, why use a feature that limits your phone? It’s true that the restrictions depend on which power-saving option you use. If your job requires you to stay on top of important notifications, Maximum might not be your best choice. But Standard doesn’t restrict which apps you can open the way Maximum does, although some AI features, like notification summaries, may pause. You can switch between options, and Maximum even lets you keep certain apps, like WhatsApp, available. You don’t have to restrict everything. Plus, a power bank is useful, but what if you don’t have it with you? Once your phone dies, you can’t use any of those features anyway. You don’t have to limit your phone permanently, just until you can charge it. Some power is better than no power Power-saving dims your screen a little and slows a few things down. But you get to choose which features to limit. You can also change your mind at any time. I mainly use Standard and leave Adaptive on to manage power saving automatically. When my battery is running low, I switch to Maximum and keep my phone alive until I reach a charger. A phone with a few limits is still better than a dead one. So the next time your battery drops below 10% and your power bank is sitting at home, turn on power saving before you start hunting for an outlet.