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Door staff@engadget.com (David Engle) - 03 Nov 2026
If your Android phone doesn't charge as quickly or is gobbling up battery power at a faster rate than when you first bought the phone, a degraded battery is likely the cause. A degrading battery also impacts the phone's performance, because it can't provide the quick bursts of power the phone's processor needs to run certain tasks or apps. This results in slow loading, annoying lag and even total freezing.
Unfortunately, many phone users attribute the lackluster performance to the phone itself and wind up paying hundreds for a new model. But a new battery may do the trick, at a fraction of the price — especially if your older Android phone has a back that snaps or slides off for easy battery replacement. A quick Amazon search for Samsung Galaxy replacement lithium-ion batteries delivers hundreds of options in the $10 to $20 range. If the back of your Android smartphone is sealed, you may need to buy a DIY repair kit (typically $60 or less) or have it replaced professionally (usually no more than $80 at a local repair shop). But even the high end of those costs pales in comparison to the price of a new phone.
Making sure your battery is optimized can also help. Your Android phone should be equipped with a battery-saving mode, which disables or adapts some of the phone's features — such as screen brightness — to cut back on battery usage. Some Google Pixel phones offer battery optimization as well as Adaptive Battery, which limits the amount of time your less-used apps run and then learns your app usage patterns to optimize battery life. And many Samsung phones have similar features that put your less frequently used apps into sleep mode to save juice.
Another tip is to keep your phone charged to between 20 and 80 percent throughout the day. And, yes, that includes overnight. Doing so, according to LiTime, drastically reduces the battery's exposure to chemical stress, which can help your phone's battery last between two and three times longer than a battery that is consistently charged to 100 percent.
Unfortunately, many phone users attribute the lackluster performance to the phone itself and wind up paying hundreds for a new model. But a new battery may do the trick, at a fraction of the price — especially if your older Android phone has a back that snaps or slides off for easy battery replacement. A quick Amazon search for Samsung Galaxy replacement lithium-ion batteries delivers hundreds of options in the $10 to $20 range. If the back of your Android smartphone is sealed, you may need to buy a DIY repair kit (typically $60 or less) or have it replaced professionally (usually no more than $80 at a local repair shop). But even the high end of those costs pales in comparison to the price of a new phone.
Making sure your battery is optimized can also help. Your Android phone should be equipped with a battery-saving mode, which disables or adapts some of the phone's features — such as screen brightness — to cut back on battery usage. Some Google Pixel phones offer battery optimization as well as Adaptive Battery, which limits the amount of time your less-used apps run and then learns your app usage patterns to optimize battery life. And many Samsung phones have similar features that put your less frequently used apps into sleep mode to save juice.
Another tip is to keep your phone charged to between 20 and 80 percent throughout the day. And, yes, that includes overnight. Doing so, according to LiTime, drastically reduces the battery's exposure to chemical stress, which can help your phone's battery last between two and three times longer than a battery that is consistently charged to 100 percent.