One UI 8.5: Samsung prepares a smart ‘Network Battery Saver’ to extend battery life
While Samsung’s One UI 8.5 update was anticipated to be a mere aesthetic upgrade, new findings in the firmware of the Galaxy S25 Ultra reveal a far more intriguing feature: a smart ‘Network Battery Saver’ that can optimize battery life through contextual intelligence.
Intelligent Network Management to Save Energy
According to an analysis by Android Authority, this new feature is built on Samsung’s “Personal Data Intelligence” system — the same technology that powers functions like Now Brief — to learn your habits and automatically reduce network activity when your phone is at rest.
In simple terms, One UI 8.5 will be capable of detecting when you sleep, when you’re home, or when you are simply less active, and then limiting unnecessary network connections (such as syncs, notifications, or background exchanges).
A snippet of the internal code summarizes the functionality perfectly: “Save battery by limiting network performance when your phone is likely not in use, for example, when you are sleeping.”
A Smart and Customizable Mode
The Network Battery Saver will be disabled by default and will require the activation of data collection through Personal Data Intelligence. Once enabled, you can manage the applications and services allowed to use this data from the settings.
The objective is to reduce energy consumption without the need to manually disable connections or impact the reception of essential notifications.
A Real Benefit for Galaxy Users
With batteries often relatively smaller and slower charging speeds compared to their Chinese counterparts, Samsung focuses on software efficiency rather than relying on hardware upgrades.
This pragmatic approach could significantly enhance battery life, especially during the night or during extended periods of inactivity.
Deployment Expected in 2026
One UI 8.5 is expected to debut with the Galaxy S26 series in the first quarter of 2026, before being rolled out to existing models like the Galaxy S25.
In a context where artificial intelligence is often used to multiply “wow” effects, Samsung seems to be aiming to utilize it for something genuinely useful: prolonging battery life effortlessly.
