Samsung is putting security chips in Galaxy A batteries — and it's not just about recycling
Samsung's budget and mid-range Galaxy A phones — the line that accounts for the largest share of the company's smartphone sales — will gain batteries with embedded security chips from 2027, reports The Elec. The plan covers up to 50 million units in the first year. Samsung has not officially confirmed the program.
The tech
The chips are co-developed with US chipmaker Analog Devices and South Korean firm ICTK. They use VIA PUF (physical unclonable function) technology, which generates a unique identifier from tiny, random physical variations that occur during chip manufacturing — think of it as a fingerprint baked into silicon at birth. Samsung Foundry will produce the chips on a 28nm process; Samsung SDI will integrate them into finished battery packs.
The compliance angle
Samsung frames this as an environmental measure. A chip that can be read instantly by service technicians simplifies battery tracking, recycling, and end-of-life logistics. That fits neatly with the EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542, which mandates digital battery passports for industrial and EV batteries from February 2027. Smartphone batteries technically fall outside the current scope of that regulation, but Samsung appears to be reading the direction of travel and getting ahead of it — starting on Galaxy A chip production planning around the same timeframe.
The repair question
Authentication chips do more than track recycling. They let a device verify whether a replacement battery is Samsung-approved — the same mechanism Apple uses with Part Serialization and that has drawn scrutiny from the FTC and UK consumer groups. If Samsung's implementation blocks or degrades performance with third-party batteries, Galaxy A owners who rely on independent repair shops — often the cheaper, faster option — could find their options narrowed.
Galaxy A phones are Samsung's volume sellers, popular precisely because they're affordable. A repair lockdown on that tier affects far more everyday users than a similar move on the flagship S series would. Samsung's S27 Ultra battery upgrade made headlines for different reasons, but the authentication story is the one with broader reach.
Samsung has declined to comment on the chip program's specifics. Until it does, the recycling narrative and the repair restriction exist side by side — and which one matters more will depend on how the software handles an unrecognized battery.
