South Korea's major tech players have expanded the battery capacities of their flagship smartphones over the past years, data showed Monday, as they engaged in a fierce competition over wider displays and faster networks.

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's No. 1 maker of handsets, saw its battery capacity of the Galaxy 5S model reach 2,800mAh, up 87 percent from the 1,500mAh posted by the Galaxy S smartphone released in June 2010.

The improvement was also observed in phablets, a cross between tablets and smartphones, with the Galaxy Note 3 boasting a 3,200mAh battery, compared with the 2,500mAh held by the Galaxy Note launched in 2011.

LG Electronics Inc., a latecomer to the smartphone industry, also made strides to differentiate its models from other rivals by having them be equipped with stronger batteries. The Optimus G model, launched in August 2012, held a 2,100mAh battery, whereas the latest G3 held a comparable figure of 3,000mAh.

U.S. tech giant Apple Inc., in contrast, was less active in expanding the battery capacities of its models. The iPhone 2G, released in 2007, boasted a 1,400mAh battery, while its successor, the iPhone 3G even had a smaller figure of 1,150 mAh. The latest iPhone 5S boasts a 1,570mAh battery.

Industry watchers said the battle for improved batteries followed the rising sizes of displays and resolution. Samsung's Galaxy S5 boasts a 5.1-inch display, compared with the 4-inch posted by the original Galaxy S.

The LG G3 is also equipped with a 5.5-inch display, compared with the 4.7 inch of the first G smartphone model.

Improved resolution also influenced the tech players to expand the battery capacities. While the first smartphones held resolutions at a HD-level, the latest models in the market currently boasts Full-HD or Quad-HD resolutions.

The development of long-term evolution (LTE) networks also encouraged manufactures to focus on battery capacities, as devices consumed more power under faster networks.

Following the trend, industry watchers anticipate the upcoming Apple's iPhone 6 is anticipated to boast a batter capacity of around 1,800mAh, along with a 4.7-5.5 inch display. (Yonhap)