Smartphones are landing on the market with faster processors and stunning Quad HD displays. These vibrant screens have a 2560 x 1440 megapixel resolution which makes colors pop so images come to life, but at what cost? As great as your favorite movies and gaming apps look, wouldn't it be nice if your battery lasted just a little bit longer?

Smartphone manufacturer Samsung aims to address battery issues with a bundled feature on select models of its phones called "Ultra Power Saving Mode." This lifesaving function debuted on the Samsung Galaxy S5 and is also found on the Galaxy S6 flagship phone.

Users who activate Ultra Power Saving Mode when can squeeze another 24 hours of standby time out of their device on just 10 percent of battery life. The phone instantly goes into black and white Grayscale mode, like an early e-reader, and limits your access to six apps. The available apps under Ultra Power Saving Mode include Phone (3G), Internet, Messages, Calculator, Memo and Twitter. You can swap three of the apps for Clock, Google+, Memo or Voice Recorder.

If you own an Android handset running 4.3 Jelly Bean or later, a few system tweaks can help maximize your phone's battery life.

First of all, turn down your screen brightness. To access the controls, pull down notification bar and slide the brightness bar as far to the left to as possible, as long as it's comfortable for your eyes. The second step to saving battery life on your Android phone involves turning off Bluetooth and GPS. These two apps are known to cause battery drain and do not need to constantly be enabled. Turn off Bluetooth and GPS from the notification pull down menu by simply selecting the corresponding icon. You can always reactivate them as you need them.

Another battery saving system tweak that you'll be glad you did is to turn off vibration when your phone's softkeys are pressed. To access this feature, select "Settings", select "Sounds and notifications, select "Vibration intensity" and under "Haptic feedback" slide the bar all the way to the left.

Finally, Android devices feature a built-in Power Saving Mode that lets you limit the CPU's performance, reduce the screen output and turn off the touch key light. To enable Power Saving Mode, select "Settings," Select "Power saving" and toggle it on.

You can also select "Restrict performance" to personalize the settings to your taste. Grayscale mode is another cool Power Saving Mode feature to enable, as long as you don't mind if your phone display looks like a Kindle Paperwhite.

Saving battery on your Android phone doesn't have to be the sole responsibility of the manufacturer; applying a few system tweaks goes a long way.

Tags: android battery