[Hardware] Samsung And Apple Rumored To Switch To Silicon-Carbon Batteries To Increase Overall Capacities Without Reducing Thickness To Keep Pace With The Chinese Competition

[My baby Sam]

Omar Sohail
•
Jan 4, 2025 at 03:13am EST
•
Copy Shortlink
11

 

A picture of all iPhone 16 models' batteries / Image credits - iFixit
 

The pace at which Chinese smartphone makers have started to adopt silicon-carbon batteries rose exponentially last year, with popular brands incorporating their devices with cells boasting 6,000mAh battery and above, leading to unrivaled runtimes. For Samsung and Apple, the highest capacity shared between any of their flagship models is 5,000mAh, which is currently found in the Galaxy S24 Ultra and is said to be retained for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Likely realizing that they have hit a ceiling in battery technology, a new rumor claims that the technology giants are working to bring silicon-carbon cells to mass production.

 

New rumor claims that Samsung is directly involved in the process of making silicon-carbon batteries, but it is unclear to which flagship this technology will debut in
 

To cross the 5,000mAh capacity ceiling, Samsung and Apple have little choice but to cross into the silicon-carbon realm and commence development. According to yeux1122’s blog, both entities have begun their journey, but there is obviously that elusive question regarding when we can witness this technology. Looking at the recently announced Redmi Turbo 4, Xiaomi spared no expense to ensure that even its non-flagship smartphone is treated to silicon-carbon batteries, with the device boasting a capacity of a whopping 6,550mAh.

 

However, mid-range handsets like these often compromise in other areas, meaning that their technological prowess is inferior to the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra, so they have ample space to accommodate such battery sizes. With high-end smartphones, Samsung’s and Apple’s engineers will have their work cut out as they look to maneuver through the constrained internal space to add as big of a battery as they possibly can without compromising on the features so it is safe to assume that this entire process is time-consuming, not to mention costly.

 

With Samsung, the rumor claims that the Korean giant is directly involved in the development of battery materials, but there is no roadmap provided regarding Apple’s progress. Looking at the Cupertino firm’s history, it will not be surprising to hear that it adopts silicon-carbon batteries much later than the competition, as it follows industry standards at a significantly slower pace. Hopefully, we get to see these advanced batteries earlier than expected because there is only so much a company can do to get as much juice out of a mobile device.

 

https://wccftech.com/samsung-and-apple-developing-silicon-carbon-batteries-to-increase-capacity/