What you need to know
- Samsung is investing in using Electric vehicle battery tech in smartphones.
- It plans to use stacking techniques to increase the energy density of batteries.
- It could mean 10% improvements in battery technology and orders from Apple for use in the iPhone.
A new report indicates that Samsung SDI is investing in using EV tech to make batteries for consumer products like smartphones, in a move that could see future improvements to the iPhone's battery.
From The Elec:
South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI is planning to apply to its smartphone battery production the stacking method it currently uses for the production of electric vehicle batteries.The stacking method stacks battery materials in layers and Samsung SDI uses this technique currently in the production of Gen 5 EV batteries.
The method contrasts with rolling batteries and allows for increased energy density. The Elec claims that Samsung "is now working to apply this same technique to batteries it manufactures aimed at smartphones and tablets." The first plant to see a new line will be in South Korea and could see a bast improvement over the current winding method used for cylinder batteries, which The Elec notes make it impossible to fully utilize the internal space of the battery and is prone to swelling:
The successful application of the stacking method will allow the South Korean battery maker to increase energy density by over 10%. Stacking method requires additional equipment such as notching.Another possibility for the move by Samsung SDI could be to win orders from Apple again, the chief rival of its main customer Samsung Electronics.
If Apple did call upon Samsung to use the new tech in production, the report says it would allow Apple to make smartphones lighter and with greater battery power. Apple's best iPhone, the iPhone 13, offered a major upgrade over the iPhone 12 in terms of battery life when it was released last year.
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