The mobile industry is entering a new era. Silicon-carbon battery technology, which first appeared in mobile devices nearly two years ago with the introduction of Honor Magic5 Prohas now come of age and is becoming the new standard in smartphones. This breakthrough technology already enables the production of devices with batteries with a capacity of even more than 6 000 mAhwhile the dimensions of smartphones remain surprisingly the same as in previous years with much smaller battery capacities.
From the past to the future
4-6 years ago, in the period when flagships such as the iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9 or Huawei P20 Pro dominated, batteries with a capacity between 3 000 až 4 000 mAh standard. Although these smartphones had similar dimensions to today’s models, their battery capacity was often not enough for all-day intensive use, so users got used to daily charging. Technologies like fast charging were common back then, but their performance was nowhere near as efficient as it is today.
The latest smartphone models, such as the OnePlus 13, offer proof of progress. Comparison with OnePlus 10: dimensions OnePlus 10 they are 163,2 x 73,6 x 8,7 mm and its battery has capacity 5 000 mAh. On the other hand, OnePlus 13 has dimensions 163 x 76,5 x 8,5 mm and a battery with capacity 6 000 mAh. This change shows that despite the almost identical dimensions, the manufacturers managed to increase the battery capacity by whole 20 % thanks to silicon-carbon battery technology.
Models with a new type of battery are increasing
Vivo X200 Pro, Xiaomi 15 (for now the version intended for the Chinese market) or Realme GT7 Pro, using silicon-carbon batteries and surpassing these predecessors not only in capacity, but also in efficiency and life. A good example is also the premium flagship Red Magic 10 Pro with quite ordinary dimensions 163.4 x 76.1 x 8.9 mminto which the manufacturer was able to get up to 7 050 mAh battery.
The new recorder is the recently introduced Honor Magic7 Lite, which has dimensions of just 162.8 x 75.5 x 8 mm battery with a capacity of up to 6 600 mAh. Some three years ago, such a capacity could only be found in durable mobile phones of unknown manufacturers with a thickness of several centimeters.
And that’s just the beginning; silicon-carbon batteries are becoming the norm and in the course of the year we will encounter mobile phones using this technology more and more often.
What do silicon-carbon batteries bring?
The key to the revolutions is the combination of silicon and carbon in the battery anode. Silicon makes it possible to increase the energy density because it has the ability to bind many more lithium ions than traditional graphite, thus increasing the overall capacity of the battery. At the same time, carbon ensures stability and reduces problems with the expansion of silicon during charging and discharging, which significantly extends the life of the battery. This combination replaces traditional graphite anodes, which brings several advantages:
- Higher energy density: Batteries can store more energy for the same or smaller size.
- Faster charging: Silicon-carbon anodes have better electron transfer, allowing for faster charging times.
- Longer lifespan: New batteries are less prone to degradation after hundreds of charge cycles.
These benefits are not just on paper. The first reviews show that, thanks to this technology, the new products can last significantly longer on one charge than their predecessors.
Evolution of energy consumption
At the same time, it is necessary to take into account not only the gross capacity of the battery, but also how much it has to “feed”. The new smartphones have AMOLED displays with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a brightness that is 4 times higher than two or three years ago. Likewise, the performance of mobile processors has increased x-fold. However, by using new production technologies, they become less energy-intensive.
Implications for the future
The arrival of silicon-carbon batteries is not only about larger capacities, but also about changing the philosophy of how we use smartphones. Longer endurance and faster charging allow us to focus more on their functions and less on power management. At the same time, this technology is also finding its way into electric cars, where it can dramatically increase the range and shorten the time required for charging. Car companies such as Tesla, BMW and Toyota are already working to implement silicon-carbon batteries in their future models, opening up new possibilities for efficiency and sustainability.
They are also less controversial
In addition, silicon-carbon batteries do not use as many precious metals and cobalt than traditional lithium-ion batteries, thus mitigating the controversies associated with the extraction of these materials and reducing the ecological burden.
This evolution may pave the way for more demanding applications, such as advanced tools for augmented reality (AR) or high-quality cloud gaming services, which until now have been limited by power consumption and short battery life. Smartphones of the future thus become an even bigger part of our lives without compromising on their use.
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What is your opinion on the arrival of silicon-carbon batteries? Do you think they will really change the rules of the game in the mobile industry, or do they still have time to convince the majority of customers?
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Source: www.mojandroid.sk
