Samsung reportedly testing 18,000mAh silicone-carbon batteries for smartphones

OEMs are slowly adopting silicone-carbon battery tech replacing the traditional lithium-ion batteries in smartphones. This aids in increasing the capacity while fitting in the same space without making phones bulkier. We are already seeing devices with battery capacity hitting 10,000mAh.

A new leak suggests that Samsung SDI, the company’s battery division is allegedly testing 18,000mAh silicone-carbon cells.

Samsung experimenting high-capacity batteries

Since the Galaxy Note 7 incidents way back in 2016, Samsung has been cautious with the battery capacities on its smartphones. As per the leaked documents shared by an X user, the South Korean brand is testing 12,000mAh and 18,000mAh battery prototypes.

The company was also working on a 20,000mAh battery cell but it failed during testing after 960 charge cycles. This is in contrast to li-ion batteries that are rated between 500 to 1,000 charge cycles. 

Samsung is said to be experimenting with multi-cell design to achieve large capacities in batteries. The 12,000mAh cell uses dual structure consisting of a 6,800mAh measuring 4.7mm and a 5,200mAh cell of 3.2mm. Similarly, the 18,000mAh battery is equipped with three stacked cells of 6,699mAh, 6,000mAh, and a 5,257mAh. The combined thickness of 12,000mAh and 18,000mAh battery configurations is rumoured to be 9.3 and 12.3mm respectively. 

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Samsung is still experimenting these battery setups and the testing program aims for 1,500 charging cycles. 

It could still take a few years before we see such mammoth battery capacities in smartphones. There could also be challenges with silicone-carbon battery tech. But when it arrives in the future, phones could last for days solving the battery anxiety and without having to reach for the charger. 

Stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for more tech updates.