Apple supplier TDK’s new breakthrough battery could lift iPhone capacity by 40% or more

Apple supplier TDK’s new breakthrough battery technology could lift iPhone’s battery capacity by 40% or more.

TDK Corp. is fielding surging inquiries in Asia into a new lineup of smartphone batteries it hopes will become a game-changer in the quest to pack more power into ever-slimmer devices.

In the first half of 2023, the company began shipping small-size lithium-ion batteries using silicon electrodes, manufactured by Hong Kong-based subsidiary Amperex Technology Ltd. (ATL).

TDK, the world’s largest maker of smartphone batteries, is one of several big-name players in a race to enhance energy storage — the industry’s holy grail.

TDK now is the sole mass-producer of silicon-carbon batteries for smartphone use. Interest is especially strong from handset makers seeking to gain an edge in a saturated market through ultra-thin devices and different designs, which the high-capacity batteries allow.

TDK says its new battery has 10% more capacity than conventional graphite anode batteries, although industry studies show the technology has the potential to lift capacity by 40% or more. The product should be able to extend battery life in more devices, including mobile game gadgets, wearables and AI-related edge tools, while slimming down their size, Toyo Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda said.

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