OnePlus’ gigantic rumored battery reveals what Apple and Samsung needs to be doing

I’ve all the time supported the concept of user-replaceable batteries in smartphones, however I do perceive why it makes some sense to make use of non-replaceable ones past simply the earnings concerned. A totally built-in one typically permits a telephone to be extra compact, or tackle new and weird kind components. By extension, this will additionally improve energy effectivity, since different elements will be positioned and sized extra optimally.

A first-rate instance of this can be a mysterious, upcoming OnePlus system, rumored to have a large 7,800mAh battery (per Wccftech). That is even bigger than the 6,260mAh one within the

OnePlus 13T
, and it might completely smoke the 5,000 and 4,685mAH batteries within the

Galaxy S25 Ultra
and

iPhone 16 Pro Max
, respectively. In actual fact, given experiences about Apple and Samsung’s upcoming ultra-slim telephones, it seems like it should be as much as corporations like OnePlus to indicate the majors how you can do batteries appropriately.

What are Apple and Samsung doing improper, precisely?

Type over perform

I’ve touched on this lately, so I will not go into the complete particulars, however the brief model is that Apple’s rumored

iPhone 17 Air
and Samsung’s teased

Galaxy S25 Edge
are every anticipated to sacrifice battery life to realize most thinness. Certainly, the declare from The Information is that inside Apple testing estimates solely 60 to 70% of individuals will have the ability to get by way of a full day with out recharging — which is why the corporate can also be rumored to be creating a brand new battery pack, regardless of having discontinued the MagSafe Battery Pack in 2023.

The kicker is that each Apple and Samsung are possible utilizing silicon-carbon battery know-how, a latest improve of the lithium-ion batteries we see in all the pieces from smartphones to

electric cars
and PEVs (private electrical autos). The foremost profit is improved power density — so that you’d suppose that at a minimal, telephone makers would maintain the road on battery life, merely shrinking their telephones somewhat.

As a substitute, Apple and Samsung appear to be prioritizing thinness in any respect prices, for causes that are not completely clear past aesthetics and bragging rights. It has been years since I’ve heard anybody complain about how thick a telephone is, if not a decade or extra. Complaints have trended in the wrong way, I would say — with out a case, some telephones will be so skinny and slippery that they are laborious to grip securely. Even my spouse’s OnePlus 9 5G has that problem. A number of foldables, like Google’s

Pixel 9 Pro Fold
, are so skinny when open that they really feel like they could bend or snap.

My greatest guess is that the businesses try to offset the elevated manufacturing prices of silicon-carbon, however I do not know that this excuse flies in mild of the OnePlus rumors. That 7,800mAh battery is explicitly claimed to be a silicon-carbon mannequin, making it laborious to know why the iPhone 17 Air could not match the 4,685mAh capability of the iPhone 16 Professional Max, by no means thoughts providing worse efficiency than the bottom iPhone 16. Even when the 7,800mAh rumor is fake, the OnePlus 13T’s 6,260mAh battery is a concrete actuality. That telephone launched in April 2025 — one thing coming in Might or later should be in the identical ballpark.

Associated

Everything you need to know about PEVs, or personal electric vehicles

You should use PEVs to discover, run errands, or pace up your commute.

Getting priorities straight

Or, listening to what prospects really need

Isaac Mehegan / Unsplash

My largest problem is that Apple and Samsung appear to be actively ignoring the longest-running public gripe about smartphones: longevity. Whereas some pre-iPhone units may final a number of days on a cost, it is taken with no consideration now that it’s essential cost a telephone every single day. Usually, twice per day is the sensible actuality.

As an experiment, I lately prevented topping up my iPhone 16 Professional in any respect till bedtime. The outcome was that after roughly 16 hours, my telephone was right down to 17% — regardless of my most intense actions being podcasts, some app updates, a Reuters video briefing, and some rounds of Wordle and Phrases With Buddies. Apple claims that the telephone needs to be able to 22 hours of continuous streaming video. That is pure fantasy, but supposedly two hours higher than the iPhone 15 Professional. I may not have the ability to deal with the iPhone 17 Air beneath each day circumstances, not to mention cross-country journeys.

Each smartphone maker ought to prioritize battery life. It has been a very long time since smartphones have been a luxurious for wealthy professionals — many people depend upon them for our jobs, social lives, and navigating round city. There are rural African farmers utilizing smartphones to enhance their crop yields. In excessive situations, individuals rely on smartphones for survival, to the purpose that catastrophe aid companies typically embody telephone charging of their checklist of priorities. Nobody needs to be panicking about their telephone operating low similtaneously they’re attempting to flee a hurricane or earthquake.

I am glad, then, that no less than one firm is profiting from silicon-carbon to do what needs to be an apparent factor. Generally revenue margins must take a backseat, if not for charitable causes, then simply to fulfill genuine buyer demand and hold individuals loyal. Somebody whose telephone is all the time operating on fumes goes to be tempted by different manufacturers.

In that respect, I am inquisitive about how Apple and Samsung’s ultra-slim telephones are going to promote. I doubt they will be outright failures, for the reason that corporations have numerous promoting would possibly, and so they’ve presumably accomplished some primary market analysis. However I additionally doubt that the merchandise will likely be runaway hits — charging a premium for sub-par battery life is a recipe for weak gross sales until you supply a dramatic profit in alternate. And as I’ve hopefully established, thinness can really be a detriment nowadays.

I feel the best-case state of affairs is that Apple and Samsung are conscious of this, however hope that sufficient individuals will purchase in to make silicon-carbon batteries cheaper to supply, and thereby de facto for improved capability within the

iPhone 18
and

Galaxy S26
. I’d get my want in spite of everything, if I am fortunate — simply not as well timed as I would like.

You may also like

Will anyone use Tesla’s robotaxis when they come to Austin? Probably not

The corporate has a number of critical obstacles in its method, even when the tech is ideal.