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

I’ve at all times 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 completely built-in one generally permits a cellphone to be extra compact, or tackle new and weird kind elements. By extension, this could additionally improve energy effectivity, since different elements will be positioned and sized extra optimally.

A primary instance of this can be a mysterious, upcoming OnePlus machine, rumored to have an enormous 7,800mAh battery (per Wccftech). That is even bigger than the 6,260mAh one within the

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

Galaxy S25 Ultra
and

iPhone 16 Pro Max
, respectively. In truth, given experiences about Apple and Samsung’s upcoming ultra-slim telephones, it appears like it may be as much as corporations like OnePlus to point out the majors how you can do batteries appropriately.

What are Apple and Samsung doing unsuitable, precisely?

Type over operate

I’ve touched on this not too long ago, 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 via a full day with out recharging — which is why the corporate can 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 seemingly utilizing silicon-carbon battery know-how, a latest improve of the lithium-ion batteries we see in every thing from smartphones to

electric cars
and PEVs (private electrical automobiles). The most important profit is improved vitality density — so that you’d assume that at a minimal, cellphone makers would maintain the road on battery life, merely shrinking their telephones just a little.

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 cellphone is, if not a decade or extra. Complaints have trended in the wrong way, I might say — with out a case, some telephones will be so skinny and slippery that they are arduous to grip securely. Even my spouse’s OnePlus 9 5G has that challenge. A couple of foldables, like Google’s

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

My finest 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 arduous to grasp 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 cellphone launched in April 2025 — one thing coming in Might or later should be in the identical ballpark.

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Getting priorities straight

Or, listening to what prospects truly need

Isaac Mehegan / Unsplash

My greatest challenge is that Apple and Samsung appear to be actively ignoring the longest-running public gripe about smartphones: longevity. Whereas some pre-iPhone gadgets may final a number of days on a cost, it is taken as a right now that it’s essential cost a cellphone day-after-day. Typically, twice per day is the sensible actuality.

As an experiment, I not too long ago prevented topping up my iPhone 16 Professional in any respect till bedtime. The consequence was that after roughly 16 hours, my cellphone 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 Associates. Apple claims that the cellphone 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 situations, 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 rely on them for our jobs, social lives, and navigating round city. There are rural African farmers utilizing smartphones to enhance their crop yields. In excessive eventualities, individuals depend on smartphones for survival, to the purpose that catastrophe aid businesses generally embrace cellphone charging of their listing of priorities. Nobody needs to be panicking about their cellphone working low concurrently they’re attempting to flee a hurricane or earthquake.

I am glad, then, that at the very least one firm is making the most of silicon-carbon to do what needs to be an apparent factor. Generally revenue margins have to take a backseat, if not for charitable causes, then simply to fulfill genuine buyer demand and preserve individuals loyal. Somebody whose cellphone is at all times working on fumes goes to be tempted by different manufacturers.

In that respect, I am interested in how Apple and Samsung’s ultra-slim telephones are going to promote. I doubt they’re going to be outright failures, because the corporations have a number of promoting would possibly, they usually’ve presumably accomplished some primary market analysis. However I additionally doubt that the merchandise can be runaway hits — charging a premium for sub-par battery life is a recipe for weak gross sales until you provide a dramatic profit in trade. And as I’ve hopefully established, thinness can truly be a detriment lately.

I believe 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 would get my want in any case, if I am fortunate — simply not as well timed as I might like.

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