iPhone 13 could see big efficiency gains from new battery and display tech

Shawn Knight

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Editor's take: Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the company’s next iPhone, tentatively known as the iPhone 13, could be the first to use a new type of battery technology called soft board batteries. This, combined with potential gains from a new type of display, could result in much better battery life. There’s even talk that Apple could experiment with some sort of always-on display, although admittedly, that seems a bit far-fetched.

In a recent investment note seen by 9to5Mac, Kuo said he predicts that battery supplier Jialianyi will get about 40 percent to 50 percent of Apple’s soft board battery orders for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. This, he anticipates, could increase the revenue the company generates from Apple by about 100 percent year over year.

Kuo said the new battery tech would allow Apple to save space inside the iPhone and reduce costs. This, in turn, could result in thinner iPhones with similar energy capacity or permit Apple to squeeze even more capacity into the same space without changing the size of the phone’s chassis.

Earlier this week, it was also reported that Apple may utilize a more power-efficient display in its 2021 iPhones that would reduce power consumption by as much as 10 percent to 20 percent. The OLED panels, based on a tech called low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO), would reportedly come from LG.

Image credit: Poravute Siriphiroon, ms_pics_and_more

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I don't want slimmer phones, so give me 3 days of battery life (the XR already does 2 days for me), thank you very much.

Agreed. I couldn’t be happier with my XR for it’s phenomenal battery life... with the exception of more battery life.

Not much changes between each iPhone generation, they may as well improve battery life as a massive quality of life improvement.
 
I don't want slimmer phones, so give me 3 days of battery life (the XR already does 2 days for me), thank you very much.
Yeah, slimness is problematic. I have a Z Flip and I can't gold on to it safely without putting a friction-adding skin on it.
Maybe time for manufacturers to go back to more rugged frames which would make the phones easier to handle?
 
I don't want slimmer phones, so give me 3 days of battery life (the XR already does 2 days for me), thank you very much.

After being completely disappointed in the design of the iPhone 12 and tired of Apple's crappy policies, I decided to go cheap and switch to Android instead. I wound up picking up a Moto G Power for about $200... The battery on this thing lasts for 3-4 days, easy! (At least for me.) It's a welcome change. I only use my phone for calls, texting, emails, and web browsing though. I don't do any social media or gaming. So, to each their own.
 
Apple knew that giving the 12 1TB storage and a TouchID scanner would make it perfect.

They purposefully held back.
 
Apple knew that giving the 12 1TB storage and a TouchID scanner would make it perfect.

They purposefully held back.
In the case of the NAND Flash, there isn't enough supply of 1 TB modules on the market right now. Only Samsung has 1 TB UFS modules; Kioxia and Micron have 512 GB UFS ones as their largest, and SK Hynix just 256 GB.

Sure the demand for 1 TB iPhone's isn't going to be huge, but it makes sense to have more than one source for a critical component.
 
Yes indeed, smaller batteries, cheaper for Apple and price increases for the privilege. How about more efficient batteries but increased capacity so we don't just keep marching on the spot for run time.
 
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