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