00:00So, despite all the hype, it looks like Apple and Samsung flagships won't be powered by silicon
00:05carbon battery technology in 2025. Apple decided to stick with the good old graphite-based lithium
00:11ion for the iPhone Air. And honestly, it makes sense. As exciting as silicon carbon sounds,
00:17it does come with a few safety trade-offs. But if this new technology does arrive in time for the
00:222026 iPhone, the battery life gains could be massive for the iPhone 18 and Galaxy S26.
00:29Let's break it down. Now, Apple did pull off something impressive with the iPhone Air's
00:33internal design. The huge breakthrough came from how they shaped the chassis and battery.
00:39Engineers shifted the logic board, turned most of the phone's center into pure battery,
00:45and used something called metal can technology. Basically, that is a rigid metal casing that lets
00:50the battery take new shapes and sit closer to the frame edge. Something that just wasn't possible
00:56before with flexible foil pouches that are often used in older smartphones. That alone
01:01frees up a ton of space. And when you combine it with the more efficient A19 processor and optimized
01:08software, you're looking at a phone that does way more with the exact same battery chemistry.
01:14But that triple threat came too soon for the iPhone Air because it still uses a graphite-based
01:20lithium-ion battery. For anyone wondering, lithium-ion batteries use graphite as the anode material.
01:26This method is largely safe, reliable, and predictable, and has been used for years in consumer
01:32tech gadgets. The main limitation is capacity. The amount of charge the battery holds depends directly
01:39on the physical size of the battery, which is why there's always that compromise between a slim phone
01:45and long battery life. Silicon carbon anodes change that equation. Mixing silicon into the carbon lets
01:51batteries store more lithium, which makes them denser. So that means slimmer phones or longer run times,
01:58or probably both. But there's a catch. Silicon expands more while charging, which can shorten the
02:05battery's lifespan. So manufacturers use small amounts of silicon and clever engineering to control the
02:11swelling and keep the durability reasonable. The idea is that phones with carbon-silicon batteries can
02:18be thinner and or last longer on a single charge. We've already seen this in a few places on some
02:25Chinese phones. Brands like Xiaomi, Realme, Huawei, and OnePlus are flirting with carbon-silicon
02:32technology and huge batteries in those phones. But those brand names should give you a clue as to Apple's
02:38plans. This is not yet mainstream technology, and Apple is rarely first out of the gate to test
02:44potentially volatile new hardware. The company doesn't want a new battery gate etched into its
02:50iPhone 17 Wikipedia page. For better or worse, anything Apple does makes the news in a way Xiaomi's tech
02:57simply doesn't. So Apple will always be cautious. Even Samsung made a similar call with the Galaxy S25
03:04Edge. Instead of going for silicon carbon, Samsung tweaked its internal layout, introduced a redesigned
03:10camera sensor module, and moved components closer to the device's edges to free up more room for a
03:17battery. In an interview with Tom's Guide, Samsung's Blake Geiser said they wanted to focus on reliability
03:24and efficiency, especially with the company's new AI tools helping manage power usage.
03:30It's something that we're definitely not keeping our eye off of, but with that new chipset, with
03:35agentic AI helping with performance and efficiencies of these batteries, we really felt that going with
03:41our traditional lithium-ion battery was the right move for this device. Still, there is strong evidence
03:47that Apple is already laying the groundwork for its next step. Gene Berdichevsky, the co-founder of
03:54battery materials company Sela, told TechCrunch that Apple's new metal can design could easily
04:01pave the way for silicon integration. He called it pretty revolutionary since it helps push performance
04:07limits while keeping the swelling issue in check. So when you put it all together, more space efficient
04:13design today plus the potential for carbon-silicon batteries tomorrow is quite exciting. We are due a jump
04:21in battery life, which basically never happens because of how little innovation there is in the
04:26battery space. If Samsung moves first with a silicon carbon battery in the Galaxy S26, that'll be a clear
04:34signal that Apple is not far behind. 2026 could actually live up to the hype and deliver the giant
04:41battery gains we've been waiting a decade for. Thank you for watching. Let me know if you think 2026 will be
04:47the year of the giant battery in the comment section. Don't forget to like this video and subscribe for more tech news.
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