Apple Supplier TDK Bets New Battery Will Change Smartphone Game
- Silicon batteries make possible new and sleeker designs
- Inquiries about pricier smartphone batteries strong in Asia
TDK now is the sole mass-producer of silicon-carbon batteries for smartphone use.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
TDK Corp. is fielding surging inquiries in Asia into a new lineup of smartphone batteries it hopes will become a game-changer in the quest to pack more power into ever-slimmer devices.
The Apple Inc. supplier is the first to apply to smartphones a technological breakthrough that its rivals have been exploring mainly as a means to stretch mileage for electric vehicles, according to TDK Chief Executive Officer Noboru Saito. In the first half of 2023, the company began shipping small-size lithium-ion batteries using silicon electrodes, manufactured by Hong Kong-based subsidiary Amperex Technology Ltd. (ATL).