Future Apple Watches Could Boast Better Battery Life Than Ever Before Thanks To A Breakthrough In Solid-State Technology
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on iMore.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a battery life champ thanks to its larger size when compared to something like the Apple Watch Series 9. The extra internal space means Apple can cram a bigger battery inside, but new technology could mean that battery capacities will increase even without making the batteries themselves any bigger.
TDK is a supplier of batteries for Apple currently and it says that it has successfully developed a material for its solid-state batteries, a breakthrough that could allow it to increase the capacity of batteries for use in wearables.
The Apple Watch is an obvious beneficiary here, and the new TDK technology could allow for longer-lasting Apple wearables than ever before, but there’s no word yet on when we could expect the batteries to make their way into shipping products.
Solid-state battery gains
CNBC reports that TDK’s new batteries could have capacities around 100 times greater than the company’s existing technologies. The company also says that the batteries can be used in a number of different implementations including in wireless earbuds, hearing aids, and smartwatches.
Beyond the fact that the new batteries would sport a higher capacity than older technologies, the report also notes that the new solid-state batteries could potentially charge more quickly than their predecessors which would obviously be hugely beneficial for wearers of devices that are best used when they are always worn — whether that’s a smartwatch or something like a future Apple smart ring. Sadly, given this is a very recent breakthrough, the major Apple Watch X anniversary overhaul won’t be a beneficiary.
TDK also expects the new technology to be used in coin cell batteries, the likes of which could potentially be used in something like the AirTag.
About the Author
Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to ‘explain’ those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics cards and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn’t looked back. Since then he’s seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He’s been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console-quality titles on his pocket computer.
See also: The Next-Gen Of Wearable Tech: Driving Deeper Experiences