LG to Supply Innovative ‘L-Shaped’ Batteries for iPhone 9
Image via Thiago M Duarte
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The iPhone 8 is still months away from its unveiling, but we’re already hearing rumors surface about the iPhone 9. Among those rumors is one published today that suggests Apple will adopt a new battery design for its 2018 flagship. Apple reportedly will use a new “bent” or “L-shaped” battery design in its iPhone 9 flagship, rather than the typical rectangular shape present in current smartphones, according to an unnamed source cited by Korea Economic Daily.
An “L-shaped” battery will help save internal space for components within a device, and it could also grant a boost to charging speeds. Notably, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities made a similar prediction back in April. It’s currently unknown whether or not an “L-shaped” battery will show up in the iPhone 8, although Kuo’s research note hinted that it’s a possibility.
LG is already being pegged as the sole supplier of such a battery, which would be an unusual move for Apple, who historically has strived for a “multi-vendor strategy” in its supply chain sourcing. Additionally, the Korea Economic Daily reported LG has already spent “hundreds of billions” in battery production infrastructure and will be ready in time for mass production by early next year.
Beyond innovative battery design, there have been a handful of other rumors swirling about the iPhone 9. In May, The Investor reported that Samsung will produce two different sized OLED display panels for Apple in 2018: a 5.28-inch panel and a massive 6.46-inch panel. Additionally, earlier this month, The Korea Herald published a report claiming that Samsung would also produce Apple’s next-generation A12 chipset for the iPhone 9.
As for this year, the iPhone 8 (a.k.a. the iPhone X or Edition), Apple is expected to introduce revolutionary improvements like an edge-to-edge OLED display, wireless charging, rear-facing lasers for AR, and a front-facing laser and 3D sensor suite for advanced biometric recognition. Though it’s a little early to make any concrete predictions for the iPhone 9, those new features will very likely be carried over into 2018’s flagship.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
