- Samsung is supposedly planning to use silicon-carbon battery technology on the Galaxy S26.
- Compared to today’s lithium cells, this chemistry promises improved energy density for the same size.
- While some smartphones already use silicon-carbon batteries, we’ve yet to see Samsung embrace the tech.
The batteries that power today’s electronics are a lot more incredible than we often give them credit for. We’ve come a long way from the days of nickel-cadmium and even nickel-metal hydride cells, with lithium-based chemistry offering superior capacity and discharge characteristics (if only they didn’t have that annoying tendency to burst into flame). But for as far as we’ve come, it always feels like the next big thing could be right around the corner, as advocates hype next-gen battery tech. We’ve only just started to see silicon-carbon batteries emerge, capable of storing even more energy in smaller spaces, and we’ve been hugely curious to see who might take advantage of them next.
While some manufacturers have already released phones that tap into the improved power density of silicon-carbon batteries, the tech has really yet to go mainstream on a global scale. You can find select HONOR or Xiaomi phones equipped with silicon-carbon components, but we’ve yet to get a similar option from an iPhone or a Galaxy model. And although there could easily be some progress there as 2025 starts unfolding, a new rumor suggests that we could see a major win for silicon-carbon arrive in early 2026.