Samsung, still hurting from the billions of dollars that it lost due to the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, is working toward ending the issue of exploding batteries once and for all.
The company has implemented a variety of new safety standards to prevent such a thing from happening again, beginning with the production of the Galaxy S8. However, Samsung is already looking forward to its future smartphones with its work on a replacement for lithium-ion batteries.
Samsung Working On Solid-State Batteries For Smartphones
According to a report from The Korea Herald, Samsung's battery subsidiary Samsung SDI is working on solid-state batteries, which will eliminate the risk of explosions that is found in the currently used lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries are what powers most consumer electronic devices in the market, but they could explode and catch fire for two reasons. The first is damage to the battery, such as when the device is dropped, or due to metallic particles that are sometimes found in cheaper versions, causing short circuit. The second is overheating, which causes the internal cells of the battery to break down and also leading to a short circuit. While high-quality batteries come with safety features to prevent overheating, there are some cheaper versions that do away with these features, and some that are faulty due to improper testing.
In both cases, the liquid inside lithium-ion batteries flows out and comes into contact with air or water, triggering the explosion. Solid-state batteries, however, will do away with the liquid and instead feature solid electrolytes, significant lowering the risk of explosions.
Solid-State Batteries On The Galaxy S9?
While it would be great news if Samsung would be able to utilize solid-state batteries on its smartphones as soon as next year for the Galaxy S9, it would seem that the company would need more time before the batteries are ready for the market.
According to a Samsung SDI executive, the solid-state batteries will need one to two years before they are ready to be used for smartphones, though it will be up to its parent company if they will be used for that purpose. This would mean that the solid-state batteries could arrive with the Galaxy Note 9 in the second half of 2018 or with the Galaxy S10 in the first half of 2019 at the earliest.
The executive also noted that its rival, LG unit LG Chem, is at the same level in the development of the technology.
Non-exploding batteries might already be coming too late for Samsung, as it already suffered the damage caused by the Galaxy Note 7, but the technology will be a welcome development to consumer devices, as they will be safer than the notoriously unstable lithium-ion batteries.
In fact, for Samsung, solid-state batteries could not come soon enough. There have been reports of Galaxy J smartphones exploding like the Galaxy Note 7, and while the issue seems to be not as widespread as the failed flagship smartphone, we can be sure that Samsung would like to put an end to exploding batteries as soon as possible.
