Our smartphones have shipped with lithium-ion batteries for the longest time—be it the Nokia 3310 or the latest iPhone 16 Pro. Most of our tech devices have relied on lithium-ion batteries, and they have been the mainstay for years, largely due to how stable the technology has become.
However, these days there’s a new kid on the block: silicon carbon batteries. These batteries, both in theory and in practical use cases we’ve seen so far, allow for larger battery capacities. Interestingly, they are not physically larger than lithium-ion batteries, which makes it possible to equip phones with higher-capacity batteries while keeping the devices slimmer, lighter, and less bulky.
Here, we explain what silicon carbon batteries are and how they differ from lithium-ion batteries.
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Silicon Carbon Batteries: Explained
For starters, silicon carbon batteries are fundamentally different from lithium-ion ones. Firstly, they use silicon anodes instead of the graphite anodes found in lithium-ion batteries. Since silicon is denser, it can hold more charge compared to graphite.
You might be wondering what silicon carbon batteries are made of. Essentially, they are composed of silicon and carbon. Silicon is known to hold lithium ions more effectively than graphite, which allows these batteries to store more energy within the same volume compared to lithium-ion batteries. As a result, you get slimmer devices despite having larger batteries.
That being said, silicon carbon batteries also come with certain challenges. Some sources suggest that these batteries can swell or expand, and may degrade faster than their lithium-ion counterparts.
Advantages of Silicon Carbon Batteries
There are several advantages to silicon carbon batteries. Firstly, they are more environmentally friendly than lithium-ion batteries. They produce a lower carbon footprint, and e-waste disposal is less of a hassle.
The most notable benefit silicon carbon batteries offer is undoubtedly their compact size. Consider this, several upcoming phones are expected to feature ultra-slim designs. For instance, the iPhone 17 Slim or Air, and the Galaxy S25 Edge, which is already confirmed to have a thin profile. In order to fit large batteries into these compact chassis, it is expected that both manufacturers will use silicon carbon batteries.
And these aren’t the only phones adopting this technology. In fact, some already feature silicon carbon batteries.
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Phones Already Shipping With Silicon Carbon Batteries
The Vivo Find X8 Ultra, for example, comes with a 6,100mAh silicon carbon battery, allowing it to maintain a slim profile while housing a large battery. Similarly, the iQOO Z10 has a massive 7,300mAh silicon carbon battery. Reportedly, this is a third-generation silicon carbon battery, and despite the impressive capacity, the phone weighs just 199 grams, which is considerably lighter than some flagship phones made with premium materials but featuring smaller batteries.
The Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus is another example, it also features a large battery while maintaining a slim form factor, thanks to silicon carbon cells.
