Apple’s iPhone Airโฃ Packs a Battery Breakthrough: Metal Can Design โขEnables Higher Density & Future Silicon โขAnodes
SAN FRANCISCO – โข Apple’s iPhone Air is quietly debutingโ a important battery technology advancement:โฃ a “metal can”โค battery โขdesign, patented by Apple andโค detailed in โUS Patent 20210074958A1. This innovation addresses longstanding limitationsโฃ inโ smartphone battery shape and swelling, potentially paving the way for increased energyโค density and โขthe adoption of next-generation silicon โขanodes.
Unlike traditional pouch cells with flexible plastic casings, the โmetal can battery encases the entire โขcellโ inโ a rigid metal casing, enhancing strengthโ and durability. According to battery expert Brett Berdichevsky, this design eliminates “pinch points” inherent in โขApple’s previously used L-shaped batteries, where swelling can cause failures. “Those are vrey finicky, and this basically makes it bulletproof. โฃYou canโ now โฃbuild batteries in any two-dimensional shape you want,” Berdichevsky said.
The metalโ can construction allows Apple to maximize space utilization โwithinโ the iPhone Air, enabling โbatteries to conform to availableโ areas around circuit boards. Berdichevsky anticipates โคwidespread adoptionโ ofโข metal can batteriesโ across the smartphone industry, citing the benefits of increased โฃenergy storage outweighing โthe โคadded expense.
The technology is also expected to beโฃ crucial โfor emerging device categories like โฃaugmented and virtual โขreality glasses, where spaceโฃ is atโค an even greater premium.โค Berdichevskyโฃ noted โseeingโ prototypesโ inโ China demonstrating the technology’s application in โขthese smaller form factors, stating, “It’s even more โคof an energy density โadvancement as it lets you fit into weird shapes.”
This shift to metal can construction may explain Apple’s current reliance on established lithium-ion chemistry rather than instantly adopting silicon-carbon anodes. “Ifโค you’re bringing [a new battery design] online,you kind of go,’You know what? โLet’s use yesterday’s chemistry,'” Berdichevskyโข explained. โ
Though, โthe metalโข can design is poised to unlock the potential of silicon anodes, which can storeโฃ approximatelyโค 50% more energy than traditionalโฃ graphite anodes.While silicon is prone to swelling, companies likeโ Sila haveโฃ developedโข methods to โmitigate this issue. โขThe metalโข canโ batteryโฃ provides a more robust framework to manage โฃswelling, allowing for greater performance gains.
“It โขdefinitely will helpโ introduce silicon in these kind of devices,” Berdichevsky said. “It lets us push the performance limits more. We’ve always had these โคtrade offs, and weโ haveโ to manage the swell. You still haveโ to do that, โคbut you can โขpush it a little bit more. โIt’s pretty revolutionary.”
