Magic beyond Hogwarts - Redmi tests a slim 8.5 mm smartphone with 8500 mAh battery

Chinese informant Digital Chat Station reports that Redmi is working on a thin smartphone with a giant battery. According to the source, with a body thickness of 8.5 mm, the energy capacity of the battery will be 8,500 mAh. More recently, only devices that were more like a brick in terms of weight and size had such indicators. Unfortunately, the informant did not say which model it was - whether it was the upcoming Turbo series, Note, or even something completely new.

The magic of silicon and carbon

Unlike classic lithium-ion batteries, silicon-carbon batteries have a much higher energy density. The theoretical limit of silicon-carbon batteries is 4200 mAh/g, so we can expect the capacity of phone batteries to increase even further in the near future. The same Digital Chat Station source reported that commercial flagships with 10,000 mAh batteries will be available next year.

An additional advantage of silicon-carbon batteries is that they are less sensitive to shock and overheating. This means that manufacturers can safely reduce the distance between the cathode and anode, allowing for thinner packaging than can be safely done with lithium-ion technology.

But it should not be forgotten that energy does not disappear or come from anywhere. If a silicon-carbon battery is punctured or damaged, all this enormous energy can be released in a couple of seconds.

Bottom line.

Chinese manufacturers were the first to appreciate the advantages of silicon-carbon batteries, and this year we are seeing their massive introduction in most models. A-brands cannot quickly adopt this technology, which gives manufacturers from China a real competitive advantage. Their evolution this year is going in diametrically opposite directions - while Chinese manufacturers have gone far beyond 6000 mAh, the iPhone 17 Air is rumoured to have a 2900 mAh battery, which will not last the evening for most users.