When buying a new smartphone, battery life is probably the most important deciding factor. But if all goes according to plan at Sony, these new lithium-sulfur batteries could become the new standard, replacing standard lithium ion batteries. Now, Sony may have a solution to smartphones that need charging nearly every day, as the company is said to be working on a battery that will last 40% longer on a single charge. Sony presumably has solved the problem, but that's not all.
Why this matters: While this is hardly the first claim of drastic battery life improvements from lithium-sulfur-or other alternative chemistries, for that matter-it's significant coming from Sony. Although the size of the battery can be increased as it happened with smartphones getting bigger, the actual battery cannot be improved or made to give more energy. Normally, the electrode in sulfur-based batteries dissolves into the electrolyte too fast during each charging cycle, which decreases the capacity of the battery. There are some ways to remedy this problem, such as battery cases like the one Apple recently revealed, but the best answer would be a longer-lasting battery. Aside from the Li-S battery, Sony is also working on a magnesium-sulfur battery, with more applications expected to be announced as development progresses. Beyond the technical issues, the process of testing and manufacturing new batteries for consumer use can be lengthy. You might wonder why they're bothering, but the study was initiated following a fire aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Heathrow Airport in 2013, which was found to be caused by a disposable lithium battery in the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter.
Sony reportedly aims to have the new batteries ready for commercial production by 2020.
Beware Airtel and Vodafone, your users may deflect to Reliance Jio
Jio, a unit of Reliance Industries, would however be launching its offerings on a small scale in the first phase. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and musician A R Rahman will host the function on December 27 .
