Solid-state battery with 100x energy density could be used in Apple devices

Apple battery supplier TDK has announced the development of a technology it says could be used in next-gen solid-state batteries to offer one hundred times the energy density of existing ones …

I’m always wary of breakthrough battery claims. It seems pretty much every year researchers will announce some incredible new technology which offers the prospect of charging a MacBook once a month – then we never see or hear about it ever again.

In this particular case, it does seem that TDK has gotten a little further along in the process – actually developing the material, though not yet any batteries using it.

The immediate goal appears to be for smaller devices.

TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) successfully developed a material for CeraCharge, a next-generation solid-state battery with an energy density of 1,000 Wh/L, approximately 100 times greater than the energy density of TDK’s conventional solid-state battery.

TDK’s technology is aimed at a solution that can be utilized in various wearable devices, such as wireless earphones, hearing aids and even smartwatches.

Whether the tech will make it into Apple devices is currently unclear, with the AirTag potentially the best candidate in the short-term. It’s intended to be used in replacements for the type of button cells used in AirTags. Currently these are non-rechargeable, and last for around an hour.

However, new EU regulations requires brands to phase out disposable batteries in favor of rechargeable ones, and that’s what TDK is intending to develop here.

Given that the batteries can be recharged, that potentially enables them to be used in other Apple devices, like AirPods and the Apple Watch.

What would be most exciting for any long-life battery tech, though, would be use in larger devices: iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and Vision Pro. As always, though, I’m not holding my breath.

Image: TDK