Real-life Galaxy Note 10 tests have already shown that the phone’s 25W battery charging tech is faster than 30W chargers from competitors. What that means is that you only need just over an hour to recharge the massive battery of the Note 10+ model from empty to 100%. Swap that 25W charger for a 45W one, and charging times will be further reduced. But Samsung has been working on a battery charging breakthrough for several years, and we might finally see it deployed in commercial handsets as soon as next year. If that were to happen, the Galaxy S11 or Note 11 might be able to fully recharge a battery in mere minutes or even seconds.
Rumors earlier this year claimed the Galaxy S10 would feature a battery that no other Android device or iPhone used so far. Ultimately, the phone shipped without that graphene battery, and the Note 10 doesn’t have one either. At the time, we reminded you of earlier reports that said Samsung has been developing graphene batteries for a while now — here’s what a blog said back in November 2017:
Developed at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), researchers have found a way to fully charge a battery in 12 minutes using the graphene ball technology. Currently, batteries with fast charging support still take about an hour to fully charge. Moreover, the researchers claim the battery temperature can be maintained to up to 60C, a temperature standard maintained by EV batteries.
For years, graphene has been described as this super material that can fix a bunch of issues. Among them, we have battery charging speeds as well as energy storage. However, we have yet to see any of these technologies deployed in smartphones. If Samsung were to complete the research by next year though, it’s likely graphene batteries would debut inside flagship devices at first.
This brings us to Evan Blass’s tweet about the phone’s battery:
Lithium-ion batteries are…suboptimal. Samsung is hoping to have at least one handset either next year or in 2021, I’m told, which will feature a graphene battery instead. Capable of a full charge in under a half-hour, they still need to raise capacities while lowering costs.
Blass has been a steady source of leaks for years, but there’s no guarantee the S11 or Note 11 will feature graphene batteries. Given the Note 7’s battery problems, Samsung is undoubtedly paying particular attention to the safety side of things and won’t make graphene batteries available until they’re ready.
For the time being, the Galaxy Note 10 phones bundled with 25W chargers are available for preorder right now. The 45W charger, meanwhile, will be available as a separate purchase.
