Smartphones of the moment often offer performance superior to those of desktop PCs or cheap laptops, as well as being equipped with cameras at the level of professional machines. A concentrate of what has just been stated is represented by the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, a device that was able to amaze from every point of view as well as offering support for charging at 120W, this made possible thanks to the use of materials such as graphene, which embellishes the integrated battery of the smartphone in question. Autonomy is a topic that is very dear to users and to explain the advantages of graphene solutions to us is Zeng Xuezhong, president of the smartphone division of the Xiaomi company.
Graphene is one of the most promising technologies because it allows ultra-fast top-ups, therefore Lei Jun's company intends to use this technology on future smartphones, thus becoming a leader in this situation. But what is graphene? It is a material composed of carbon atoms with a hexagonal honeycomb structure, with a very thin thickness that allows a very high electrical conductivity, superior to traditional copper, while offering very high resistance and flexibility net of a low weight.
All this already suggests the advantages of using this material inside smartphone batteries but also in other tech gadgets. The super capacitor properties of graphene allow it to store energy like common lithium batteries but with energy accumulation during the charging phase in a very short time. In addition, this material offers a very high thermal conductance, which translates into rapid cooling which results in greater safety, as there is no overheating, overload and breakage phenomena as well as a higher longevity.
Xiaomi's new challenge: graphene batteries on future smartphones
As mentioned before, the graphene resulting lighter and thinner therefore allows capacity in terms of mAh of the batteries, taking up less space than normal, think that graphene can occupy up to 1000 Wh per kg, compared to 120 Wh per kg of the units Li-Ion. The only element currently hindering the spread of this technology is linked to the cost, which is still too high for today's industry.
Despite this, Mi 10 Ultra has shown that it can be a performing terminal with not prohibitive costs. However, it should be specified that the smartphone of the Asian brand does not use a battery completely in graphene, but this was used on the cathode, thus exploiting a conductivity up to 1000 times greater than traditional materials. Director Zeng Xuezhong on Mi 10 Ultra, heartened its users, stating that the device manages to maintain its battery capacity, 90% after 2 years of average use with 800 charging cycles and download using fast charging from 120 W.
While representing a great challenge for the brand, which he had to invest countless hours in research and development, in order to select a quality graphene to be used in the Mi 10 Ultra battery, the company seems convinced in trying to introduce this type of 2.0 battery in its next high-end smartphones. Of course, the high cost of production will be reflected in the final price, but on the other hand, if anyone is willing to spend even 1000 euros for a smartphone that doesn't even offer a charger, well the market margin is still abundant.
The materials chosen must in fact pass a rigorous selection before being tested, ensuring that the transmission of electrons has an adequate conductivity. However, we are certain that with the advancement of technology, this obstacle will also be passed without problems and therefore we cannot wait to see the developments that will ensue. In the meantime, we are waiting to find out if Xiaomi will delight us with the debut in the Global version of Mi 10 Ultra.
