Sony to Launch New Smartphone Battery by 2020

Sony plans to market by 2020 a new battery for portable equipment such as smartphone that lasts 1.4 times longer than conventional batteries. The battery should, they claim, eliminate charging outside for ease of using portable equipment.

Sony expects to challenge the market of portable equipment dominated by front-running rivals like South Korea's Samsung SDI. Sony currently has a meager share of less than 10 percent in that market.

The conventional rechargeable battery charges and discharges by ions moving between the plus and minus cathodes in electrolyte. Sony replaces lithium cobalt oxide containing rare metal on the plus cathode with sulphur compounds that stores more electricity for total capacity enlargement.

A large-capacity battery lasts longer if the size is the same as the conventional battery. If mounted on Apple's iPhone 6s, it runs for 14 hours. If for the same driving time, its size can be made 30 percent smaller.

When sulphur is used on the plus cathode, it drains out into electrolyte after repeated charge and discharge. Sony solved the problem by adding certain substance into electrolyte. The company verifies the safety of the new battery toward cementing technology for commercial production.

Meanwhile, other types of batteries are being developed elsewhere including an all-solid battery with solid electrolyte instead of liquid and an air-cell increasing capacity by taking in oxygen from the air.

Sony's knowhow in the field of battery is quite high, having commercialized lithium-ion battery for the first time in 1991. However, the world market of lithium-ion battery is being shared 20% each by Samsung SDI, South Korea LG Chemical and Panasonic and Sony is training with mere 8%.

The new battery is Sony's trump card as it were to rally in the world market of batteries.