Silicon-carbon batteries are becoming hard to ignore. This new battery tech gives more power without making the phone bigger. Many new smartphones this fall already use it, including the OnePlus 15, Oppo Find X9 Pro, and Honor Magic V3. Next in line could be the iPhone 18 and Samsung Galaxy S26.
Apple and Samsung have redesigned their new phones to make more battery space, which strongly hints that both are getting ready for silicon-carbon batteries. According to TechCrunch, this redesign makes battery density upgrades more likely.
Will iPhone 18 Have A Metal-Can Silicon Battery?
Apple’s internal layout in the slim iPhone Air shows that the company is preparing for denser batteries. Apple moved the logic board and turned most of the phone’s centre into a battery area.
To do this, they used a “metal can” battery casing, which allows the battery to take new shapes and sit closer to the edges.
According to TechCrunch, Sila CEO Gene Berdichevsky explained that this metal casing “definitely helps introduce silicon in these kinds of devices.”
If Apple brings this tech into the main lineup, the iPhone 18 battery could see a big upgrade without increasing phone size.
Why Samsung Might Use Silicon-Carbon In The Galaxy S26 Battery?
Samsung redesigned the Galaxy S25 Edge and Galaxy Z Fold 7 to free up more internal space. Rumours now say the Galaxy S26 Ultra battery may increase from 5,000mAh to 5,200mAh.
This small jump suggests Samsung may be testing silicon-carbon for the first time, just like Honor did when it began using dense batteries.
In an interview with Tom’s Guide, Samsung said it is “always looking at… emerging technology” when asked about silicon-carbon batteries. But because silicon swells more during charging and wears faster over time, Samsung may try it first in a special model like the Galaxy S26 Edge rather than the whole lineup.
Even with their huge market share, Apple and Samsung may not be able to delay this shift forever. Chinese brands are already giving users longer battery life and cheaper phones. Battery life is still the top feature people care about.
If a phone that lasts one day competes with a phone that lasts three, buyers may quickly switch. This pressure might push both the iPhone 18 and Galaxy S26 toward silicon-carbon batteries sooner rather than later.
