Samsung's 'graphene ball' battery tech could charge phones much faster

What if your smartphone could fully charge in less than 15 minutes?

That future may not be so far off, according to Samsung, which Tuesday detailed new battery research that could have big implications for the smartphone maker's business.

SEE ALSO:Researchers create a 'battery-free' mobile phone

The Korean electronics giant says it's developed a type of battery material that's more efficient and charges faster than traditional lithium ion batteries. Called "graphene ball," Samsung says batteries made out of the material could charge as much as five times faster than their lithium ion counterparts.

A battery that today takes an hour to fully charge could, theoretically, take as little as 12 minutes to charge if the new graphene ball material is used, the company says. It could also enable battery capacities to grow by as much as 45 percent, the researchers say.

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A close-up look at the graphene balls.Credit: samsung

This increased capacity, combined with super fast charging, could have big implications for not just smartphones, but electric vehicles and other products that benefit from high-capacity batteries.

"We were able to considerably enhance the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries in an environment where the markets for mobile devices and electric vehicles is growing rapidly," lead researcher Dr. Son In-hyuk said in a statement. "Our commitment is to continuously explore and develop secondary battery technology in light of these trends."

While the material is still in a research phase for now, there's another reason why Samsung may be especially interested in using graphene ball-based batteries: safety. Since the battery is able to remain at a "highly stable" temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, the batteries could be particularly suited to EVs.

You can read more about Samsung's research in its article published in Nature.

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