By 2026, smartphones are set to enter the 10,000 mAh battery era thanks to the implementation of silicon-carbon technologies. Major Chinese manufacturers, including OPPO, Honor, and vivo, are actively participating in this race as increasing power consumption driven by artificial intelligence features stimulates breakthroughs in energy density.
Battery capacity in smartphones has increased from 5,000 mAh in 2024 to 6,000–7,000 mAh in flagship models by 2026. Meanwhile, mid-range phones are reaching capacities of 8,000–10,000 mAh, and developers are already creating models with capacities exceeding 14,000 mAh. On July 30, OPPO unveiled the A7 Pro Max model with a 10,000 mAh battery, joining Honor, vivo, and realme in the club of devices with such capacity; Huawei and Xiaomi are expected to follow.
This transition marks the arrival of 10,000 mAh in 2026, made possible by the advancement of silicon-carbon anode technology. The theoretical capacity of graphite anodes is 372 mAh/g, whereas silicon reaches a figure of 4,200 mAh/g, more than ten times higher. As early as 2025, some devices demonstrated silicon content at 25% with a density exceeding 380 Wh/kg, thus refuting the notion that a larger battery necessarily means a thicker body.
The main factors driving demand include the increasing energy consumption of 5G networks, high refresh rate displays, and complex image processing algorithms, as well as the stringent requirements of delivery workers and outdoor personnel. Data from Counterpoint shows that the share of smartphones with batteries over 6,000 mAh grew from 9% to 35% in one year. Artificial intelligence intensifies this pressure: Tian Chen, Head of R&D at OPPO, noted that a 4-billion parameter onboard model running continuously for two hours can drain a 6,000 mAh battery, and thermal losses and power loss under high load necessitate a constant increase in capacity.
As terminal power supply becomes a bottleneck, large batteries are becoming an inevitable response to AI needs. OPPO's third generation of silicon-carbon technology transforms irregular silicon blocks into highly regular spheres for even load distribution. These spheres have 67% more nanopores compared to competitors, and the silicon particles are reduced to 1.2 nm. Measured data indicates 38% higher compressive strength and 20% less self-expansion, leading to a 3.5% increase in energy density and an addition of 500 charge cycles. Furthermore, OPPO has developed an intelligent profiling algorithm that controls charging based on temperature, pressure, full cycle, and long-term storage, forming usage habit models over 30 days. Spherical silicon-carbon is the strong body, and the algorithm is the training plan. Sunwoda's Director of Research, An Jian, described OPPO's requirements as the qualities of a 'hexagonal warrior without weak points.'
Capacity scaling continues: the next stage is considered 12,000 mAh, which carries a low risk of mass production, while 15,000 mAh is viewed as a key milestone. OPPO and Sunwoda have preliminarily studied the limits for 12,000 mAh. An Jian highlighted the bottleneck in the silicon mixing ratio at 40–50%, while the long-term final form of the battery (10–20 years) will be solid-state electrolyte, steel casing, layered structure, and pure lithium anode. OPPO uses a multi-supplier model, with ATL, Sunwoda, and Zhuhai CosMX as primary silicon-carbon suppliers. ATL holds the largest share, being the first company to begin mass application of silicon-carbon anodes, while Sunwoda is gaining ground through joint customization. OPPO possesses nearly ten years of silicon-carbon research experience and over 100 patents on anodes, and its spherical approach has contributed to the industry-wide adoption of this technology.
Caroline Herschel, sister of astronomer William Herschel, discovered a comet on August 1, 1782, using a telescope. William Herschel had previously discovered Uranus. This was the first instance where a comet discovery was attributed to a woman.
Being British of German descent, Caroline Herschel began her career in astronomy by assisting her brother. She performed numerous calculations related to his research. Before the comet discovery in 1782, she recorded the positions of new celestial bodies in her notebook.
Although Caroline Herschel received less recognition compared to William Herschel, King George III of England acknowledged her work and paid her a salary. Thanks to this, Herschel became the first professional female astronomer.
Following the first discovery, Herschel found seven more comets over the next eleven years. Her name is immortalized in various places and objects in astronomy, including the C. Herschel crater on the Moon. However, she did not achieve the fame of her brother. According to memoirs and correspondence of Caroline Herschel, published in 1876 under the editorship of Mary Cornwallis Herschel, her famous ancestors were humble individuals.
Herschel's contribution to astronomy was significant, and after her death, she received respect and recognition from scientists and scientific societies. Nevertheless, her main thought was always that she was nothing, had done nothing, and everything she knew was due to her brother. She considered herself merely a tool created for his needs, comparing herself to a pet.
Today, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, located in Bath, England, commemorates the legacy of the Herschel siblings.
ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese memory manufacturer whose market capitalization exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan within a week of listing, has reached a significant milestone in LPDDR6 development. According to sources, the development validation stage is nearing completion, bringing the product closer to mass production.
The standard LPDDR implementation process involves four stages: single crystal verification, development validation, small batch qualification, and official mass production. Development validation includes testing for compatibility, system stability, performance, power consumption, and mechanical reliability. Since validation is in its final phase, the commercialization of LPDDR6 has completed half its journey.
CXMT's first LPDDR6 product is designed with a data clock frequency of 12,800 Mbps, a base frequency of 10,667 Mbps, a die density of 16 Gb, and a chip capacity of 16 GB, utilizing POP 1295-ball packaging. Previously, at the end of 2023, CXMT released an LPDDR5 series featuring 12 Gb crystals and 12 GB POP chips with frequencies of 6,400 Mbps. In 2025, LPDDR5X was introduced with 12 Gb and 16 Gb densities, reaching 10,667 Mbps, representing a 66% improvement over LPDDR5 while reducing power consumption by 30%.
Over three years, CXMT has progressed through two generations of DRAM from LPDDR5 to the selection of LPDDR6 for key customers, supported by R&D investments of 9.593 billion yuan in 2025, which is 51.28% higher than the previous year. Total investments from 2023 to 2025 exceeded 20.6 billion yuan, and 6,972 patents were filed by the end of 2025.
SK Hynix is the international leader in the LPDDR6 race, having announced in March the completion of development validation for the world's first 16 Gb LPDDR6 DRAM on a 10-nanometer class sixth-generation process, planning mass production in the second half of 2026. Samsung and Micron have shown greater restraint in investing in LPDDR6, redirecting production capacity to higher-margin server DRAM and HBM, which opens a growth window for CXMT.
According to Omdia data, CXMT holds a 7.67% share of the global DRAM market, while Nomura forecasts around 10% with potential growth to 18% by the end of 2028, calling CXMT's DRAM the 'crown pearl of China' with a target price of 116 yuan. CXMT expects revenue in the first half of 2026 to be between 110–120 billion yuan, a 612.53–677.31% increase compared to last year, with net profit reaching 50–57 billion yuan, an increase of 2244–2544%.
CXMT's LPDDR products are already integrated into the supply chains of companies such as Xiaomi, Transsion, Honor, OPPO, and vivo. Apple is actively seeking to include CXMT in diversifying its suppliers: in June, the Financial Times reported that Apple requested approval to purchase DRAM from CXMT and contacted the U.S. Department of Commerce. In July, it became known that Apple began internal testing of CXMT chips for products intended for sale in China.
During Apple's financial quarter call on July 30th, Tim Cook stated that the company is evaluating all options, emphasizing that having more DRAM suppliers would benefit supply security and potentially pricing. However, progress in LPDDR6 is more significant than Apple's inclusion, as approaching mass production means domestic memory is closing the gap with foreign leaders, which could change the established model of dominance by foreign giants in advanced memory iterations and transform the structure of the global DRAM market.
