LG announces stacked, curved and cable batteries to go with flexible display phones

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LG Chem, the Petrochemicals, IT & Electronic Materials, and Energy Solution branch of Korea's second largest electronics maker, dropped another bombshell today, after releasing the world's first 6" flexible OLED display yesterday.

It detailed in a press release the next generation of batteries that will be needed to power devices with these flexible displays, and not just flaunting the R&D side if things, but rather saying LG Chem is ready to start mass production of the battery types it listed.

Stepped Battery


First off is the so-called Stepped Battery, which stacks two modules together to form the final battery capacity, and allows for unorthodox designs, filling every empty nook and cranny of today's smartphones, with the ever-increasing complexity of their internals. This way, instead of the usual rectangular battery shape, we can get "stepped" designs, taking advantage of whatever empty space is left after the rest of the internal components have been planted. 

A case in point is the LG G2, which uses a two-module stepped battery design, that has increased the density 16%, and added more than 3 hours of battery life to what it would have been if a normal rectangular battery were used. The G2's record endurance in all battery tests we've done confirms the viability of LG's approach, and the company says its integrated "stepped" technology allows for lower production cost compared to other manufacturers that would just stack modules on top of each other. Currently LG Chem is ready with three- and even four-step designs for mass production, indicating it may go further if the need arises.

Curved Battery


Now off to the other battery wonders of LG - the company also announced a Curved Battery to go along with flexible display phones, which introduces something called Stack&Fold technology, that minimizes the stress on battery components when the whole module is bent, making it perfect for filling in dead spaces in curved display handsets. In fact, the Curved Battery will go into production as soon as this month, destined for LG's next phones, says the company, which only made us think about the rumored LG G Flex unveiling in November.

Cable Battery


Finally, and this is some wild stuff here, LG Chem flaunted the so-called Cable Battery, which is the ultimate in flexibility, as it allows you to bend, twist and even tie it in a knot. Its thin film, however, is designed for low electricity usage and minimum heating, so it might not be ready for powerful smartphones just yet, but is meant for wearables like smart glasses and watches. YS Kwon, the President of Energy Solution Company, LG Chem, couldn't resist bragging about the unique battery technologies:


source: LG
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