Want a long-lasting smartphone battery? Microsoft is working on it

Although smartphones are becoming more advanced faster than we’d previously imagined (going from 720p to Quad HD screens in just a few years is almost unbelievable), there’s still one thing that seems to always disappoint: battery life. You see, battery technology hasn’t really changed in recent years. And it may not change much in the coming years, either. Knowing this, Microsoft is working on providing longer battery life for mobile devices by using current technologies in a smart way.

Ranveer Chandra, Senior Researcher in the Mobility & Networking Research Group at Microsoft Research, recently revealed a few of the ideas that Microsoft might use to extend battery life. According to MIT Technology Review, one of the ideas is to develop devices that use two smaller Li-Ion batteries instead of a single large one. One of the batteries would provide the juice needed for power-hungry activities (like gaming), while the other one would be in charge of regular tasks, including the device’s idle state. Apparently, Microsoft has prototypes using this idea, and these can improve battery life by 20 to 50 percent.

Hardware aside, Microsoft is also looking at ways to use software optimization in order to increase battery life. The company developed an “E-Loupe” software prototype that can identify apps which draw a lot of power when not needed (like when they run in the background), and pause or slow down their activity.

Some Android smartphones (like Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and HTC’s One M8) are already using software tricks that help them offer a longer battery life.

Microsoft didn’t say when it's planning to make its ideas ready for commercial use, but we hope to hear more on this soon.

source: MIT Technology Review