We take a look at the incredible new battery tech that means charging your mobile will soon be a thing of the past.
Earlier this year, we commented on how smartphone battery life will soon be measured in weeks, not hours, thanks to some incredible new battery tech that’s emerging.
Well, we’ve seen some even more pant-wettingly exciting mobile tech this past month that could make battery life measurements completely redundant. Meaning, in just a couple of years you may never have to plug your smartphone into a charging cable ever again.
Evidence One: Fast-charging batteries
Right now it takes a couple of hours to charge most mobiles to full capacity, but this tedious wait could be ancient memories once the latest bunch of fast-charging innovations hit the high street.
Californian sciencey types at Qnovo have developed some clever software that determines the maximum amount of juice that can be pumped into your phone’s battery at once, without damaging it. With an estimated 6 hours of use from just 15 minutes of charge time, it’s a pretty enticing prospect.
However, even better is the Kickstarter project that can charge your phone in mere seconds. A Kansas-based engineer called Shawn West has developed a prototype AA cell which charges from empty to full in under half a minute, just enough time to eat a third of a pack of Monster Munch.
If West’s battery tech was implemented by a huge manufacturer like Apple or Sony, we could see smartphones that charge faster than you can say ‘where the hell did I put that bloody cable’.
Evidence Two: Wireless charging
Combine that super-fast charging ability with wireless recharging, and you’ll never need to plug your phone into a computer or plug socket ever again. Some prototype wireless chargers can now power a device from several feet away, a serious upgrade over current commercial charging pads, which need to have the phone sat right on top of them to work.
Just stick one of these futuristic wireless charging pads in your home, and your phone will suck up power every time you wander by, charging it to full.
Offices will fit these wireless charging pods everywhere too, and we’ll hopefully see them cropping up in hotels, restaurants and other public locations, so you’re never too far away from a wire-free power-up.
Evidence Three: Weird new charging methods
And don’t worry if you find yourself stranded miles away from any kind of charging device and power socket, because there’s some freaky new methods of recharging your smartphone just on the horizon.
For one, you’ll soon be able to power up your phone just by shouting at the bugger. Nokia has teamed up with some British boffins to develop a prototype smartphone that is powered by background noise, converting sound wave vibrations into usable electricity.
And soon we’ll have fully kinetic smartphones, which you can power up just by rubbing yourself against them, Crank-style. Maybe. We have no evidence to support that.
What battery tech would you like to see, and how long do you think we’ll have to wait before ditching the charger entirely? Let us know in the comments below.
Read next: Ten quick ways to get better battery life on your phone
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