Honor showcases industry first silicon-carbon battery with longer runtimes

Today, Honor introduced the Magic5, Magic5 Pro and the Magic Vs at MWC 2023, which all rely on conventional lithium-ion batteries. However, the company also presented new battery technology that should yield improved energy efficiency. As the company's slides show, it claims that its silicon-carbon battery offers up to 12.8% more energy density than lithium-ion batteries that use graphite for its anodes.

According to Honor CEO George Zhao, the company's silicon carbon battery has 240% more capacity than a lithium-ion when operating at 3.5 V, which is too low of a voltage for smartphone lithium batteries. As such, a silicon carbon battery should be able to stretch out the last few percent of its remaining capacity than conventional batteries. In short, a silicon carbon battery would offer approximately a 6.8% higher capacity than an identically-size lithium-ion.

Hence, a Magic5 Pro equipped with a silicon carbon battery could have a 5,450 mAh nominal capacity, rather than 5,100 mAh as its battery is rated for globally. As GSMArena notes, Honor ships the Magic5 Pro in China with a 5,450 mAh battery, not the 5,100 mAh equivalent announced in its global variant. Thus, it seems that Honor is already offering silicon carbon batteries in China, although it has not confirmed whether this is the case. Presumably, Honor lacks the appropriate regulatory approvals yet to offer the technology outside its home market. 

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