The Note 11 or Galaxy S12 may be Samsung's first graphene powered smartphones

It has been just under two years since Samsung announced that its Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) had developed a battery using graphene. The accompanying press release promised that its "graphene ball" technology offered a 45% increase in capacity over conventional lithium-ion batteries, while it could be charged five times faster too.

The press release also stated that the technology had the potential to usher in a new generation of batteries for mobile devices, from which we infer that Samsung means laptops, tablets and smartphones. The South Korean company has been quiet since then, but the BBC's proclaimed "King of the leakers" has informed his followers of Samsung's plans for graphene batteries. We have included a quote of Blass' tweet below in case you are not a follower:

Lithium-ion batteries are...suboptimal. Samsung is hoping to have at least one handset either next year or in 2021, I'm told, which will feature a graphene battery instead. Capable of a full charge in under a half-hour, they still need to raise capacities while lowering costs.

Realistically, Samsung will reserve this new battery technology for its flagships, at least for the time being. Samsung has only deviated from a Q1 Galaxy S announcement once since the inaugural Galaxy S in 2009, so the S11 should now be deep into its production cycle. Hence, we are doubtful that graphene batteries will be ready in time for a Q1 or early Q2 2020 release, especially as @evleaks claims that Samsung needs more time to ready them for mass-production. Therefore, a late 2020 or early 2021 release would seem more likely, which would bring the Note 11 or Galaxy S12 into view. Other candidates would include the Note 12 or perhaps even a Galaxy Fold successor. Speculative yes, but @evleaks is known for the reliability of his leaks, which gives this claim more weight than if it were to have come from most other leakers.