Panasonic unveils bendable Lithuim-ion batteries

Bendable smartphones might soon shape up to be more than just a concept as Panasonic has now developed flexible Lithium-ion batteries.

While Panasonic has released a statement pointing out that the new battery is suitable for use in card-type and wearable devices attached to the body, it can later build bigger flexible batteries for smartphones.

The company claims the battery can retain its characteristics even after repeatedly bent into a radius of 25mm or twisted to an angle of 25 degrees. The thickness of the batteries is roughly 55mm or 0.022 inches.

The new bendable batteries can withstand bending and twisting beyond industrial standards for identification cards, the release added. However, these batteries can degrade when they are bent or twisted sharply, resulting in shorter operating time for the devices.

While the new batteries are not as powerful to power a smartphone, it is definitely a step towards realising the goal to craft bendable smartphones. Currently, the batteries can only hold between 17.5mAh to 60mAh of charge, which can only be used in lower power devices.

Earlier this year, smartphone maker Lenovo first introduced the concept of a bendable smartphone with foldable displays. The new bendable Lithium-ion batteries further solidify claims that a bendable smartphone can surface in the future.