Wearable Batteries Growing Alongside the Popularity of Wireless Earphones

Wearable Bands and Wireless Earphones Growing Worldwide
Samsung SDI Wearable Batteries Also in Spotlight

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The biggest difference between the latest smartphones and their initial versions is the presence or absence of a headphone jack. With the removal of tangled wires when using wired earphones, users can now enjoy greater convenience. This change has been largely driven by advancements in battery technology. As the wearable device market grows significantly, the battery market for wearable devices is also expected to expand accordingly.

According to market research firm Canalys on the 1st, shipments of wearable bands and wireless earphone devices are expected to exceed 200 million and 350 million units respectively in 2021. The wearable market is anticipated to grow globally, not only in China and North America but also in Asia and Europe.

Wearable batteries are batteries installed in wearable devices that can be worn on the body and allow free movement. They are manufactured in various forms reflecting the characteristics of the devices. These batteries are characterized by high energy density, making them small yet long-lasting. Additionally, since many devices are worn directly on the human body, they undergo various quality tests before production. Samsung SDI is a representative company in South Korea.

Samsung SDI launched the world's largest capacity curved battery for smart bands in 2014. By developing the existing rectangular pouch-type battery into a hexagonal shape, it contributed to maximizing space efficiency in wearable devices.

In February 2020, Samsung SDI showcased an ultra-small coin cell battery the size of a fingernail at the Japan Wearable Expo. It attracted industry attention due to its expanded space efficiency, increased capacity compared to existing products, and the advantage of being producible in various sizes.

Currently, wearable devices mainly consist of small devices such as smart glasses, smart bands, smartwatches, and wireless earphones, but in the future, they are expected to diversify and become more segmented according to users and purposes. The most important battery technologies required by these wearable devices are miniaturization and high capacity that enable various designs. Extremely small ultra-compact batteries and high-capacity batteries for long operation times are very important for wearable devices.

Samsung SDI stated, "We develop coin cells and mini cells with small and slim designs demanded by the market and supply them to global IT companies," adding, "We are continuously achieving higher capacities every year to gradually increase device usage time."