Report Claims LG Will Be Sole Supplier of Batteries for Next Year's 'iPhone 9'

LG Chemical will be the sole supplier of batteries for Apple's "iPhone 9" next year, according to The Korea Economic Daily. If the report is accurate, the South Korean firm has scored a big win, since Apple usually takes a multi-vendor approach when it comes to sourcing batteries for its iPhones.

Citing industry insiders, the newspaper said LG has made a sizable investment to bolster the capability of its facilities and that production of the batteries would begin in 2018.

"LG has invested hundred of billions of Korean won for related facilities and plans to start mass production from early next year," the Korean-language report quoted a source in the chemical industry as saying.

The report added that the battery LG will produce for the so-called "iPhone 9" is L-shaped, a design that's also previously been tipped for this year's OLED "iPhone 8" and should allow for better battery life.

The L-shape, which is bent at the bottom, represents an increase in size over current rectangular iPhone batteries and depends on the PCB mainboard being more compact to make space for it. Today's report also claims the altered shape is expected to result in faster charging speeds.

A report in May claimed the iPhone 9 will launch in two 5.28-inch and 6.46-inch OLED variants, with Samsung expected to be the supplier for the OLED displays.

(Via CNBC.)