December 18, 2015 - 10:57 AMT
Sony “finds answer to smartphone battery woes”

Sony has reportedly cracked the toughest nut in technology by developing a smartphone battery that lasts up to 40% longer, Digital Spy reports.

Japanese news outlet Nikkei claims that the consumer electronics giant has pulled off the feat by creating a power cell from a sulphur compound, rather than the industry-standard lithium.

Sulphur batteries, which store more energy, have been explored in the past, but their electrodes normally dissolve power more rapidly than lithium.

Sony has apparently swerved this pitfall by changing the electrolyte solution to create longer-lasting batteries that can hold more power.

But it could be some time before this battery breakthrough comes to consumer smartphones as the firm is planning to continue experimenting with the technology and safety test it between now and 2020.

Numerous other tech firms, including LG, Samsung and Huawei are exploring similar battery-boosting solutions.

Chinese phone maker Huawei recently revealed a prototype battery that is capable of powering up ten times faster than current power cells.