• OPPO sub-brand realme is pushing the envelope in terms of smartphone battery size, potentially working on an 8 000mAh battery for a phone.
• Compared to the 5 000mAh battery in the likes of the realme C61, this cell could mean not having to charge in three or four days.
• The company announced the realme Neo7 will have a 7 000mAh battery.

Last month we noted that the realme C61 was packing a monster battery, even though only a 5 000mAh cell which would currently be considered standard in the smartphone market with the size seen in phones from super-affordable all the way up to flagship devices with some notable exceptions – *cough* Apple *cough.*

But the sub-brand of OPPO has lofty plans for its devices as it works to carve out its own niche in the extremely competitive smartphone market. This niche? Big beefy batteries. Today it announced (via Smartpix) the launch of a 7 000mAh battery and a leak suggests that the company is potentially planning a phone with an unprecedented 8 000mAh battery.

To bring this into context, the realme C61 that we reviewed – with only a 5 000mAh cell – would last two days before requiring a charge. Image a cell almost twice as big. Four days no charge? Now that’s pushing the envelope when it comes to technology.

According to realme, the 7 000mAh-equipped smartphone will launch in China on 11th December 2024 in China first. It is called the Neo7. One of the potential versions of this smartphone could see even larger battery packs.

One version could feature a 7 500mAh battery and then another with a 8 000mAh battery.

AndroidAuthority broke down the information gleaned from the leaks, including that the 7 500mAh version would achieve a full charge in 55 minutes and the 8 000mAh battery would do the same in 70 minutes.

It seems the bigger the cell, the smaller the wattage of the charger as the 8 000 configuration could see an 80W charger. This is likely to avoid any dangerous reactions with the mammoth cell. But if you’re used to putting your phone on charge every night then this likely won’t matter when you only have to charge once a week.

These will also be the new silicon-carbon batteries, which are superior to the usual lithium-ion batteries that we are used to in smartphones in terms of how long they can keep a charge. The realme GT 7 pro already features these types of cells.

If realme does pull the trigger on a 8 000mAh battery it could potentially drive an industry-wide shift to super long-life cells, especially from Chinese manufacturers. Good news for South Africans wanting smartphones that just won’t die because eventually they all seemingly hit the local market though long after the Chinese get to enjoy them.