Both the iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy S11 — two of the most important smartphones expected to launch in 2020 — could both get bigger batteries, thanks to the same innovation.

The technology breakthrough isn't anything to do with the chemistry of their lithium-ion batteries, but instead relates to the battery protection module. This component is produced by Korea's ITM Semiconductor, according to local publication The Elec.

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The module's job is to protect the battery against damage caused by over-charging and over-discharging. The updated component combines two items into one, slimming down its space requirements inside the phone.

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ITM is reportedly expected to supply the component to both Samsung and Apple in 2020, with an entire new production facility built exclusively for new iPhones due out next fall. According to ITM, the new component is 48 percent smaller than its predecessor, making more space for the battery, but crucially without making the handset itself any larger.

Improved battery life has been high on the wish lists of smartphone buyers for years, but manufacturers have generally struggled to make a phone last more than one full day. Poor battery life has resulted in a wide range of companies producing portable batteries, also known as power banks.

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Here is the GearBrain guide to buying the right power bank for you.

2020 is set to be a big year, especially for Apple's new iPhone range. Already, it has been claimed by the often-accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that the 2020 iPhones will launch in the fall, and there will be four of them. They are all widely expected to feature 5G, and potentially a new design to freshen up the iPhone X aesthetics, which by then will be three years old.

Apple is also expected to announce a new iPhone SE earlier in 2020, to be based on the form factor of the iPhone 8 but with iPhone 11 internals and cameras.

Meanwhile, Samsung is expected to announce its Galaxy S11 as soon as February, a year on from the Galaxy S10. The company is also tipped to be preparing a new folding phone for launch at the same time. This handset is rumored to borrow its horizontal-folding design from the new Motorola Razr, and cost significantly less than the $1,980 Samsung Galaxy Fold.

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