LONDON — Emerging solutions for bridging the power gap required by a growing number of handset features and available handset battery capacity are unlikely to solve the increasing and worrying problem, according to market trackers at IMS Research.

The researchers suggest potential solutions are coming from all four corners of the mobile handset industry, including new display technologies, more power efficient silicon design, and new battery chemistries, each of which have varying market potential.

"However, given the pace at which power requirements are increasing, it is unlikely that any one technology will completely address the need for more power in mobile handsets," IMS stresses.

"Handsets with dead batteries don't use very much data or talk time. That's bad news for network operators looking to drive ARPU. Similarly, consumers are unlikely to pay a premium for features that they know will only drain their battery, which places downward pressure on handset selling prices for handset OEMs," says IMS Research analyst, Chris Schreck.

"There are two key drivers of increased power consumption among handset users," Schreck added. "First, consumers are doing more with their handsets than ever before. Mobile data and application use has skyrocketed in recent years. Secondly, the types of features currently being included in handset designs, not to mention those on the horizon, require more power to operate than ever before. Faster processing speeds, higher data throughputs, and more vivid displays all escalate a handset's power requirements. Even with a 1500 mAh battery, which is the high water mark in the industry at the moment, our estimates show many smartphone users only have a battery life of 6 hours."

The market trackers estimate that power requirements for smartphone users will increase at a rate of 15 percent rate each year, and that the power gap will increase at a significantly higher pace.

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