Samsung SDI on Thursday revealed that it has developed a new lithium-ion battery that should result in significantly longer use times without compromising on size. Generating 2,800 milliamps per hour (mAh) of energy, the new technology provides as much as 10 percent more actual runtime than a typical 2,600 mAH unit. The refinements made to the battery cell also let it charge faster than earlier cells.

The company hopes also to imrprove in the future with a 3,000 mAh battery that lasts 20 percent longer without any changes to the electronics that depend on the power source.

The Korean firm is already expecting to deliver batteries for July but is notably silent on partners, saying only that it will ship the new lithium-ion packs to "America's leading notebook manufacturers" for both notebooks as well as ultra-mobile PCs. Alleged insiders tell the Korean Times that Dell and HP are involved but doesn't confirm whether these two are exclusive buyers, with Acer, Apple, and Toshiba also leading the US market.

Notebook and UMPC manufacturers are expected to launch a suite of new systems in June and July following Intel's planned announcement of Centrino 2, its new mobile platform and accompanying set of processors. [via The Inquirer]