One of the most important parts of any iPhone is the size and longevity of its battery — we didn’t live with diminutively batteried iPhone 4s for years for nothing, after all. Thankfully, we managed to overcome the woeful staying power of iPhones of old (and all the battery life memes) to get to a point where an iPhone will last you at least a day or more. Unless it's broken.
Now, it looks like we might be in for some even better battery life on the horizon as the iPhone 16 starts to swing into view — notorious leaker Majin Bu has taken to X again. This time, they’ve got some interesting mock-up images and numbers to claim that the iPhone 16 models might have bigger batteries than any iPhone before — with one notable exception.
Bigger batteries for all
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Plus are all mentioned in the rudimentary battery mockups in Bu’s post. The first thing you’ll notice is that the batteries are changing shape in the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max, now a simple rectangle rather than the previous L shape in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This, according to Bu, is to accommodate a revised internal design.
Based on the information I managed to obtain, the new iPhone 16 will have a 3561 mAh battery, while the 16 plus should have a 4006 mAh battery and the 16 Pro Max, should be equipped with a 4676 mAh battery that is no longer L-shaped due to the redesign of the internal structure… pic.twitter.com/T7VuhQ6BrsFebruary 7, 2024
The mAh numbers have gone up as well. The iPhone 16 has an increased 3561mAh capacity, increased from the 3349mAh battery of the iPhone 15. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is climbing to 4676mAh from its previous 4422mAh for some extra potential longevity.
The odd one out is the iPhone 16 Plus, which is purportedly losing over 300mAh over the old version. It could have a 4006mAh battery instead of 4383mAh, which is interesting considering the Plus model is the longest-lasting of the 15 family. There’s no news on the iPhone 16 Pro here either, so that could go either up or down.
Of course, there’s more to battery life than the size of the battery. Apple spends inordinate amounts of money making sure that its chips and internals are as efficient as possible, in an effort to eke out as much battery life as possible. Even then, these battery increases are welcome — unless you want an iPhone 16 Plus. Unlucky.
