If better battery life is at the top of your wish list for the next iPhone, the latest report from industry insider Ming-Chi Kuo suggesting this could be on the cards for this year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max will be interesting.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max could feature a significant battery upgrade.
Updated May 20. This post was first published on May 18, 2024.
There’s more to a new battery design than how long it will last between charges. For example, the redesigned chassis, in addition to providing greater durability as mentioned below, is said to have another impact, according to Ming-Chi Kuo.
Koo explains“Using a stainless steel battery case also reduces the difficulty of removing the battery, which will help Apple comply with EU requirements on the replaceability of mobile phone batteries in the future.”
This new claim of moving to a new battery design is also consistent with a previous report, last November, which stated that the iPhone 16 battery would use a different metal casing, although at this point, directly after the overheating issues that have plagued some iPhones after… iOS 17 was launched, and it was geared more toward thermal benefits than long battery life.
Kuo also points out that one particular company, Sunway, a major supplier of stainless steel battery cases, will benefit from the switch to the new design, especially if the iPhone 17 lineup all adopts this design. Apple’s higher production requirements are said to raise the manufacturer’s gross profit margin as well.
In his last post on Mediation“My latest supply chain survey indicates that the energy density (Wh/kg) of iPhone 16 Pro Max battery cells will increase,” says trusted industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TFI Securities.
Note that it’s only one of the four iPhones expected this year, the Pro Max model, that Kuo believes will be upgraded in this way. As the report notes, increasing battery energy density “has the benefit of extending battery life with the same battery size or a smaller battery size with the same battery life.”
In other words, Apple could shrink the battery size, make up valuable room for other components, or even make the phone smaller. Or it can do that thing we all want, which is add extra battery life.
There is a third option, of course: increasing the battery capacity but also adding additional features and capabilities that consume more power, leaving the battery life the same overall. With the focus on generative AI expected in upcoming iPhones, I think this option is the most likely. A more powerful iPhone but with uncompromised battery life.
There’s more from Kuo: Because the greater energy density of battery cells will cause the battery to get hotter when operating, Apple will switch to a new stainless steel battery case, “for the first time as a thermal solution.”
Apple would certainly be keen to avoid a repeat of the iPhone overheating issues seen last fall, and this would be an elegant solution. There are other benefits, says Kuo: “Stainless steel is not as effective as aluminum at dissipating heat, but it is stronger and less susceptible to corrosion, so in addition to dissipating heat, the stainless steel battery case provides better protection for the battery.” And the iPhone system.”
If you’re not a fan of the Pro Max, there’s news that the new battery system could be used more widely in the future, with Kuo predicting that if feedback is favourable, “this new battery design will be adopted in all new 2H25s”. iPhone models.” Which means that all iPhone 17 models could feature this upgrade.
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