If better battery life is high on your wish list for your next iPhone, the latest report from industry insider Ming-Chi Kuo that it could be included in plans for this year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max will represent interest.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max could get a big battery upgrade.
Updated May 20. This post was first published on May 18, 2024.
The new battery design is about more than how long it will last between charges. The redesigned body, for example, as well as offering more strength, as mentioned below, is said to have another effect, according to Ming-Chi Kuo.
Kuo explains, “Using a stainless steel battery case also reduces the difficulty of removing the battery, which will help Apple comply with the European Union’s requirements for replaceability of mobile phone batteries in the future.”
This new claim of a move to a new battery design is also consistent with an earlier report from last November that said the iPhone 16 battery would use a different metal casing, albeit at this stage, just after the overheating issues that plagued some iPhones after iOS 17 was released, it was aimed more at thermal benefits than extended battery life.
Kuo also suggests that one particular company, Sunway, a major supplier of stainless steel battery cases, will benefit from the move to the new design – especially if the iPhone 17 model range adopts this design. Apple’s high production demands are said to increase the manufacturer’s gross margin as well.
In his latest post on Medium, trusted industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TFI Securities says, “My latest supply chain research shows that the energy density (Wh/kg) of iPhone 16 Pro Max battery cells will increase.”
Keep in mind that this is just one of four iPhones expected this year, the Pro Max model that Kuo believes will be upgraded in this way. And as the report states, greater energy density in a battery “has the advantage of longer battery life with the same battery size or smaller battery size with the same battery life.”
In other words, Apple could shrink the battery and give the vacated valuable space to other components, or even make the phone smaller. Or it could do what we all wish it could do, add extra battery life.
There is a third option, of course: increase the battery capacity, but also add additional features and capabilities that are more power-intensive, leaving the battery life the same overall. With the focus on generative AI expected on the next iPhones, this option is the most likely in my opinion. That is, a more powerful iPhone, but with an undiminished battery life.
There’s more from Kuo: since the higher energy density in the battery cells will raise the battery’s temperature when it’s running, Apple will switch to a new stainless steel battery case, “for the first time as a thermal solution.”
Apple will certainly be looking to avoid a repeat of the iPhone overheating issues seen last fall, and this would be a great solution. There are other advantages, says Kuo: “Stainless steel is not as efficient as aluminum at dissipating heat, but it is stronger and less prone to corrosion, so in addition to dissipating heat, the stainless steel battery case provides better protection for the iPhone battery and system.”
If you’re not a Pro Max person, there’s news that the new battery system could be used more widely in the future, with Kuo predicting that if feedback is favorable, “this new battery design will be adopted in all new 2H25 iPhone models.” Which means all iPhone 17 models can have this upgrade.
