What would you most like to change about your current smartphone? Chances are that better battery life may be your first- or second-choice thought. An industry insider is reporting that this could be on the cards for this year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max. We’ve already heard of improvements coming for the iPhone 16 Pro display, and a major change to the way the buttons work on the iPhone 16, and even software updates that could quell motion sickness, so battery upgrade news is welcome.
In his latest post on Medium, reliable industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities says, “My latest supply chain survey indicates the energy density (Wh/kg) of the battery cells of iPhone 16 Pro Max will increase.”
Note that it’s only one of the four iPhones expected this year, the Pro Max model, which Kuo believes will be upgraded in this way. And as the report points out, greater energy density in the battery “has the benefit of longer battery life with the same battery size or lower battery size with the same battery life.”
In other words, Apple could shrink the battery and give the valuable space freed up to other components or even make the phone smaller. Or it could do that thing we’d all like, add extra battery life.
There’s a third option, of course: increase battery capability but also add extra features and capabilities which are more power-hungry, leaving battery life the same overall. With a focus on generative AI expected on the next iPhones, this option is the one I think is most likely. That is, a more powerful iPhone but with battery life undiminished.
There’s more from Kuo: since greater energy density in battery cells will increase the battery temperature when running, Apple will switch to a new stainless-steel battery case, “for the first time as a thermal solution.”
Apple will certainly be keen to avoid a repeat of the iPhone overheating issues seen last fall, and this would be a neat solution. There are other benefits, Kuo says: “Stainless steel is not as effective as aluminum in dissipating heat, but it is more robust 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 Pro Max kind of person, there’s news that the new battery system could be used more widely in the future, with Kuo predicting that if the feedback is favorable, “this new battery design will be adopted in all 2H25 new iPhone models.” Which means all iPhone 17 models could feature this upgrade.
