Battery Life Boost: How Much Bigger Will Apple’s ‘iPhone 13’ Batteries Be?

iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Max renders Credit: EverythingApplePro
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Among everything else that we’re expecting to see in this year’s “iPhone 13”, several reliable reports have suggested that it’s also going to be getting a bigger battery, and now a new set of leaks have revealed exactly how much more battery capacity each of this year’s iPhone models could include.

The information first appeared on Chinese social media site Weibo, and was shared on Twitter by the cryptic but reliable leaker @L0vetodream. It offers up the specific capacities that are expected to arrive in all four of this year’s “iPhone 13” models.

This backs up a report from earlier this year by veteran analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who noted that all four batteries would see an increase — even in the 5.4-inch model. However, Kuo didn’t offer any specifics, other than suggesting that it would make the new models slightly heavier.

More significantly, however, Kuo ha claimed that Apple won’t be increasing the thickness of the new iPhone models, since Apple will find room for larger power cells inside thanks to the “space-saving design of many components.” This includes things like integrating the SIM slot with the motherboard.

If true, this is pretty impressive in light of the numbers that have just leaked out. Specifically, it looks like we may be in for increases of between 8 percent and 18 percent across all four models.

Here are the specific numbers we’re talking about:

  • iPhone 13 mini: 2,406mAh — an 8% increase from the iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 13 / iPhone 13 Pro: 3,095mAh — a 10% increase from the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 models
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max: 4,325mAh — an 18% increase from the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Not surprisingly, the two 6.1-inch “iPhone 13” models will feature the same 3,095mAh pack, much the same way that the corresponding iPhone 12 models include an identical 2,815mAh battery today.

As much as we’d like to share Kuo’s optimism, however, recent leaked schematics have shown the thickness is poised to increase, although at a 0.17 mm difference this will be barely noticeable by most users. It’s likely that Kuo is still correct in that Apple is also optimizing the space inside this year’s iPhones, but there’s likely only so much it can do within the confines of the laws of physics.

Does This Mean Longer Battery Life?

It’s important to keep in mind that bigger batteries don’t automatically translate to longer run times, as there are many tradeoffs with the various power-hungry components in the iPhone — and it goes both ways.

For example, last year’s iPhone 12 models actually lost between 231 and 282mAh over their iPhone 11 counterparts, and yet Apple managed to provide the same run times thanks to better power efficiency.

Even with the considerable impact that 5G has on battery life, new features like Smart Data Mode minimizes the hit that most iPhone users take by ensuring that the power-hungry 5G radios are only fired up when ultrafast 5G speeds are actually needed — which, let’s face it, isn’t all that often for most people.

More significantly, however, Apple is also expected to change up the displays in this year’s iPhones, with faster 120Hz “ProMotion” displays that will almost certainly consume more power — at least when operating at full speed. As with the iPad Pro, Apple will almost certainly include a variable refresh rate that keeps the display at the more efficient 60Hz rate during normal use.

The LTPO, or low-temperature polycrystalline oxide technology behind the new displays will also offer some power savings when the display is used in certain modes, but the overall energy consumption may still end up being a net gain, making the larger batteries more of a necessity than a bonus.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]

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