The iPhone 18 Pro Max Could Get a Massive Battery Upgrade

If the reports are accurate, this year’s iPhone lineup promises to be a little bit different from what we’ve become accustomed to over the past seven years. Instead of launching a selection of four iPhone models all at once in September, Apple is widely expected to update only its two premium “Pro” flagships — the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max — while also unveiling a long-awaited foldable iPhone.

The iPhone 18 isn’t scheduled to arrive until early 2027, when Apple will likely release it alongside the iPhone 18e and possibly a new second-generation iPhone Air. That explains why we’re hearing only sporadic reports on the iPhone 18 compared to much more solid predictions around the iPhone 18 Pro models.

In fact, the rumor mill is largely on track when it comes to these leaks. This week, Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station shared a screenshot from China’s C3 regulatory database that appears to show the battery capacities for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max — and it looks like Apple’s largest iPhone could be seeing a healthy boost over its predecessor.

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The spec sheet in question is for Apple’s battery suppliers rather than the telecom industry, which means it includes the capacities for both the Chinese and US models of the new iPhones. While those have traditionally been on par with the US models, they diverged last year when Apple decided to take advantage of the extra space inside the eSIM-only models to pack in larger batteries. Since the iPhones sold in mainland China still have to make room for a physical dual-SIM slot, the iPhone 17 Pro models sold there had smaller batteries.

Here’s the comparative rundown of capacities over the past two years and what the leaked specs are predicting for the eSIM-only models that are sold in the US, Canada, and several other countries:

The iPhone 17 Pro models sold in China both came in at around 265 mAh less than the equivalent US models, again due to the smaller batteries needed to make room for the physical SIM card slot. However, this year’s models may shrink that gap slightly, with the Chinese iPhone 18 Pro expected to lose only 232 mAh over its American eSIM-only counterpart, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max down to a 176 mAh difference.

The biggest surprise here is that the iPhone 18 Pro will see only modest 36 mAh gains over its 2025 predecessor — a number that feels like a rounding error — while the iPhone 18 Pro Max gets a nearly 10% boost in battery size.

That’s not to say we won’t see some battery life improvements on both ends. Apple’s A-series chips get more power-efficient each year, and the tech giant is also likely to adopt its own C2 5G modem for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, which will likely reduce power consumption even further. Still, if these numbers are accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro Max could see a huge lead over its smaller sibling when it comes to battery life.

The predicted capacity for the iPhone 18 Pro matches what was shared by Fixed Focus Digital in early June; however, the iPhone 18 Pro Max increase is substantially larger than what Digital Chat Station already predicted in February, when they put the numbers for the eSIM-only models closer to 5,100–5,200 mAh.

Although this latest report appears to cite a more official source, even Digital Chat Station is a bit skeptical, considering how much this varies from their previous report, so we’d recommend taking this with a healthy dose of salt for now.

[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.]