April 10, 2024, 10:42 am | Read time: 3 minutes
The Plus model of the iPhone is popular not only for its larger display but also for its longer battery life. Until now, the battery capacity has only increased with each generation. However, according to a leak, this year’s Plus might see a reduction in this regard.
iPhone 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max offer more space for the battery due to their size, allowing for longer use between charges. According to Apple, there is no clear favorite between the two models. While the 15 Pro Max leads in video playback, the 15 Plus lasts longer for music playback. With the iPhone 16 series, Apple could widen the gap in battery life to differentiate the more expensive Pro Max model from the Plus.
Battery Information for All iPhone 16 Models Leaked
A leaker on the Chinese blog site Weibo posted the alleged battery capacities for all four models of the iPhone 16 series. These figures align with the information that the well-known insider “Majin Bu” shared on X (formerly Twitter) in February. shared.
A notable addition in the current leak is the capacity details for the Pro model of the iPhone 16. Although a user on the South Korean blog Naver had already indicated that the capacity might slightly increase, exact numbers were not available until now.
- iPhone 16: 3561 mAh (up 6 percent compared to iPhone 15)
- iPhone 16 Plus: 4006 mAh (down 9 percent compared to iPhone 15 Plus)
- iPhone 16 Pro: 3355 mAh (up 2.5 percent compared to iPhone 15 Pro)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max 4676 mAh (up 5 percent compared to iPhone 15 Pro Max)
Find all the information about the iPhone 16 series in our comprehensive overview article.
iPhone 17 Pro Max to Feature the Most Powerful Battery Ever
Leak Reveals Battery Size of iPhone 18 Pro
iPhone 16 Plus Is the Only Model with a Battery Decrease
The leaked numbers now clearly show that the iPhone 16 Plus could be the only device in the upcoming generation to have a smaller battery than its predecessor. The iPhone 15 Plus, with a capacity of 4383 mAh, is very close to the iPhone 15 Pro Max with 4422 mAh. Mathematically, that’s just one percent less capacity.
If the current information proves true, the gap between the Plus and Pro Max will significantly widen to 14 percent. With up to 30 hours of video playback, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to have the longest runtime of any iPhone, TECHBOOK reported.
Same Runtime Despite Smaller Battery in iPhone 16 Plus?
While the smaller battery in the iPhone 16 Plus might be a disappointment for many consumers who see the device as a cheaper alternative to the Pro Max model, no decrease in battery life is expected. The reduced capacity can be offset by using a more energy-efficient chip. Whether Apple will use a scaled-down non-Pro version of the A17 in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus or introduce an entirely new A18 is still unclear.
In the history of the iPhone, it has only happened once that a new device had a shorter battery life than its predecessor. This was the case with the iPhone 12 Pro, which, according to Apple, lasted one hour less than the iPhone 11 Pro during video playback.