LTE traditionally requires a pretty substantial battery, but new reports suggest that Apple (AAPL) has either figured out a way to bring 4G LTE to the iPhone without the added bulk, or is preparing to deliver a seriously underpowered LTE device. After examining leaked pictures of the next-generation iPhone batteries, 9to5Mac found that they were only incrementally larger than previous iPhone generations’ batteries and measured in at 1,440 mAh, 3.8 volts and 5.45 watts-per-hour. By comparison, the Samsung (005930) Galaxy S III has a battery that checks in at 2,100 mAh while the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX checks in at a whopping 3,300 mAh.
So how will Apple be able to deliver both LTE connectivity and a reportedly bigger display effectively without a significantly battery boost? 9to5Mac speculates that “Apple’s tweaked dual-core system on a chip for this new iPhone” may be “efficient enough to run LTE with the need for a much larger battery” and that “Apple may indeed be moving ahead with latest version of the Qualcomm Gobi chips that has a smaller smaller battery draw than previous versions.”
Either way, Apple will likely have something up its sleeve if these leaked pictures really are the final battery, as it’s tough to imagine the company will launch its first-ever LTE iPhone with poor battery life.
