It may be as big as all the other 4.7-inch iPhones, but the iPhone X has a much bigger battery inside, thanks to Apple’s logic board innovations. And while the iPhone X’s battery may last just as long as a Plus battery, but some reviewers are still taxing the device’s battery life when compared to rivals.
A new report from one of the most accurate Apple insiders out there says that Apple plans to upgrade the iPhone X’s battery in the near future, but it might not happen in time for next year’s phone launch.
KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note to investors that Apple plans to upgrade the TrueDepth camera system responsible for Face ID and other face recognition tricks in 2019. The new setup will require more power, MacRumors explains, which means Apple will need bigger-capacity batteries come 2019.
From the sounds of it, Apple will continue to shrink down the iPhone’s logic board to make room for more battery power:
Apple capable of designing new system for large-capacity batteries: We believe the adoption of TrueDepth camera for 3D sensing in 2017-18 will create demand for larger-capacity batteries. From 2019, we predict iPhone may adopt upgraded 3D-sensing and AR-related functions, and it will consume more power, further increasing demand for large-capacity batteries. We believe Apple’s key technologies, including semiconductor manufacturing processes, system-in-package (SIP), and substrate-like PCB (SLP), will create the required space for larger batteries.
Kuo doesn’t explain what kind of new features the upgraded TrueDepth cameras will be able to offer, although it’s no secret that AR is going to play a big role in the iPhone’s future.
The same analyst said that all of Apple’s 2018 iPhones will have TrueDepth cameras, which means they’re all likely to feature the same design as the iPhone X, complete with L-shaped batteries. He expects Apple to launch two OLED iPhone X successors next September as well as an LCD model.
