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iPhone 12 leak suggests Apple may downgrade the battery capacity

Published Jul 13th, 2020 3:05PM EDT
iPhone 12 battery
Image: Apple Inc.

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  • Apple might be downgrading the battery capacity of the iPhone 12 models, according to new documents from multiple certification websites.
  • According to the certifications, the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 will have a 2227 mAh battery, while the premium iPhone 12 Pro Max will have a 3687 mAh battery.
  • Certifications for a new 20W iPhone charger suggests that Apple might also be boosting the charging speed capacity of the iPhone 12.

Many of the upgrades set to be featured on the iPhone 12 already leaked, from OLED displays on every new device to 5G support coming to Apple’s smartphones for the first time to the A14 CPU. As is the case every year, this will be the most powerful iPhone ever released, but a key element might actually get a downgrade. According to a leak from MySmartPrice, the iPhone 12 models will have smaller batteries than their predecessors.

On Monday, the publication shared a multitude of screenshots of certifications for three new batteries that might be linked to Apple’s upcoming smartphones. Interestingly, despite the fact that there are said to be four new iPhone 12 models in the works, just three batteries were listed, which seems to suggest (providing these really are the iPhone 12 batteries) that the two 6.1-inch iPhone 12 models will have the same battery capacity.

Apple is expected to release four iPhone 12 models this fall, ranging from a 5.4-inch iPhone 12 to a 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. Here are the apparent battery capacities of each model, according to the leak:

  • iPhone 12 (5.4-inch) – A2471 – 2227 mAh
  • iPhone 12 Max (6.1-inch) – A2431 – 2775 mAh
  • iPhone 12 Pro (6.1-inch) – A2431 – 2775 mAh
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max (6.7-inch) – A2466 – 3687 mAh

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max represented a noteworthy step forward for iPhone batteries, as the iPhone 11 Pro had a 3,046 mAh battery (compared to the 2,658 mAh battery of the iPhone XS), while the iPhone 11 Pro Max had a 3,969 mAh battery (compared to the 3,174 mAh battery of the iPhone XS Max).

iPhone-12-battery-certificationImage source: MySmartPrice

Battery life is consistently one of the most important elements of a phone for prospective buyers, but if the capacities from the certifications are accurate, your new iPhone might not last as long on a single charge as your old iPhone did. Of course, battery capacity isn’t everything, but as MacRumors points out, the iPhone 12 models will almost certainly be more demanding than the iPhone 11 models, especially with OLED displays.

The battery leaks are concerning, but they aren’t the only certifications that MySmartPrice happened upon.

Model numbers for two new chargers also popped up online — a 5W charger with model number A1443 and a 20W charger with model number A2244. The 5W charger is what has traditionally shipped alongside the iPhone, but recent iPhone models are only capable of supporting charging speeds of up to 18W. Perhaps the charging speed capacity is getting a small boost while the battery capacity is taking a small hit. It’s also worth noting that the 20W charger has appeared in leaks from fairly reliable sources, giving these certifications added credence.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.