Many of the iPhone 13 rumors we saw before Tuesday’s press conference said the four new iPhones will be thicker than before to accommodate larger batteries. Apple confirmed on stage that all four iPhone 13 handsets will have bigger batteries than their predecessors. The iPhone maker also listed the battery life gains compared to iPhone 12 series. We’re looking at 1.5 hours of extra battery life for the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 Pro compared to their predecessors. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro max get 2.5 hours of additional battery life over their iPhone 12 equivalents. Just like with RAM, Apple never mentioned iPhone 13 battery size data during the unveiling event. The same happened with the iPhone 13 series. But the battery sizes have already leaked.
iPhone 13 design favors battery life
Rumors that preceded the event said that the new iPhone 13 models will have the same height and width as their predecessors. But they’d all be about 0.2mm thicker than before. Apple can use that extra space to increase the battery life, we speculated at the time. Every bit of internal space can deliver additional precious battery capacity, and the iPhone 13 needs it.
Apple made it clear on stage that the new phones have brighter screens, a faster chip, and better 5G connectivity. They also pack better camera experiences. These are all energy-consuming features. The A15 Bionic might be more efficient than before, and Apple might be using additional tricks to improve battery life. The 120Hz ProMotion screens will adapt the refresh rate dynamically based on the content the user consumes. Also, the phone can toggle between 5G and 4G data to conserve battery life.
But Apple also needed bigger battery packs. The iPhone comparison pages confirm that all iPhone models are precisely 0.25 thicker than their predecessors. Each of them is slightly heavier as well. These are all indications that Apple increased the battery sizes.
How big are the new batteries?
Apple said during the show that the iPhone 13 battery capacities are bigger than before without putting any numbers on the screen. Apple never displays that information when it comes to its products. Instead, Apple talks about the extra hours of battery life the iPhone 13 series can deliver. And, indeed, the iPhone 13 models offer significant gains, as we’ve already explained at this link.
But if you need to know exactly how big the new iPhone 13 batteries are, thanks to official figures. 9to5Mac found the information in an Apple filing on the Chemtrec website.
The 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini features a 9.57 Wh battery compared to 8.57 for the iPhone 12 mini — Wh stands for watt-hour. That’s a 9% battery capacity increase. The 6.1-inch iPhone 13 has a 12.41 Wh battery, 15% bigger than the iPhone 12’s 10.78 Wh battery.
The iPhone 13 Pro has the same size as the iPhone 13, but it packs an additional camera on the back, which consumes more internal space. As you can see in the schematics above, the Pros have L-shaped batteries, while the cheaper iPhone 13 phones have more traditional battery packs.
With that in mind, the iPhone 13 Pro features an 11.97 Wh battery that’s 11% larger than the iPhone 12 Pro’s 10.78 Wh battery. Finally, the iPhone 13 Pro Max comes with a 16.75 Wh battery, up 18% compared to the 14.13 Wh battery inside the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
These iPhone 13 battery specs details further prove that all iPhone 13 models will feature better battery life than before. The iPhone 13 real-life battery tests that will follow once the new iPhone series goes on sale should provide additional data about battery performance.
