The iPhone 16 has terrific battery life, which I can attest to as a former iPhone 16 Plus owner. Battery life was the least of my worries, and I miss only having to charge the iPhone every other day. It’s not just the Plus and Pro Max that have better battery life, but all iPhone 16 variants.
As we approach the launch of Apple’s iPhone 17 series, I expect Apple to keep improving battery life on at least three of the four models. The rumored iPhone 17 Air will likely have to compromise battery performance so Apple can make the phone as thin as possible.
I hope the iPhone 17 generation delivers the big battery breakthrough rumors teased in previous years. Apple is supposedly developing new battery tech that would allow it to increase the iPhone battery life significantly. Rumors have mentioned solid-state batteries in the past, as well as new materials for the anode and cathode. The next-gen batteries would have higher density in addition to higher capacities, and they might support faster charging rates.
However, this big battery upgrade might not be ready in 2025. Instead, we may have to wait until the iPhone 18 series rolls out, which would be perfect timing because it might include a foldable iPhone model.
Next-gen battery tech is in the works
Well-known Korean leaker named yeux1122 penned a blog post about battery innovations coming to smartphones in the coming years. Apparently, Chinese vendors are looking to equip 2026 smartphones with batteries ranging from 7,000 mAh to 8,000 mAh, but they don’t want to make their devices any thicker.
The leaker says that Apple and Samsung are also developing battery tech innovations to respond to this type of competition.
The Chinese batteries will use high-silicon materials rather than relying on previous lithium-ion tech. Samsung is supposedly working on its new battery materials for the cathodes and anodes, looking to develop a new type of battery.
The leaker says Samsung has made significant progress with the technology. The company was able to increase the silicon in its batteries while avoiding side effects like battery expansion.
yeux1122 also says that Apple has a nearly identical strategy, with the first iPhone battery breakthroughs likely coming in 2026. That implies the iPhone 18 models could deliver sigificant battery life improvements.
Chinese phones already use silicon-carbon batteries
Nothing is confirmed right now, but I’ll remind you that Chinese vendors like Honor have been using silicon-carbon batteries for a couple of years. Initially, the battery tech was restricted to units sold in China. Honor then brought the tech to Europe last year with the Honor Magic 6 Pro’s 5,600 mAh battery.
Interestingly, Honor announced the Magic 7 Lite phone this week, a mid-range device with a 6,600 mAh silicon-carbon battery and 66W charging support. Honor seems ready to use the new battery tech in cheaper phones while significantly increasing capacity. This confirms, at least in part, that Chinese vendors are pushing new smartphone battery tech to other phones.
What exactly is Apple working on?
Looking at the yeux1122 report, a different leaker connected the story with a rumor from late 2023. Jukanlosreve pointed to an ETNews story that I recognized. Back in 2023, I said I hoped the iPhone would get the custom Apple battery tech the Korean report described.
It wasn’t clear at the time when Apple would have the tech ready, and it still isn’t. But the ETNews report said Apple was creating a “completely new battery” by developing new materials for the cathode and anode. Apple was looking to replace graphite with silicon in the anode while ensuring the new material would not expand during charging and discharging.
The silicon-carbon batteries that Chinese vendors use also feature anodes that replace graphite with silicon.
What I’m getting at is that Apple might be on the verge of delivering a big breakthrough for iPhone battery life, though it might not be ready this year.
In addition to competing against Chinese phones with monster batteries, the tech could also significantly improve the battery life of the iPhone 18 Air and iPhone 18 Fold, which could launch next year. But that’s just speculation and wishful thinking from this longtime iPhone user.
