Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 lineup will feature bigger battery capacities compared to previous-generation models with the exception of the iPhone 16 Plus, which will have a smaller battery than its predecessor.
That’s according to the Chinese Weibo-based leaker OvO Baby Sauce OvO, a relatively new source of supply chain leaks with an as-yet unproven track record for accuracy.
The iPhone 16 battery capacity details posted by the Weibo leaker match figures previously shared on X by “Majin Bu,” with the notable addition of a figure for the iPhone 16 Pro model, which Majin Bu omitted. That makes this leak the first time we have been provided with alleged iPhone 16 battery capacity changes across the board.
The figures show that the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature larger batteries than their predecessors, but the iPhone 16 Plus is allegedly facing a reduction in terms of battery capacity compared to the iPhone 15 Plus.
Why that would be the case isn’t clear, since apart from the size difference, both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus are expected to have an identical feature set. One possibility is that the capacity reduction turns out to be negligible in real terms thanks to efficiency improvements in other areas. On the other hand, by reducing capacity, Apple could be trying to maximize differentiation between the iPhone 16 Plus and the iPhone 16 Pro Max in an attempt to nudge customers toward the premium features (and prices) of its top tier model.
| iPhone 15 Lineup (2023) | iPhone 16 Lineup (2024) | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Standard] | 3,349 mAh | 3,561 mAh | +6% |
| Plus | 4,383 mAh | 4,006 mAh | -9% |
| Pro | 3,274 mAh | 3,355 mAh | +2.5 |
| Pro Max | 4,422 mAh | 4,676 mAh | +5% |
When the iPhone 14 Plus was introduced into Apple’s smartphone lineup to replace the iPhone 13 mini, it gave customers the opportunity to own a device with the same 6.7-inch display as the iPhone 14 Pro Max without paying a premium. In addition, the iPhone 14 Plus also had the advantage of a larger capacity battery than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, allowing Apple to market the device as featuring “our longest battery life.“
However, with the advent of the iPhone 15 series, Apple increased the battery capacity of the iPhone 15 Pro Max to make it the largest battery ever used in an iPhone.
According to another rumor, this year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max will boast an even bigger 30-hour-plus battery life (compared to 29 hours for the iPhone 15 Pro Max). Not only that, both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to have slightly larger displays. If Apple does intend to reduce the battery in the iPhone 16 Plus, it would widen the gap further between the two tiers. The iPhone 16 lineup is expected to be announced in the fall.
