Apple has increased the battery life of its iPhone models bit by bit over the years. The iPhone 16 Pro Max came with a 4,685mAh battery, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max packed a slightly larger 4,823mAh battery for the nano SIM model, and a 5,088mAh battery for the eSIM-only model. Unfortunately, the battery size jump from the iPhone 17 Pro Max to the iPhone 18 Pro Max won’t be as big, at least according to the latest rumors .
iPhone 18 Pro Max battery is disappointing
In a recent post made on Weibo, tipster Digital Chat Station has revealed that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a 5,000mAh or so battery for the Chinese market. For the international market, we’re looking at roughly 5,100mAh to 5,200mAh. Yes, it is an increase over its predecessor, but it’s not the biggest jump we’ve seen.
This is made even more apparent by the fact that Chinese OEMs like Realme are launching smartphones with 10,001mAh batteries . This means that the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which is going to be Apple’s most premium and expensive model, will only feature a battery half the size.
We would have loved to see a much larger battery, but then again, it’s not a fair comparison. On paper, yes, the discrepancy in battery sizes is painstakingly huge. However, there are several key differences. For starters, Apple’s iPhones run iOS. This means that Apple has greater control over what its platform does and how much energy it consumes.
Secondly, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to pack a chipset built on the 2nm process. This means that it should be more efficient compared to its predecessor. It also means that even though the actual battery capacity increase is marginal, the efficiency gains from iOS and the 2nm chip could translate to longer-than-expected battery life.
Either way, we’ll definitely have to wait for battery tests to get a better idea.
When is it coming?
Assuming Apple keeps to schedule, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models are expected to debut this September. However, one thing to keep in mind is that the Pro and Pro Max models are the only iPhone 18 models expected this year. There are rumors that Apple is shaking up its launch strategy, pushing the base iPhone 18 to 2027.
Apple is also rumored to launch the iPhone Fold alongside the iPhone 18 models. This is Apple’s first attempt at creating a foldable. It will be interesting to see how they fare and if the hefty price tag can be justified.
