Uh-oh! iPhone 12 battery sizes have just leaked online and, if they prove accurate, then a lot of new iPhone users are going to have to get used to carrying a device that has a smaller battery than last year's Apple iPhone 11 range.
That's because, as reported by mysmartprice, three new iPhone battery models have appeared on certification platforms UL Demko, Safety Korea and 3C, and they show "three new batteries headed for this year's iPhone models with model numbers A2471, A2431 and A2466".
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The report then proceeds to reveal the capacities of these new batteries "headed for this year's iPhone models" as 2227mAh, 2775mAh and 3687mAh and suggests that they could feature in the four new iPhone 12 models as so:
Apple iPhone 12 (5.4-inch) – 2227mAh
Apple iPhone 12 Max (6.1-inch) – 2775mAh
Apple iPhone 12 Pro (6.1-inch) – 2775mAh
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (6.7-inch) – 3687mAh
Now, naturally, as nothing official has been announced we would definitely suggest these numbers are taken with a pinch of salt. However, from what we can see of the certification documents the logic makes sense, both in terms of these being iPhone 12 batteries and which models they will be featured in.
And if these are the battery capacities that the new iPhone 12 phones are going to feature, then three out of the four models are technically coming with far smaller capacities than last year's iPhone 11 range.
The iPhone 11, for example, came with a 3110mAh battery, while the iPhone 12 looks like it is coming with only a 2227mAh battery. The iPhone 11 Pro, too, came with a 3190mAh battery, while the iPhone 12 Pro seems to only sport a 2775mAh stack.
Indeed, if these numbers are correct, the only phone that will see a battery upgrade in capacity this year is the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which will come with a 3,687mAh battery instead of the iPhone 11 Pro Max's 3,500mAh unit.
Now, of course, battery capacity alone doesn't tell the full battery life story with any phone, with hardware and software optimisations equally as important. And maybe Apple's new A14 system-on-a-chip (SoC) is ridiculously efficient, and maybe the new iOS 14 shares that trait, requiring even less battery draw than before.
Both those things could help stretch out battery life for sure.
However, right now the demands on smartphone batteries are escalating thanks to the adoption of 5G, with these next-gen connections demanding a lot of juice. And we also all know that the iPhone 12 range of phones is, so rumours across the world state, going to be Apple's first where it features 5G handsets.
It is this adoption of 5G, after all, that has analysts predicting a "supercycle" of new iPhone 12 upgrades.
We also know that rumours suggest Apple's new iPhone 12 range could included phones with 90 or even 120Hz refresh rate screens, which also demand much more battery draw than standard 60Hz panels.
So while we think it fair to say Apple probably will have optimised the heck out of its iPhone 12 range in terms of hardware and software efficiency, we really are rather worried that these reduced capacity stacks just aren't going to delivery the top-tier battery performance we expect from flagship-grade phones.
And if the latest iPhone 12 price rumours are to be believed, then we are definitely talking "flagship" in terms of cost range.
Here's hoping these numbers are wrong or that Apple proves our worries wrong, too, with long-lasting batteries in all of its iPhone 12 handsets. As next-gen, 5G iPhone joy would definitely be doused by constant battery anxiety.
However, a next-gen iPhone 12 with 5G connectivity and a long-lasting battery would be smartphone heaven – even if the phone didn't come with a charger or pair of earphones in the box.
What will the new iPhone 12 range look like? This video reveals all.
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