It seems that Apple has decided to upgrade the battery and, therefore, the autonomy of its smartphones starting with the new iPhone 13, using a series of design changes, starting with larger batteries, without forgetting efficiency improvements.
In a recent investor note from MacRumors, trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo anticipated that all four iPhone 13 models will be equipped with larger batteries with higher capacities:
The new iPhone 2H21 models feature a larger battery capacity than the iPhone 12 series, thanks to the space-saving design of many components. Hence, the new iPhone models are also slightly heavier than the iPhone 12. Space-saving design includes integration of the SIM card slot with the motherboard, reducing the thickness of the front optical modules, and more
The change will be implemented through a number of space-saving design choices, such as integrating the SIM card slot into the motherboard and reducing the thickness of the front-facing TrueDepth camera array.
Larger batteries in the iPhone 13 models will presumably lead to longer runtimes, in contrast to the iPhone 12, which has instead seen smaller battery sizes across the board from the previous generation. And in fact, the iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max have batteries with lower capacities of 295mAh, 231mAh, 282mAh respectively compared to their predecessors, but the runtime was basically the same thanks to efficiency improvements.
Since the launch of the iPhone 12 line, there have also been concerns about how 5G connectivity can negatively affect battery life. iPhone 12 mini, in particular, has a small battery due to its very compact form factor and has faced some criticism for its autonomy which, for some users, is not able to last a full day. One drawback of the internal design changes noted by Kuo is that the ‘iPhone 13’ models are expected to be slightly heavier due to the larger batteries. Changes to the display technology used in iPhone 13 Pro can also be responsible for improving battery life.
Additionally, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max should enjoy the new ProMotion display, with variable refresh rate gain. In addition to providing high refresh rates of up to 120Hz when needed, the ProMotion also allows for slower refresh rates when there is less movement on the screen, to reduce power consumption and improve battery life. Additionally, the A15 chip is likely to provide some efficiency improvements to support even better battery life.
The iPhone 13 line is expected to arrive later this year, with a smaller notch on the front, better camera stabilization, support for Wi-Fi 6E, and more.
