When Apple unveils its anticipated iPhone 16 lineup at its September 10 Glowtime occasion, it will seemingly tout improvements in images, design, and particularly AI (that is Apple Intelligence), however I will be listening for information on a pair of key options: battery life and cost speeds. Sadly, I do not count on the foremost innovation I would like, at the least not this yr.
In contrast to the leaps that synthetic intelligence is making throughout the smartphone spectrum, battery expertise’s tempo of innovation is extra tectonic. Positive, there have been updates in capacities, effectivity, and security, however the lion’s share of battery life extension we get in our greatest iPhones comes by software program administration, together with AI that, as Apple advised me some years in the past, works within the background to handle battery use and longevity.
This yr’s anticipated iPhone 16 line may probably get bigger batteries within the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max. Including 5.7% and 9.2% bigger batteries in these telephones is probably going a matter of shrinking parts and leaving extra room, not some energy breakthrough. The present batteries are reportedly 4,383 mAh on the iPhone 15 Professional and 4,444 mAh on the iPhone 15 Professional Max (Apple would not publicize its personal battery capability). I do not assume these will increase convey the brand new iPhone 16 household to five,000 mAh, although I would like to see them get there this yr.
There are additionally whispers that the lineup will lastly get ultra-fast charging capabilities. This implies switching from, say, a 50% cost in half-hour with a 20W charger to, maybe, 100% in 65 minutes with a rumored new 43W ultrafast charger (one, by the way in which, that may absolutely not ship without spending a dime with any iPhone).
I, like everybody else, will welcome these adjustments however they don’t seem to be the battery innovation I actually need. Absolutely, it is time for smartphone batteries to make the shift from a day of cost to per week, and to keep up full recharge capability for the total lifespan of the cellphone.
The way forward for batteries
A few of that is doable with a expertise that stories counsel Apple and others are engaged on proper now: Strong-state batteries. Because the identify implies, these batteries exchange the liquid in conventional lithium-ion batteries, usually liquid electrolytes that produce the chemical response (shifting ions) to make energy, with a strong materials like ceramics or silicon.
Potential advantages of solid-state batteries embody elevated security (liquid is extra unstable than strong), extra power out of a smaller house due to better density, higher longevity, sooner charging, and a decrease carbon footprint.
Sounds good, proper? Rumors declare Apple is engaged on this expertise for future iPhones, however I don’t imply the rapid future. There’s basically zero probability that solid-state batteries will arrive within the iPhone 16. Some prognosticators consider Apple is eyeing 2026, which might imply the iPhone 18. Perhaps that is doable. Nevertheless, the present limitation of solid-state batteries is dimension. Sure, even smartphone-sized solid-state batteries could be an issue.
There’s basically zero probability that solid-state batteries will arrive within the iPhone 16.
TDK, the corporate that provides most of Apple’s iPhone batteries, is difficult at work on solid-state battery expertise, however its latest breakthroughs are solely usable in watch-sized batteries. The ceramic that TDK is utilizing in these batteries is much extra fragile than what you’d discover in a standard lithium-ion iPhone battery, and rising solid-state battery expertise as much as smartphone dimension won’t be doable for a while. Not till Apple and TDK can determine the way to make a skinny, light-weight, and ultra-strong housing for the solid-state battery, one that may slot in a standard iPhone with out making it twice the scale of an iPhone 16 Professional Max.
We are able to count on some worthwhile battery updates within the iPhone 16, however our battery lives will not change till TDK and different researchers determine the way to enhance solid-state batteries to your finest iPhone’s dimension. That will not be the iPhone 16; it could be the iPhone 18, however is extra seemingly someplace within the iPhone 20 vary.
