Apple says the iPhone 15 battery is more durable than it originally thought

An iPhone battery charging chart

Battery capacity has always been a problem for iPhone users, with complaints raised by some claiming that their smartphone's battery isn't holding as much charge as they would expect over time. While Apple has previously outlined its expectations for how long a battery should last, it has now doubled its claim.

Apple says its batteries for iPhones are designed to hold up to 80% of their original capacity following 500 complete charge cycles, namely from full to empty. Now, Apple told 9to5Mac that the number of cycles the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are capable of retaining 80% of its charge for is 1,000 complete charging cycles.

The change in battery cycle lifespan is down to the iPhone being used in certain common use cases. Thanks to various improvements to components and its various power management systems, this has allowed Apple to make the change in cycle count.

It also only applies to the iPhone 15 generation of models, with earlier versions still rated to 500 cycles. Apple does say that older models are being checked to see if charge cycle data points are still correct.

Apple introduced new battery health controls in iOS 17 alongside the iPhone 15 launch, including an option to never charge the battery past 80%. The logic is that charging from 0% to 80% is relatively efficient, but the last 20% uses more energy and produces more heat, which can wear the battery down.

Users of the iPhone 15 can see the cycle count for their device by opening Settings then selecting Battery, followed by Battery Health.

It is likely that Apple will keep the higher cycle count for future iPhone releases, but the technology it will use could still change. One rumor claims Apple will use graphene to help reduce overheating issues.

Meanwhile a dubious leak claimed capacities in the iPhone 16 family will be lower than the iPhone 15.