iPhone 16 Pro Max to get new battery that could last longer

A battery being taken out of an iPhone (Source: Apple)

As the iPhone 16 range is believed to be starting mass production ahead of its September launch, most rumors have concentrated on the screen sizes and camera bumps in the range.

However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that there is to be a quite radical redesign of the battery, specifically in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. As well as an increased energy density of the battery cells, it will also be encased in stainless steel instead of the previous aluminum.

In his full post about the report on Medium, Kuo says that this could mean a longer battery life. However, it could also mean the same battery life, if Apple has decided to use a smaller battery.

Seemingly based on information from his sources in the supply chain, Kuo says that Apple is redesigning the battery to use a stainless steel case. Reportedly, stainless steel is poorer at dissipating heat than aluminum, but is stronger.

Consequently Kuo says that the new case will provide better protection for the battery, and for the iPhone as a whole. Plus this new battery case design is said to make it easier to remove the battery, which is to help Apple comply with EU requirements.

Kuo says that it is solely the iPhone 16 Pro Max that will get this new battery. But the intention is that it will then be used throughout the lineup in 2025's iPhone 17 range.

This report may back up a claimed leak in November 2023, although that was said to be for the iPhone 16 Pro. Photographs in the purported leak showed the same J-shape battery as in the current model, but it appeared to be encased in what was described as a "frosted metal shell."

Separately, a dubious rumor in February 2024 claimed that there was to be a redesigned battery for the iPhone 16 Plus. However in this case, it was specifically claimed that the battery life of the phone would be reduced.