Just because Samsung equipped its latest foldables with silicon-carbon battery technology doesn't mean Apple will follow suit. But it doesn't mean the iPhone 18 Pro Max is slouching in the battery department either, as evidenced by newly leaked photos.
Beefy battery
The iPhone 18 Pro Max's battery. | Image by Lanzuk
South Korean leaker Lanzuk shared an image of the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery that they found on Weibo, alongside capacity details for both Pro models.
In the US, where Apple ditched the physical SIM tray, the iPhone 18 Pro sports a 4,288mAh battery, a modest 36mAh step up from the iPhone 17 Pro's 4,252mAh cell. The global variant with a SIM slot gets a 4,056mAh battery, a 2% boost over the predecessor's 3,988mAh cell.
iPhone 18 Pro vs 17 Pro battery capacities. | Image by Lanzuk
The figures are more impressive for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The US eSIM-only model jumps from 5,088mAh to 5,567mAh, a 9% improvement. The regular variant gets a larger 12% bump to 5,391mAh.
How do these capacities impact your purchase plans?
Longer battery life at a cost
The bigger batteries, combined with a more efficient A20 Pro chip, will make the iPhone 18 Pro duo last a lot longer. However, the models are also expected to be thicker, with one leak claiming that they would be around 9.9–10.9mm thick, a substantial increase over the current models' 8.8 mm profile.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is also rumored to weigh 240 grams, up from 233 grams.
Battery isn't the only culprit
The Pro models are also likely to feature a variable aperture camera for the first time, which will add physical bulk. They will allegedly also feature an improved vapor chamber with stainless steel, which will again add heft.
Bigger is better
The iPhone 15 Pro weighed less than the iPhone 14 Pro due to a shift to titanium, but Apple pivoted back to aluminum with the iPhone 17 Pro due to overheating issues. The company continues to offer the thin and light iPhone Air to customers who don't like hefty phones.
At 240 grams, the iPhone 18 Pro Max would match the weight of the current heaviest iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro Max. That bulk didn't impact the iPhone 14 Pro Max's sales, suggesting customers don't mind a chunky phone as long as it packs top-tier specs.
However, with silicon-carbon batteries offering a taste of what it feels like to use lighter phones, the iPhone 18 Pro Max might not be able to get away with its burly footprint.
Here's why the iPhone 18 Pro Max could match phones with silicon-carbon batteries:
It's all about efficiency and the operating system
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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.
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