Apple Increases iPhone 15's Advertised Battery Lifespan

[jarman92]

As I wrote, they got better batteries from their suppliers.
I know Apple fans believe in the magical software features like fixing everything with software but this isn’t the case here.

Maybe. And if so, that would be one of the “changes” I referenced.

 

[Klagarde]

Apple today announced that it retested the batteries in all iPhone 15 models and determined that they are able to meet a higher bar.

In a support document updated today, Apple says the batteries in the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max are designed to retain 80% of their original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions, compared to the 500 charge cycles it advertises for all older iPhone models.

Apple told MacRumors that its latest testing for iPhone 15 models involved charging and discharging the battery 1,000 times under specific conditions, but it did not provide any exact details about the process. Apple added that it has continually made improvements to iPhone battery components and its power management system.

This revelation means that it could take longer for the maximum battery capacity of iPhone 15 models to decline to 80% compared to previous iPhone models. However, Apple said it is "investigating" the battery lifespans of older iPhone models, so a comparison based on the latest testing parameters remains to be seen.

In its support document, Apple says the battery lifespan of any iPhone model ultimately depends on how the device is regularly used and charged.

To view an iPhone's battery capacity, open the Settings app and tap Battery → Battery Health & Charging. On iPhone 15 models updated to the latest iOS 17.4 beta, the menu is now simply called Battery Health and shows more info at a glance.

This news was first reported by 9to5Mac.

Article Link: Apple Increases iPhone 15's Advertised Battery Lifespan

Oopsie, batteries last to long, gotta make m last shorter again to keep sales up.

 

[chfilm]

Great - so I can enjoy the absolutely mediocre battery in my 15 pro for even longer 😂

 

[Jimmy Bubbles]

iOS Dev: “Craig, watch what this line of code does…”

 

[klasma]

My iPhone 13 mini, which is a little over a year old, is at 90%. I make no effort to preserve battery life. New batteries aren’t that expensive to buy every couple years.
I don’t get never charging above 80%. I abuse my battery and it still gets 90% of new. How is that worse than never having more than 80% available because you never charge beyond that?

If you normally don’t need more than 80%, then you’ll have those 80% for longer.

 

[t0rqx]

It is unbelievable how easy people are manipulated by Apple. They used recycled batteries in the 14 series hence the short battery lifecycle. They did the same with the 15 series but this time as marketing. At the same time telling users not to charge and use the battery over 80%! Of course it will degrade slower, do not get us started how the iOS code manipulated the statistic so users feel relieved. They did this with iPhone 4 cellular issue's you holding it wrong and performance gate iPhone 6.

 

[Reeneman]

tuns out i have been doing this for years now, just didnt realised it. i dont plug my phone for the night, just put it on charger when it notifies me that battery is low, and then plug it off cause i need to do something on it. so it rarely reaches full charge.

battery at 97% capacity after 2 years.

There are tons of myths out there regarding charging.
Every battery is different and has a slightly different capacity. You could simply have luck that your battery had a noticeable higher capacity.
The measurement by Apple is also not 100% precise. There are so many reasons for this.

 

[vegetassj4]

:delete:

 

[lotzosushi]

The 14 series was by far the worst… I still use a few of the old series phones regularly.

All launch day lifespan till now:

15 Pro Max: 100% capacity
14 Pro Max: 85% capacity
13 Pro Max: 87% capacity
12 Pro Max: 89% capacity

 

[andrewxgx]

There are tons of myths out there regarding charging.
Every battery is different and has a slightly different capacity. You could simply have luck that your battery had a noticeable higher capacity.
The measurement by Apple is also not 100% precise. There are so many reasons for this.

not really
its same for all my older phones as well, even my 2018 Xs is at 93% capacity after 2 years of usage and 3 years in the box.

 

[coffeemilktea]

Apple added that it has continually made improvements to iPhone battery components and its power management system.

Hopefully they don't use this as an excuse to make the batteries even smaller in the next iPhone model, all while claiming their improved technology magically makes the batteries last longer despite smaller capacities. 🙃

 

[3xBoom]

Launch day 14 Pro Max down to 86% 👎

iPhone 12 mini 85%

 

[CausticSoda]

I've had my 15 Pro Max on 80% optimisation since launch day. I try to never let it drop into the red at 20% either, and most days don't need to top it up during the day unless I am travelling. I'm half-hoping this thing will last me through until the XX which I am assuming will be the next significant upgrade. Who knows, AI Siri may actually be useful by then.

 

[krspkbl]

My launch day 15 Pro Max still at 100%

My launch day iPhone 12 Pro Max took about a year to drop to 99% and it had dropped to 87% by the time I traded it in to Apple for the 15 Pro Max.

 

[k1121j]

Due they remove the ability to see charge cycles or is that just me?

 

[eifelbube]

Sounds good. So i would assume the batteries simply are of a higher quality than before. I think Samsung announced something a while ago.
People shouldn’t be worried to much about all these % but to see this value already down close to 80% after not even 18 months is pretty disappointing. On my Xs it went down pretty terrible after a couple of months. 13 Pro was at 86% after two years.

My December 2018 XS is at 79% today (just checked) … 😊

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

The 14 series was by far the worst… I still use a few of the old series phones regularly.

All launch day lifespan till now:

15 Pro Max: 100% capacity
14 Pro Max: 85% capacity
13 Pro Max: 87% capacity
12 Pro Max: 89% capacity

One Pro Max for each of your hands and one for each of your feet, respectively?

Like, it’s just consumer tech -Why do you keep the old ones if you’re upgrading every year.

Can’t you resell or trade them in?

Surely, you don’t actually use more than one at a time?

Are the three of them just sitting in a drawer?

Please tell me you’re a tech journalist or something.

 

[JosephAW]

Launch day 14 Pro Max down to 86% 👎

Down to 85% on my 14 Pro. iOS 17 still is causing higher drain than 16 which is helping to expedite battery replacement timeline.
Good thing AppleCare+ will cover it.

 

[Haiku_Oezu]

Interesting, gonna look forward to see how these claims stack up with actual usage in two years

In my personal experience Apple has been accurate with their estimates, with the notable exception of my 12 Pro Max which got absolutely thrashed and ended up with 80% battery life after a year
I always had to charge the damn thing after half a day so I’m not surprised

 

[JosephAW]

My iPhone 11 Pro Max battery life was amazing and lasted all day and then some for another day, battery life was above 80% after three years.
My poor 14 Pro battery is down to 30% by the end of the day is the new norm and closing in on 80% life in the next 6 mo.

 

[farmboy]

It is unbelievable how easy people are manipulated by Apple. They used recycled batteries in the 14 series hence the short battery lifecycle. They did the same with the 15 series but this time as marketing. At the same time telling users not to charge and use the battery over 80%! Of course it will degrade slower, do not get us started how the iOS code manipulated the statistic so users feel relieved. They did this with iPhone 4 cellular issue's you holding it wrong and performance gate iPhone 6.

You are wrong, or at least misstating. Apple uses about 25% recycled COBALT in their batteries, not "recycled batteries". All phone makers, indeed all portable electronic devices, use as much recycled cobalt as they can.

The recycling is done for several reasons: 1) because cobalt is a very expensive raw material, and because most of it comes from the Congo, where that mining is rife with human abuse; 2) Because it is environmentally unwise to mine the lithium cobalt; 3) Because it is environmentally unwise to just junk the old batteries; 4) Recycled cobalt charges just as efficiently and as much as new cobalt.

The cathode material is Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2), the anode is carbon graphite while the electrolyte is a solid polymer such as polyethylene oxide or polyacrylonitrile or similar. The LiCoO2 coats aluminum collectors while the graphite coats copper collectors.

 

[macduke]

Admittedly it's only been five months, but I've been strictly using the 80% Limit option on my iPhone 15 Pro and the max capacity is still 100%. I'm optimistic that it'll easily last my typical ~5 years between phone upgrades.

Yeah, I suppose if you go that long then that toggle is probably good. I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max, don’t have that limit set, and I’m at 99% with 109 full charge cycles since launch.

I think it also helps that the battery life is so long that getting below 20% is rare for me, and charging from a very low state can also be hard on the battery.

I probably use it more on weekends and while traveling, but during a typical workday like today, mine is at 75% as of 6pm local, and that’s with the always on display. Not bad. I have no doubt that if I put this thing in low power mode from 100% that I could get by for several days.

 

[ethanwa79]

My launch-day iPhone 14 Pro is ay 87%. I use my phone constantly every day.

I'd say I'm pretty happy with 87% honestly!

 

[Reeneman]

not really
its same for all my older phones as well, even my 2018 Xs is at 93% capacity after 2 years of usage and 3 years in the box.

We would need to compare charging cycles and so many more to really get something out of this.

 

[ethanwa79]

It is unbelievable how easy people are manipulated by Apple. They used recycled batteries in the 14 series hence the short battery lifecycle. They did the same with the 15 series but this time as marketing. At the same time telling users not to charge and use the battery over 80%! Of course it will degrade slower, do not get us started how the iOS code manipulated the statistic so users feel relieved. They did this with iPhone 4 cellular issue's you holding it wrong and performance gate iPhone 6.

It unbelievable how incorrect your statement is. They don't use "recycled batteries" in their products. It's MATERIALS. Big difference.