Apple could give the iPhone 18 Pro Max a massive battery upgrade this year. A new leak points to a nearly 12% increase in capacity.
An allegedly leaked image of the phone’s battery points to a 5,391mAh capacity. If accurate, that would give the iPhone 18 Pro Max a nearly 12% larger battery than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Apple may supersize the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery
Apple made the iPhone 17 Pro family thicker and heavier to accommodate larger batteries. That worked, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max packing the largest battery ever in an iPhone and offering unrivaled battery life.
With this year’s iPhone 18 Pro family, Apple will supposedly go even bigger.
A leaked image of a battery meant for the iPhone 18 Pro Max in China lists a capacity of 5,391mAh (via Naver). That’s 568mAh or 12% more than the 4,823mAh cell found in the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The eSIM-only US variant will reportedly pack an even larger 5,567mAh cell, up from the 5,088mAh battery found in the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Unfortunately, it appears the battery capacity bump will be limited to the Pro Max model.
The iPhone 18 Pro will reportedly pack only a marginally larger battery than its predecessor. It will apparently feature a capacity of 4,056mAh in China and 4,288mAh in the US. For comparison, the US iPhone 17 Pro packs a 4,252mAh cell.
| Model | eSIM model | Physical SIM model |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro | 4,288mAh | 4,056mAh |
| iPhone 17 Pro | 4,252mAh | 3,988mAh |
| Increase | 36mAh (~1%) | 68mAh (~2%) |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | 5,567mAh | 5,391mAh |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | 5,088mAh | 4,823mAh |
| Increase | 479mAh (~9%) | 568mAh (~12%) |
Bigger battery, bigger iPhone 18 Pro Max?
The larger battery could make the iPhone 18 Pro Max heavier and thicker than its predecessor. That may not go down well with some users who already find the Pro Max too heavy for daily use. It’s unclear if Apple will offset some of the added weight through internal design changes or lighter materials.
On the flip side, a 12% increase in battery size should give the iPhone 18 Pro Max an even longer battery life, especially since it will come with a 2nm fabricated chip.
