We've heard tons of exciting rumours about the upcoming iPhone 12, from huge camera upgrades to the addition of a brand new pocketable size. But we've just had our first glimpse of another aspect of Apple's new smartphone – and it's not such good news.
Three new Apple batteries, spotted by MySmartPrice, have appeared on various battery certification databases, and they appear to be smaller than those inside the current iPhone 11 range. The iPhone 11 Pro is one of our best camera phones, but a poor battery life could hinder the 12's chances of joining the list.
A recent render of the upcoming iPhone 12 (Image credit: EverythingApplePro)
Two of the new batteries have a capacity of 2,775mAh and 3,687 mAh. In comparison, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max batteries are 3,110mAh and 3,969 respectively. This suggests that the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max could feature smaller batteries than their predecessors, despite being rumoured to be similar in size – not great news for creatives and digital artists on the go.
The third new battery is the smallest, at just 2,227mAh. This is no doubt for the rumoured 5.4-inch model (the smallest since 2016's iPhone SE) though, and it makes sense for a new, smaller phone to feature a new, smaller battery.
The 5.4-inch iPhone 12 (centre) is expected to be the smallest since the original iPhone SE (left). (Image credit: MacRumors)
Still, while size does matter when it comes to battery life, it isn't the whole story. It could be that Apple has seen fit to shave battery sizes because of software optimisation within iOS 14. We know Apple likes to keep things slim (perhaps best demonstrated by a recent patent for a MacBook with retractable keyboard), and if the new software is more power efficient, perhaps we'll see similar battery life to the iPhone 11 within a thinner and lighter body. Not such bad news for creatives after all, then.
Only time will tell how long the iPhone 12 is able to last, but battery life was certainly a highlight in our iPhone 11 Pro review. Check out today's best deals below.
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Daniel John is Senior News Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.
