iPhone 12 battery sizes leaked – and they’re disappointingly small

iPhone 11 Pro
The iPhone 12 Pro might have a smaller battery than the iPhone 11 Pro (above) (Image credit: Future)

Apple isn’t known for putting massive batteries in its phones and it looks like that isn’t going to change for the iPhone 12 range. In fact, it seems these batteries might be even smaller than the ones in the iPhone 11 range.

MySmartPrice has spotted certifications for three new Apple batteries - likely intended for the iPhone 12 range - on three certification databases, namely those of Safety Korea, China’s 3C, and UL Demko (a Danish certification agency).

The batteries in question carry the model numbers A2471, A2431, and A2466, with the A2471 being 2,227mAh, a size that likely means it’s intended for the rumored 5.4-inch iPhone 12. The A2431 meanwhile is 2,775mAh, making it the middle of the three and therefore a logical fit for both the iPhone 12 Max and iPhone 12 Pro (both of which are rumored to have 6.1-inch screens).

The 2,227mAh A2471 battery

The 2,227mAh A2471 battery (Image credit: Safety Korea)

Finally, the A2466 has a capacity of 3,687mAh and so is likely intended for the largest rumored model – the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.

For reference however, the iPhone 11 has a 3,110mAh battery, the iPhone 11 Pro has a 3,046mAh one, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 3,969mAh one – and that’s despite the iPhone 11 Pro Max having a smaller screen than the iPhone 12 Pro Max is rumored to have.

So that doesn’t bode well for the battery life of Apple’s upcoming handsets. That said, there is a chance that these batteries aren’t intended for the phones, or that the sizes are inaccurate. Even assuming they are right, size isn’t the only thing that affects battery life, so Apple may have made some optimizations that improve battery performance.

In more positive news, mention of a new 20W charger has also been spotted in one of the databases. This is something we’ve heard rumors of before, and would allow for faster charging than any current iPhone charger. However, while it looks likely that this exists, there have been suggestions that it won’t come in the box. Rather, you’d have to buy it separately.

We should have a clearer, more official idea of the battery and charging situation in September, as that’s when the iPhone 12 range is likely to be announced. Saying that, Apple never reveals the capacity of its smartphone batteries, so we’ll have to wait for a teardown after the phones are released to get confirmation of their sizes.

Via GSMArena

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.