The iPhones have been among the world’s most popular smartphones. But their battery life has almost always disappointed users. A teardown of the iPhone 6S revealed that it featured only 1715mAh battery. Will the iPhone 7 sport a bigger battery? Probably not. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has already reported that it will be as slim as the newest iPod Touch, with a thickness of just 6mm to 6.5mm.
No energy-efficient OLED panel on cards
So, there is little chance of packing a bigger battery in a slimmer phone. Then there were rumors that the iPhone 7 would switch from the traditional LCD panels to OLED screens that are more power efficient. Kuo again shot down those rumors, saying that the iPhones won’t get OLED screens until 2018. Kuo has been hailed as the most accurate Apple analyst in the world.
But there is still some hope that Apple will somehow manage to increase the next-gen iPhone’s battery life. The iPhone 7 will feature a hexa-core A10 processor that experts say will be more energy efficient than A9 in the iPhone 6S. It’s also possible that A10 will be smaller than its predecessor, taking up less room inside the phone that can be used to increase the battery size.
Will iPhone 7 be the world’s first solar-powered smartphone?
Apple may also optimize its iOS platform to offer some battery gains. Earlier this year, Apple had patented a solar panel technology that is embedded in the screen. If the tech giant chooses to use the technology in iPhone 7, it will become the world’s first solar-powered smartphone. Since last year, Apple has also been hiring battery technology experts to enhance the battery life of its devices by better optimizing the hardware and software.
Earlier this week, Apple launched a smart battery case that offers up to 25 hours of extra talk time and 18 hours of web browsing. Even though Tim Cook defended it, the battery case has been widely criticized, and it is a weak solution to the battery life woes of iPhones.
