There has been a lot of talk about how Apple is changing its iPhone designs to comply with EU regulations lately. We finally got a USB-C connector on last year’s iPhones, and this year, we’re expecting improvements regarding repairability.
What’s a little more exciting, though, is that a side effect of these changes will result in longer iPhone 16 battery life. Industry analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, posted on X claiming that the new iPhones will use a stainless steel battery case that’s designed to reduce the difficulty of replacing the battery pack.
Kuo says the new battery housing serves two purposes, the first is to comply with EU repairability regulations, but the design also allows Apple to increase the cell density by 5-10% while still meeting all safety requirements.
The news comes after images of a metal battery case prototype were leaked on X, supposedly destined for the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro. Anyone who’s attempted to replace an iPhone battery will know that it’s a monumental task. The current battery design is housed in a soft black pouch, affixed with strong adhesive, and requires great care and specialized tools to remove safely.
A steel housing will make removal much simpler, but of course, it’s not something that you’ll be able to pop out and replace on the fly. It’s more of an improvement to aid repair centers and advanced tinkerers, rather than something that the average iPhone buyer will notice.
The leaked housing says it has a 3,355 mAh capacity, up from 3,290 mAh on the iPhone 15 Pro. That’s less than a 2% increase in capacity, but it could be a larger gain in density, as Kuo claims. It’s also possible that this early prototype doesn’t match the final capacity of the iPhone 16 Pro, time will tell.
The upcoming iPhone 16 models are expected to land in September, and we’ll certainly be seeing more leaks and rumors as the date approaches. In the meantime, check out our guide to the best gaming iPhones that you can buy right now, and the best iPhone games you can play on them, too.