Apple doubles the battery life of the iPhone 15

In a surprising move, Apple has updated the battery life rating for the iPhone 15. In a statement, the company said that its newest iPhones can still retain 80 percent of their original charging capacity after 1,000 cycles without any new hardware or software updates. This change coincides with new EU regulations that will require ratings for phone battery life. iPhone 15 models will now also offer a battery life advantage over competing phones in the European market.

Until now, Apple's online support documents stated that iPhone batteries retained 80 percent of their original full charge after 500 cycles. However, after extensive testing on its 2023 smartphones—the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max—the company determined that it was possible to increase this battery life to 1,000 cycles and made the necessary updates.

Apple says the tests involved charging and discharging the batteries 1,000 times under specific conditions and included a series of tests reflecting common usage. Regarding how the estimate doubled without any physical or software changes, the company attributes the upgrade to continuous improvements made to battery components and iOS power management.

APPLE'S BATTERY RECORD

Meanwhile, because Apple has a history regarding "battery life," such news can always be viewed with suspicion. A few years ago, after users organized complaints on social media, the company admitted to intentionally reducing the battery life of phones, apologized, and subsequently announced that it had resolved the issue with an update it released. In other words, the company had admitted that it had configured the phones at the factory to make their batteries "die" quickly. For this reason, iPhone users, tired of having to constantly charge their phones within 1-2 years, would either apply to iPhone services to buy a new battery or be persuaded to buy a new iPhone.