Apple could equip its upcoming iPhone 17 Pro Max flagship with a massive battery, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee a longer run time.
Leaker “Instant Digit” posted claimed iPhone 17 Pro Max battery capacity on their account on the Chinese microblogging network Weibo, saying battery capacity will hit the 5,000mAh mark, making it the most capacious battery in an iPhone to date. The same account shared some accurate predictions in the past, but has also had its fair share of misses, so keep that in mind.
The bigger battery, coupled with additional efficiencies afforded by Apple’s upcoming A19 Pro chip and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X80 modem, could result in the longest battery life ever in an iPhone so far. Or not—things aren’t that simple. At any rate, we’ll know for sure when Apple unveils the iPhone 17 series sometime in September, and we have a chance to peruse the official technical specifications.
iPhone 17 Pro Max could break battery records
The iPhone 16 Pro Max (2024) is rated with a 33-hour battery life for video playback. In comparison, the previous two flagships, the iPhone 15 Pro Max (2023) and iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022) can play video for up to 29 hours before the battery dies.
It’s difficult to estimate how many extra hours beyond 33 hours the iPhone 17 Pro Max could squeeze from an extra 300mAh of battery capacity. It could easily be that the device will have roughly the same battery performance as the iPhone 16 Pro Max should Apple decide to use this extra battery capacity to power new hardware capabilities or software features like enhanced photography.
Adaptive Power Mode in iOS 26
Apple will also release its renamed “26” operating system ahead of new iPhones. Among the new iOS 26 features is Adaptive Power Mode, which can extend battery life by making small performance adjustments when necessary, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to take a little longer.
However, this feature uses Apple Intelligence to make these on-the-fly changes to battery performance. Therefore, it’s only available on the iPhone 15 Pros and the iPhone 16 lineup because Apple Intelligence isn’t compatible with the standard iPhone 15 and older. Speaking of batteries, check out our tips to save battery on your iPhone and improve its health to extend battery life.