Here we list and explain the battery capacities of every iPhone from 2007’s original iPhone to the very latest iPhone 15 series, and even some rumors on the next iPhone 16 family.
Measuring iPhone battery life in straight hours of real-world usage (as Apple likes to do) is not an accurate metric for comparison purposes as so many use and environmental factors play a part.
We can, however, rely on straight technical specifications to tell us the battery capacities of each iPhone.
Apple is notoriously secretive about these battery specifications, mainly because smartphones from rivals such as Samsung boast much larger battery capacities. We can only discover the battery capacities by ripping the battery out of the phone and checking the specifications printed there.
These are measured in either Milliamp Hours (mAh) or Watt Hours (Wh).
Milliamp hours are a measure of electrical charge, while a watt-hour is equal to one watt of energy consumed for one hour of time. And it is the energy consumed that matters when we’re measuring actual battery life.
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Wh is a more accurate and consistent way to compare the total amount of energy that similar types of batteries can store.
And it’s all about the battery voltage, which mAh ignores, which determines the wattage (power) of a battery.
If the mAh is the same, the higher the voltage, the greater the actual stored power.
Volts (V) are a measure of electric pressure. Amps (A) are a measure of current. Multiply V x A and you get Watts (W) that are a measure of power. So V × A = W.
You can convert watt hours (Wh) to milliamp hours (mAh) using this formula: (Wh x 1,000) divided by V = mAh.
The lithium batteries that power most portable electronics have a voltage of about 3.6V, but some external battery packs (such as Apple’s 7.62V MagSafe Battery Pack) boast a higher voltage, which means they actually carry more power than their mAh implies.
Here we list the battery capacity of every iPhone ever released in both mAh and Wh.
iPhone battery capacities
iPhone: 1400mAh 5.18Wh
iPhone 3G: 1150mAh 4.25Wh
iPhone 3GS: 1200mAh 4.44Wh
iPhone 4: 1420mAh 5.3Wh
iPhone 4s 1432mAh 5.3Wh
iPhone 5: 1440mAh 5.45Wh
iPhone 5c 1510mAh 5.73Wh
iPhone 5s: 1560mAh 5.92Wh
iPhone 6: 1810mAh 6.9Wh
iPhone 6s: 1715mAh 6.91Wh
iPhone 6s Plus: 2750mAh 10.45Wh
iPhone SE: 1624mAh 6.21Wh
iPhone 7: 1960mAh 7.45Wh
iPhone 7 Plus: 2900mAh 11.1Wh
iPhone 8: 1821mAh 6.96Wh
iPhone 8 Plus: 2961mAh 10.28Wh
iPhone X: 2716mAh 10.35Wh
iPhone XR: 2942mAh 11.16Wh
iPhone XS: 2658mAh 10.13Wh
iPhone XS Max: 3174mAh 12.08Wh
iPhone 11: 3110mAh 11.91Wh
iPhone 11 Pro: 3046mAh 11.67Wh
iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3969mAh 15.04Wh
iPhone 12 mini: 2227mAh 8.57Wh
iPhone 12: 2815mAh 10.78Wh
iPhone 12 Pro: 2815mAh 10.78Wh
iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3687mAh 14.13Wh
iPhone 13 mini: 2438mAh 9.34Wh
iPhone 13: 3240mAh 12.41Wh
iPhone 13 Pro: 3095mAh 11.97Wh
iPhone 13 Pro Max: 4352mAh 16.75Wh
iPhone 14: 3279mAh 12.68Wh
iPhone 14 Plus: 4325mAh 16.68Wh
iPhone 14 Pro: 3200mAh 12.38Wh
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 4323mAh 16.68Wh
iPhone 15: 3,349mAh 12.98Wh
iPhone 15 Plus: 4,383mAh 16.95Wh
iPhone 15 Pro: 3,274mAh 12.70Wh
iPhone 15 Pro Max: 4,422mAh 17.11Wh
MagSafe Battery Pack: 1460mAh 11.13W
Battery spec for the iPhone 15 series was revealed by the Chinese regulatory database.
Rumors are already circulating on the battery capacities of the forthcoming iPhone 16.
We won’t know till September but the rumored numbers are:
iPhone 16: 3,561mAh (up 6.3% on iPhone 15)
iPhone 16 Plus: 4,006mAh (down 8.6% on iPhone 15 Plus)
iPhone 16 Pro: N/A
iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,676mAh (up 5.3%/5.7% on iPhone 15 Pro Max)
Check out the best iPhone chargers and USB-C iPhone charge cables in our test results.
Is your iPhone battery living up to its potential? Find out How to check iPhone battery health and find out how and when to replace it.
Author: Simon Jary, Contributing writer
Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.